Wired reports that Facebook has begun asking some users to verify their identity and prove they’re not bots by uploading a picture of themselves.
The picture needs to clearly show your face in order to pass the social network’s security check. Facebook says it’ll delete the image from its servers immediately after, though it’s possible that you may be locked out of your account until it’s verified.
a friend sent me this: Facebook is now locking users out of account features, then demanding that those users "verify" their account to get back in by scanning an image of their face. AN IMAGE OF THEIR FACE. pic.twitter.com/T4TIsJFxX8
— can Amy Goodman pls stop inviting Assange on thx (@flexlibris) November 28, 2017
The idea is to “help us catch suspicious activity at various points of interaction on the site, including creating an account, sending Friend requests, setting up ads payments, and creating or editing ads,” a spokesperson said.
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It sounds like an attempt to prevent incidents of people publishing misleading content; in October, Facebook noted that roughly 126 million users in the US may have seen content published on the platform by Russian government-backed trolls.
The company has previously requested users to submit nude photos of themselves in order to help it curb the spread of revenge porn. The thought of sharing ever more personal data with Facebook is daunting, but the threat of it being used to spread misinformation is all too real, especially as it grows to host more of the world’s population.
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