Many major social networks, including X, Facebook, and Instagram, allow their users to verify that their accounts are controlled by real people. However, that verification usually comes at a price, as those services require those users to sign up for a paid subscription service to get that verification badge.
However, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has revealed that it has verified 55 million of its user accounts for free, starting in April 2023. According to CNBC, LinkedIn will begin to show its version of a user verification badge in the service"s main feed sometime in November. It plans to have 100 million users verified by 2025. The service currently has over 1 billion total users.
CNBC interviewed Oscar Rodriguez, LinkedIn’s vice president of trust and safety. While he did not reveal how much money the service is using to pay for verification of its users, he did state that it was "a sizable investment.” He added:
Being able to understand the authenticity of someone will be essentially critical to how we see the internet progress in the future. We want to basically make it broadly accessible and through that build a trusted community on LinkedIn.
Like all social networking services, LinkedIn does have to deal with fake accounts created by hackers. However, the company claims it takes down 99 percent of those fake accounts before they are seen by anyone else.
For some users who work in big and select companies, LinkedIn verifies those accounts by sending messages to their company email addresses. Users can also submit their government IDs to third-party partners like Clear and Persona, which LinkedIn pays for.
According to LinkedIn, verified users get 60 percent more profile views compared to unverified accounts and 30 percent more connection requests. In addition to individual accounts, the service also verifies the authenticity of job listings and company pages.