LinkedIn gets free verified badges for workplace

Microsoft is rolling out a free verification system for LinkedIn which would allow users to verify their identity and their place of work. The system uses an email address and Microsoft’s Entra-verified ID platform to get a verified digital ID.

Unlike other social media platforms which require a subscription fee for a verification badge, LinkedIn will provide users the badge for free using the work email address and Microsoft Entra. The platform has partnered with CLEAR to confirm user identity with their user data.

Users will get a blue and green badge for verification on their profiles, but it won't appear next to the user's name throughout the time. Microsoft had been working on its own Entra Verified ID system that’s now being used by LinkedIn which is designed to work across a variety of HR and identity systems.

The verification is based on a decentralized identity and a trust model between an issuer, a holder, and a verifier. Companies can issue cryptographically signed digital IDs to employees for work verifications and discounts.

Alex Weinert, vice president of identity security at Microsoft, told The Verge, "Authenticity online has never been more important. We’ve seen a steady uptick in fraudulent presentations with people pretending to be people they’re not in all kinds of different forms. You want to know really that if you interact with somebody who says they’re employed by a certain company or represent a certain company that you can trust who they say they are. The need for that is pretty clear.”