Social media verification scams are rampant because the verification process is opaque and arbitrary; platforms need to rebuild the whole system
Travis Hawley was scrolling through the comments sections of LeBron James's Instagram posts recently when he noticed some postings from other athletes. Tweets: @taylorlorenz , @birdyword , @taylorlorenz , @taylorlorenz , @anildash , and @taylorlorenz Tweets: Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : I wrote about how verified badges are a poor way to communicate information about users and why tech companies should develop a new system. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Mike Bird / @birdyword : I dunno if we need to reassess recruitment techniques at our intelligence agencies https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : Another big issue w/ the whole checkmark vs no checkmark system is that once a checkmark is given, it's a lifetime thing unless you violate terms. There's no review process. I could quit journalism tomorrow and still be verified in every platform. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : Verification scams are so common because users constantly encounter random, nonfamous people with check marks. It's easy to assume that if this many unremarkable people have achieved verification, it must be something you can buy. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Anil Dash / @anildash : Good look at verification scams! (Hint: all verification is a scam.) https://twitter.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : Rather than have a binary system where users are either check marked or not—and the lucky few get access to special perks that all users would likely appreciate— platforms should rebuild the whole system to meet users' needs https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...