LinkedIn has announced a new set of verification tools aimed at tackling fake profiles and false work histories on the platform. The company says it will now let members vouch for each other's experience and give businesses new controls over who associates with their brand.
The vouching feature is not the same as an endorsement. According to LinkedIn, it is a way of confirming that someone has the experience they claim on their profile, rather than recommending them. The person doing the vouching must already have a verified profile, must have been connected to the person for at least a year, and must have a secure account using two-factor authentication.
Another feature, previously piloted with recruiters and executives, will allow companies to remove accounts that falsely claim employment from appearing on their page and in search results associated with that page. Page admins will be able to visit the account and manually remove it. LinkedIn is also testing a setting that would require any member account trying to associate with a page to complete some form of workplace verification, such as through a work email address.
When a page removes a member profile, the member's LinkedIn profile itself is not changed. However, there will no longer be a clickable link to that company's page from their profile, and their work experience will not display as verified. LinkedIn VP of Product Oscar Rodriguez said the feature focuses on full-time employees, not contractors or field workers.
LinkedIn will also expand its partnerships to allow members to showcase their verified identities beyond the platform. Truecaller and PeerSpot will join existing partners including Adobe and UserTesting. Truecaller members, for example, can add their LinkedIn verified identity so it displays to the recipient when they place a call.
Rodriguez said LinkedIn's existing verification tools have been used to verify 115 million users and over 700,000 companies. He added that verified members receive on average 50% more post views and 90% more impressions than non-verified profiles.