LinkedIn has expanded its new verification program, in partnership with Persona, to give UK users the chance to verify their profile on the job site for free.
The company announced in October that it wanted to have 100 million verified users by 2025, so it aims to achieve this by expanding its partnership with the identity verification platform.
UK members can now use an e-passport to verify their identity via Persona which in turn grants a badge on their LinkedIn profile for others to see that they're verified. It has provided a guide on how to complete the process.
Improving security
LinkedIn's UK manager Ngaire Moyes commented, "adding this additional layer of identity verification helps our members make more informed decisions about whether the people and businesses you interact with are real.”
And Persona CEO Rick Song added, "we share a common vision with LinkedIn to build safe, authentic connections, regardless of where users are based. We’re excited to continue collaborating with their team and support their global expansion."
The extension of the partnership follows other recent actions LinkedIn has taken in order to combat fake profiles and fraud on the platform. For instance, in May, it launched 'Verification for Jobs', which provides users with additional information about a verified job poster.
In November 2022, it also launched several other features, such as optional warnings if suspicious messages are detected, including those that ask to take the conversation to another platform, as well as a new detection tool that can spot fake profiles that use AI-generated photos.
Although getting verified is optional, LinkedIn does encourage users do so. It also recommends that users turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) to further secure their accounts, as well as using a strong and unique password, omitting email addresses from their profile, and adding an additional phone number or email to recover accounts in case of password loss.
