Social Networking

The Twitter verification process and real identity issues on social networks has come under scrutiny recently by popular technology news site Digital Trends. 

Earlier this month they reported on the Sarah Phillips scandal, where the real identity of this media personality who was writing for ESPN, as well as assuming various aliases and pulling a series of internet scams, is still unkown.

If you are on Twitter chances are you know about Twitter Verification – the official blue verified tick badge given to highly sought celebrities and public figures, or those at risk of impersonation, to establish authenticity of identities.

While many people long to see the blue check beside their profile, and some resort to fake verification, there are a couple of easy ways to verify your Twitter account as your own.

 Every day we see more and more people looking to get verified on Twitter.

A lack of control over our digital profiles makes it easy for others to take them over as Morna Simpson, founder of Girl Geek Scotland, discovered when her Twitter account was suddenly taken off her without warning.

Unfortunately fake Twitter accounts pop up every day. Impostors, scammers and spammers crop up all the time in social networks, and some are harder to spot than others.

People in the public eye, like celebrities and public figures with large followings, are particularly susceptible.

This week has seen a burst of activity around protecting our identities online, particularly in social networks, bringing the need for trust online into the spotlight.

 The social validations feature recently added to miiCard is proving popular amongst Twitter users with large followings who are looking to prove their accounts belong to them.

LinkedIn by 10%, Twitter 6.3% & Facebook 5.7%

Increased activity in online identity theft and impersonation in social networks was highlighted again in this article Why ID Thieves Love Social Media in the Wall Street Journal at the weekend.

Last month we blogged about Social Networks and protecting your digital identity, offering some tips on how best to stay in control of your various accounts.