LinkedIn Introduces New Verification Tools to Address AI-Powered Scams

LinkedIn is introducing verification tools to address AI-powered scams. The company announced the tools at a time when fake accounts have become rampant on the social media platform as AI tools make it easier for people to impersonate others. 

Why Does LinkedIn’s Work History Verification Matter? 

LinkedIn is a platform where professional profiles include their work experience, previous job titles, certifications, and academic credentials. It is crucial for recruiters, companies, and other users to be able to verify who users claim to be. This ensures users who rightfully deserve career opportunities and work prospects get them. 

“The backdrop for all this is that faking credibility has never been cheaper or easier than it is today; and conversely, showcasing credibility has never mattered more. We believe that authenticity will be the single most valuable currency on the internet,” LinkedIn VP of Product Oscar Rodriguez said, as cited by TechCrunch. 

Over 115 million users and 700,000 companies have verified their profiles since LinkedIn added work history tools. The company said the verification tools are already delivering real benefits to members. 

“We have seen how, for members that are verified, they derive a lot of benefits from all of this. They receive, on average, 50% more post views than non-verified profiles, and they get 90% more impressions as well,” Rodriguez noted. 

LinkedIn added work history verification tools months after introducing the "Seems like AI slop" button to flag AI-written posts.

How Does LinkedIn’s Employment Verification Work?

Colleagues and classmates, both past and present, can confirm each other’s work history claims they place on their profiles.

The company said this feature is different from endorsement, which focuses on recommending members to others. Rather, it’s a way for people to confirm they worked with a user during the period stated on their profile. This feature comes with several built-in tools to guard against abuse. 

For example, anyone confirming a member’s work history must have a verified LinkedIn profile. Members must also have been connected for at least a year and have two-factor authentication turned on to protect against hacking. LinkedIn introduced an AI-powered feed ranking system earlier this year to improve content quality. 

Enterprises Get New Tools

LinkedIn’s new tools also give enterprises expanded controls to manage who connects with their brands. The social media platform will now allow enterprises to stop accounts with false employment claims from appearing on their pages or in search results linked to those pages. 

While this action will not change a member’s profile on LinkedIn, the clickable link to the company page will no longer be available. Page admins will be allowed access to the account with the false claim and remove it manually. 

LinkedIn is testing a new setting that lets page admins require workplace verification before someone can link their profile to a company page. It applies to full-time employees only.