When social networking
giant Facebook instituted an identity verification policy, many users were
confused and upset by the development. The idea of sharing our cellphone
numbers with an internet entity, regardless of its size, flies in the face of
everything we’ve been told about identity protection and privacy. If you’ve
been troubled by this development and unsure of the ramifications, here are ten
of the reasons why Facebook wants to know who you are.
- One
Account Policy –
Facebook’s policy regarding multiple accounts is very clear: they only
allow one per person. By requiring an identity verification, they can
eliminate a large percentage of superfluous profiles in one fell swoop.
- Ensuring
That Accounts Are Individual –
Just as Facebook policies state that each person can only have one active
account, they’re also vocal about their stance on shared accounts. In the
interest of compromised security, Facebook insists that only one person
use a profile or timeline.
- No
Pet or Inanimate Object Profiles – While creating a fan page for your pet (or pet rock) is
acceptable, an active personal profile for pets, children and inanimate
profiles is forbidden. Requiring that each identity attached to a profile
be verified greatly reduces the number of incorrectly-built timelines.
- To
Avoid Fake Celebrity Profiles –
Though they may seem harmless, false celebrity profiles are prohibited by
Facebook policy. Reputation management is a priority for those in the
public eye, and those reputations can be damaged by the actions of someone
posing as a celebrity. By requiring that accounts be verified, Facebook
has made it much more difficult to create and maintain these timelines.
- Sex
Offender Prohibitions –
When a convicted sex offender’s profile is reported to Facebook, they
require proof of the conviction before the profile is removed. By
verifying the identity of Facebook users, they can ensure that a case of
mistaken identity won’t lead to the loss of a timeline.
- Curbing
Spam – In the heyday of
MySpace, there were more fraudulent spam bot profiles than legitimate
ones. Facebook is actively taking measures to prevent a similar problem
with spam by requiring an identity’s verification.
- Personalizing
Data Collection – While
this sounds nefarious, it’s important to realize that most websites participate
in some sort of data collection in order to personalize advertising. When
Facebook collects information, they’re connecting it to a specific online
persona to tailor the experience.
- Identity
Fraud Protection –
Identity fraud isn’t limited to theft for financial gain; your online
presence is also valuable and should be guarded. By instituting the
verification policy, Facebook is helping to protect your online presence
from anyone posing as you and maligning your reputation.
- To
Maintain the “Real Life” Connection – You may have noticed that Facebook asks if you know a person
in real life before adding them; this is because they are committed to
maintaining the “Real Life” social connection tenets that they were
founded on. Verifying an actual identity ensures that profiles belong to
real people.
- Memorializing
a Profile – When a loved
one passes away, being bombarded by reminders of them can make a tragic
situation even more upsetting. Verified members of a deceased user’s
family can request that a profile is memorialized, which preserves the
account but ends notifications that are randomly generated.
Facebook is a
constantly-evolving network, with security measures that change periodically.
It’s important to be sure that your security measures are customized and that
you monitor these settings each time the Facebook model is updated.
Story by Laura Backes
http://www.dslserviceproviders.org/blog/10-reasons-facebook-wants-to-verify-your-identity/
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