Facebook will verify identities behind ‘high-reach’ personal accounts that show signs of ‘inauthentic’ behavior in a bid to prevent flow of misinformation
- Facebook will ask some viral personal accounts to verify their identities
- The platform says it will key in on accounts showing ‘inauthentic’ behavior
- It says the move will help prevent the spread of misinformation
- If a user fails to provide matching ID Facebook will limit the account’s reach
Facebook will extend its identity verification requirements to personal pages in a bid to help prevent the spread of misinformation.
According to the company, it will require accounts that are ‘high-reach,’ meaning those that often go viral, to undergo verification by showing some form of ID if they’re found to be exhibiting signs of ‘inauthentic’ behavior.
Facebook says that it will store the information ‘securely’ and the information won’t be shared on a user’s profile.
For obvious reasons, Facebook doesn’t share exactly what metrics it uses to determine what ‘inauthentic’ behavior is, but says that it will base its requests for verification on ‘patterns.’
Facebook will start to verify the identifies of users behind ‘high-reach’ accounts that show ‘inauthentic’ behavior (Stock photo)
‘We want people to feel confident that they understand who’s behind the content they’re seeing on Facebook and this is particularly important when it comes to content that’s reaching a lot of people,’ the company said in a statement.
Facebook says that if a user fails verify their profile or provides an ID that does not match the name on the account then it will limit the reach of the questioned account’s post.
This notably stops short of an outright ban or removal of an account – more unilateral measures that the platform has often shied away from when it comes to
If the person in question is a page administrator they will also be required to complete a verification request for their page accounts.
Facebook says it won’t allow users to post onto pages until their accounts are verified.
The move to require verification for personal accounts that often go viral will mark an incremental step for Facebook which instituted similar requirements for page owners two years ago.
Facebook’s requirements were introduced after overseas accounts attempted to profit off of ad revenue through partisan political pages.