LinkedIn Launches Profile Authentication: How To Get A 'Verified' Account?

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LinkedIn Launches Profile Authentication: How To Get 'Verified'?

LinkedIn has always been a social media platform for professionals. However, the Microsoft-owned website is not immune to the problems that other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, face. To address the most common issues such as fake profiles, bots, and scams, LinkedIn is testing account authentication. It appears the website could launch this feature worldwide, and hence, let's understand how to get an account "Verified" on LinkedIn.

 

LinkedIn Bolstering Defenses Against Fake Profiles And Bots

LinkedIn is nowhere close to the traffic Facebook handles every day. However, the platform is frequented by professionals looking to network, job-seekers hoping to get a new career option, and others who are seeking like-minded professionals to collaborate with. These activities, however, are quite attractive to scammers.

 

In the recent past, LinkedIn has been criticized for not acting strongly against bots that were used to promote scams, install malware, or push cryptocurrencies. The platform even had multiple fake profiles of big businesses or of people representing them, offering jobs, and trying to scam job-seekers.

LinkedIn claims it actively removes "96% of fake accounts using automated defenses". In the second half of last year, the platform eliminated 11.9 million fake accounts right at the time of registration. Another 4.4 million were spotted and removed before they were ever reported by other users, claimed LinkedIn in its latest transparency report.

Although LinkedIn claims it is effectively addressing bots and fake accounts, the platform is aware that more needs to be done. Hence, the social media platform has announced that it is testing account verification.

How To Get A "Verified" Account On LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has indicated that it wants to offer authentication and verification of accounts to its users to "promote trust on a platform that is often key to job searching and making professional connections". Speaking about the new initiative, LinkedIn product management vice president Oscar Rodriguez said:

"While we continually invest in our defenses, from my perspective, the best defense is empowering our members on decisions about how they want to engage."

LinkedIn is asking a few companies and their employees to verify their profiles. A work email address, and possibly a phone number, would be the primary aspects to be verified. Once a user verifies these details, possibly through an OTP (One Time Password), LinkedIn will incorporate it into a new, "About this Profile" section.

LinkedIn Launches Profile Authentication: How To Get 'Verified'?

The newly-added section will also show when a profile was created and last updated. Needless to say, such information would offer additional context about an account.

LinkedIn has offered some ways in which regular users can stay safe by relying on the 'About this Profile' section. Some quick-to-spot red flags include an account that was created very recently. Moreover, suspicious accounts often have an unusual work history.

Moving forward, the About this Profile feature would be rolled out worldwide, indicated LinkedIn. This could be an equivalent of a "Verified" account on Twitter, but in this case, users themselves with complete the authentication or verification process. In addition to the new section, LinkedIn will also start alerting users if a message they have received seems suspicious.

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