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LinkedIn Verifies 55 Million Users to Tackle AI-Driven Scams and Misinformation

Verifying over 55 million users, completely free, LinkedIn said Friday is a step further from the rising challenges posed by artificial intelligence, particularly when it comes to the growing spread of deep fake content and the misrepresentation of online identities. Oscar Rodriguez, LinkedIn’s Vice President of Trust and Safety, pointed out the need for clear demarcation between what is real and what is fake: “The line-blurring is what we believe poses a significant challenge in combating misinformation and faked expertise.

The verification initiative, launched in April 2023, is in stark contrast to the subscription-based verification models adopted by other platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Meta’s social media services. LinkedIn plans to verify 100 million users by 2025, using a two-pronged strategy for verification. For employees at major companies, LinkedIn uses corporate email addresses to initiate the verification process, a feature currently available for select organizations. In addition, users can upload government-issued IDs through partnerships with verification services such as Clear, Persona, and India’s DigiLocker.

According to Rodriguez, although the financial details of the verification initiative are not known, the investment is quite significant. He said, “Being able to understand the authenticity of someone will be essentially critical to how we see the internet progress in the future.” Even though the user base is more than 1 billion, the percentage of verification is quite small, meaning there is still much space for growth in this direction.

It is in the wake of such generative AI tools that deception in content and accounts is made easier, an area that has long been a source of concern for LinkedIn. The company continues to actively work towards the elimination of fake profiles and removes 99% of them before they reach users. Gyanda Sachdeva, Vice President of Consumer Products at LinkedIn, underscored the dynamic nature of verification and emphasized how important it was in maintaining trust within a network centered on professional connections.

More than this, LinkedIn makes the verification process go further than any individual to job listings as well as company pages. Verified profiles enjoy higher visibility; some researchers report that such verified accounts gain 60 percent views, 30 percent connectivity requests, and 50 percent engagement in posts about a nonverified account.

Overall, LinkedIn’s effort in verifying its users would mark a forward step in fostering authenticity and trust throughout its site in the wake of increasing concerns over misinformation and the integrity of online communication.