I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn.
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
OMG!
"And then there’s the weird stuff:
Hesitation detection — they tracked whether I paused during the process
Copy and paste detection — they tracked whether I was pasting information instead of typing it
Behavioral biometrics. On top of the physical biometrics. For a LinkedIn badge."
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen I started the process twice in the past year - both times my spidey-sense started tingling and I didn’t scan any documents.
Anthropic, AWS, OpenAI, Google, GrokAI… why would you need all of those as sub-processors?? Unless you’re using “subprocessor” as a means to share the data…
Thanks for confirming my gut feeling. And for posting this warning for others!
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen I deleted my profile instead. It was only a source of useless notifications and spam.
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen Wow, I quite linkedin years ago, look how smart was that. Anyway out of all the stuff on the list, the least expected and most scary seems the behavioural profiling. Hesitation detection? WT_?!
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Wouldn't it make more sense to read those before uploading your personal documents?
@EverydayMoggie it would , but it took him an entire weekend to go through it, while the verification process is 3 minutes. @Ivovanwilligen
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In fact, I do read all the details before signing up for anything. Everybody should, especially now, because the stakes are a lot higher than they used to be.
@EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen there's literally not enough time in a person's life to evaluate all the TOSs and EULAs of companies they interact with. With every business you enter and every commercial website you visit, you agree to TOS. And they get updated all the time too!
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen does anybody know, from a legal perspective, how something like this sits with GDPR saying data can't be processed outside of the EU (or I guess, GDPR respecting countries?
I suppose that's all buried in the terms and conditions somewhere.... "you consent to..."
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen at Christmas I purchased a mini bottle of Japanese cider online as a stocking filler, something similar happened, was redirected to a third party service called verifymyage, to which I was supposed to upload my documents — they also employ "age estimation" by "analysing physical features". Of course I refused to participate in this insanity, and I eventually could do it with the supplier manually. But it's insane that this was the default and I even had to ask.
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@EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen
The problem is, for most people they need the service they are registering with (or at least think they do). Not signing is not an option, so what’s the point of reading the small print?
For example, I want the security updates on my iPhone. I have to click ‘accept’ to get them. The alternative is effectively to brick my phone.
It’s a scandal, and law makers the world over are not getting a grip.@KimSJ @EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen Not everyone has the time to read and understand the details and implications of what's written.
Governments should hold those companies accountable and protect our privacy.
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@EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen
The problem is, for most people they need the service they are registering with (or at least think they do). Not signing is not an option, so what’s the point of reading the small print?
For example, I want the security updates on my iPhone. I have to click ‘accept’ to get them. The alternative is effectively to brick my phone.
It’s a scandal, and law makers the world over are not getting a grip.@KimSJ
The lawmakers do have a grip. They are part of it. Do you think it's a coincidence that "age" (identity) verification is suddenly being pushed by politicians all over the world at the same time?Something big is happening behind the scenes. Who of the lawmakers are movers and who are mere pieces is still unclear to me.
@EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen -
@Ivovanwilligen The slow but complete erosion of privacy.
Its a bit worse than that. Its the creation of permanent surveillance.
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@noodlemaz@mstdn.games
With respect, I made it work for me.
It's clear all corporate social media see biometrics as another commodity they can sell, and they got there by people sighing and accepting them commodifying user data.
Pointing out people shouldn't just shrug and go along with unreasonable requests, isn't "being like that".I wish people would sometimes understand that just shrugging and going along with stuff is a one way ticket to societal incarceration FOR EVERYBODY.
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen very interesting. Thanks!
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@KimSJ @EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen Not everyone has the time to read and understand the details and implications of what's written.
Governments should hold those companies accountable and protect our privacy.
@everton137 @KimSJ @EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen
So you want someone else to do the work for you?
Exactly why we are in this mess to begin with.
Your protection is YOUR JOB first and foremost.
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@everton137 @KimSJ @EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen
So you want someone else to do the work for you?
Exactly why we are in this mess to begin with.
Your protection is YOUR JOB first and foremost.
@Black_Flag @KimSJ @EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen
You think it’s my job to read every term of service and privacy policy. We disagree.
We live in a democracy. That’s precisely why we have laws, regulators, and public institutions, to ensure that companies follow fair rules and don’t take advantage of people. It’s neither realistic nor reasonable to expect every individual to read and fully understand dozens of lengthy, complex legal documents just to participate in everyday digital life.
Consumer protection exists for a reason. Accountability shouldn't depend on how much free time or legal expertise each person has; it should be built into the system.
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@Black_Flag @KimSJ @EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen
You think it’s my job to read every term of service and privacy policy. We disagree.
We live in a democracy. That’s precisely why we have laws, regulators, and public institutions, to ensure that companies follow fair rules and don’t take advantage of people. It’s neither realistic nor reasonable to expect every individual to read and fully understand dozens of lengthy, complex legal documents just to participate in everyday digital life.
Consumer protection exists for a reason. Accountability shouldn't depend on how much free time or legal expertise each person has; it should be built into the system.
@everton137 @KimSJ @EverydayMoggie @noodlemaz @Ivovanwilligen
You have put your trust in "we live in a democracy"? Do you ever watch the damn news?
Its people like you who have screwed all of us as you sit there telling us all why you are just going to do as you are told like a good boy.
People who don't have the simple will to engage in the merest self-protection deserve all they get. What pisses me off is its people like you who ruin it for everyone else because once there are enough people like you the rest are forced to comply..
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen HUA, thanks for the insigts, will not do that now.
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen Thank you for your service.
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I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen
This is terrible but I can't help wondering; why did you initially think that giving Microsoft (the owner of LinkedIn) all this data was a good idea, or at least, mostly harmless? -
I wanted the blue checkmark on LinkedIn. The one that says “this person is real.” In a sea of fake recruiters, bot accounts, and AI-generated headshots, it seemed like a smart thing to do.
So I tapped “verify.” I scanned my passport. I took a selfie. Three minutes later — done. Badge acquired. I felt a tiny dopamine hit of legitimacy.
Then I did what apparently nobody does. I went and read the privacy policy and terms of service.
Not LinkedIn’s. The other company’s.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
@Ivovanwilligen Great warning about LinkedIn. Can you put a #linkedin #ID #verification hash in the main post ?
