This article was published on June 8, 2015

William Shatner has got his Snapchat name from the fantastic fan who registered it


William Shatner has got his Snapchat name from the fantastic fan who registered it

I wrote yesterday that William Shatner was struggling to get Snapchat to sort out an account using his name. Now it turns out the person using it is a big fan and was happy to give it to him.

In fact, he’s her favorite actor:

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Still, Bill’s still not happy with Snapchat (or my original story, actually):

Original story follows…

Thought you’d boldly gone where no Snapchatter has gone before by befriending William Shatner on the service? Well, you’re not buddies with the real Bill. He’s not got an account and isn’t happy about the impostor.

Shatner tried to sign up for Snapchat last September, but immediately noticed that someone else had nabbed his name:

The app doesn’t have the same kind of verification process as Twitter, Vine or Facebook, and the Star Trek actor is still trying to get the whole thing straightened out.

Shatner has a history of testing new tech – he reviewed Facebook’s celeb-focused Mentions app and was a Periscope beta tester. It’s not clear if he considers that his captain’s vlog.

The Star Trek legend’s issues with Snapchat’s lack of verification are just one notable example. It’s clear that the service needs to do better when it comes to ensuring the people you follow are really who they say they are.

Read next: Why Snapchat is outliving and outpacing the competition

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