LinkedIn rolls out new tools to tackle fake profiles, false work histories and impersonation
LinkedIn is rolling out new tools to tackle fake profiles, false work histories and online impersonation. The professional networking platform announced the changes on Wednesday.
LinkedIn will add new tools to help users prove their experience and give companies more control over profiles that claim to be associated with them. The change follows the rise in the use of AI to generate realistic fake identities and manipulate profiles online, according to a LinkedIn blog post on 23 September.
The new features will focus on building trust on LinkedIn, where credibility within the professional world can impact hiring, business opportunities and professional advancement, LinkedIn said in a press release. Its current verification offerings have been used by 115 million LinkedIn members and over 700,000 companies, the company said.
LinkedIn is also expanding its verification partnerships, such as a new integration with Truecaller.
LinkedIn lets users vouch for work experience
LinkedIn will now enable verified members to endorse colleagues’ and classmates’ work or education. This feature is not similar to LinkedIn’s endorsements. It is used to establish a person’s true association with another person at a particular time, according to LinkedIn’s blog post.
Members providing a vouch must have a verified profile, have been connected to the person for at least a year, and use two-factor authentication.
Companies can remove fake employee claims
LinkedIn is also giving company page administrators more control over profiles that falsely claim employment at their organisation.
Admins can block these profiles from appearing on their company’s page and search results. LinkedIn is also testing a feature that would require members to verify they work for a company before being associated with a page; this could be done via a company email address.
If an association is removed, the member’s profile will not be changed. However, the company page will no longer be clickable from the profile, and the work experience will not be verified.
Truecaller gets LinkedIn verification integration
LinkedIn is rolling out an additional “Verified on LinkedIn” initiative to additional third-party platforms. Truecaller is one of the latest partners, along with other well-known partners like Adobe and UserTesting.
Truecaller claimed that users can add their LinkedIn profile and have their workplace and job title shown on their Truecaller Caller ID screen. The verification signals on LinkedIn can also be displayed with the caller’s professional data. The integration has been rolled out to Truecaller users on Android globally, and for iPhone, it will be added later.
Truecaller Chief Product Officer Kunal Dua said the collaboration will provide more context for people when they receive calls from unknown numbers, according to Truecaller’s press release. Users can opt in or out of LinkedIn connections and can show their professional information on Truecaller. They can also disconnect the LinkedIn profile at any time.
