LinkedIn has unveiled several new features designed to let millions of members verify their identities and thwart hackers and online scams.
The platform was already testing an email-verification system with select employers. On Wednesday, LinkedIn said that the feature, which allows members to confirm their place of employment with a security code sent to their work email, is now available to 50 million LinkedIn members globally.
Members can now indicate that their workplace email has been verified by LinkedIn.
In addition, LinkedIn has partnered with biometric verification company Clear, best known for its airport security service. Starting this month, existing Clear members will be able to verify their LinkedIn profile with a selfie.
Another new offering lets LinkedIn members confirm their employer with Verified ID credentials from Microsoft Entra. The feature actually launched in 2022 but will greatly expand at the end of April, when it’ll be made available to more than 2 million LinkedIn members at companies already enrolled with Entra.
“When you meet professional contacts for the first time online, you need additional trust signals to increase your confidence that they are who they say they are,” Joy Chik, Microsoft’s president of identity and network access, wrote in a blog post.
LinkedIn users who use Clear to authenticate their profiles will see their verification on their profile.
Chik suggested Verified ID could be used during background checks and help-desk calls, and in other scenarios.
“By simply looking for a verification, members and organizations can be more confident that the people they collaborate with are authentic and that work affiliations on their profiles are accurate,” she wrote.
All three features are available for free to all LinkedIn members. If you enable any of them, verification details will be visible on your LinkedIn profile.
“We’re helping give you the confidence that who you’re connecting with and the content you come across is trusted and authentic,” Oscar Rodriguez, LinkedIn vice president for product management, said in a statement.
Though not every user will have access to all the features immediately, Rodriguez added, “we will expand availability and ways for you to participate over time.”
