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Confirm identity of a member / User verification

On other sites, user identity is confirmed by requiring users to submit a photo of themselves holding a code number. This works well, and I suggest that it be used on this site also.
That gives other users confidence that they aren't being misled when they visit a user's profile.

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    inflate98 shared this idea  ·   ·  Admin →

    12 comments

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      • Brad commented  · 

        A few thoughts... This could be optional with a logo or flag to indicate which is verified.
        Secondly... Surely some filtering or checking can be done based on users i.p. Addresses... Multiple profiles set up or accessed from the same i.p. Address might be an indicator of a fake profile

      • pumpy commented  · 

        It is REALLY needed. Far too many fakes on this site. I can not believe that this idea has been here for 6.5 years and has close to 600 votes and it has not been implemented. Time to push the site owners to take action after SIX AND A HALF YEARS of gathering feedback and implement this. How much more delay and feedback is needed?

        It does NOT have to be a mandatory feature. Other sites allow both verified and UNverified profiles. It just gives the real verified person the choice of who to trust with so many fakes out there.

        If someone goes through the trouble of taking a photo (does not even have to include face, just a HANDWRITTEN piece of paper with the username and site name on it next to a part of the body shown in profile pictures, eg. belly, chest) - that is what one site DN does. That protects their face of the person from being recognized if the photo is stolen and posted elsewhere. The photo could even be restricted/locked from general view so only admin can see it.

        As for some people NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE THEY TYPE OF PHOTO for verification... that is just a bull*** excuse. Almost every single person in this world has access to a camera in a smartphone or other device, and the photo can be deleted immediately after being submitted to the site.

        The only ones who will not be willing to take a non-face picture, holding a handwritten sign with their username and site name next to their chest or belly ARE THOSE WHO ARE FAKE.

        With such a widespread proliferation of fakes, this needs a high priority implementation. Six and a half years and close to six hundred votes CLEARLY TELLS the site owners that users want it.

      • kena commented  · 

        Hello my dear
        how are you today actually i find your contact at forums.grokiolabs  and  really have interested to know more about you because i have very vital issue  to discuse with you, please try to e mail (rickykena2016v@ outlook.com) me back  God bless you

        yours  Ricky

        (rickykena2016@ outlook. com)

      • Michal D. commented  · 

        I would downvote it... not every one has a possibility to do such photo or it could cause their security or privacy risk

      • eternalsnow92 commented  · 

        I personally think to stop the fakery, attacking this beautiful forum. Maybe that all members should have a least 3 pictures, and minimum word limit on the profile. My finale idea is that everyone should take a picture with their name written down within the picture to prove it's them. To stop people stealing other people's pictures?

      • honestarthur commented  · 

        why is my grommr account not opnening

      • selkie commented  · 

        Surprising that this still hasn't been implemented. I wonder why. If it's because of the reason Rory Foster suggested - that it would deter members - it wouldn't have to be a mandatory feature. It isn't on other sites - it usually just means that unverified members have greater restrictions (can't view all content etc). I think this would be welcomed even if there were zero additional restrictions on unverified members - it's still worth doing just for the sake of having a "verified" or "unverified" badge on the profile. That way, unverified members could still do want they wanted, therefore not putting off genuine members who just don't have the time or energy to verify themselves, while still giving other members the choice as to whether they want to risk interacting with potential catfish - currently we don't have that choice, everyone is a potential catfish, except for those who have made verification photographs of their own volition.

      • Rory Foster commented  · 

        The downside to this is that if 95% of potential users had to do this they would just never use the app.

      • Dean commented  · 

        This is an excellent and I'd consider nessisary suggestion. I'm heavily disappointed that this has been potentially untouched for so long, and yet it's the second most voted for feature. One of the massive plagues of these apps is fake spam and catfish accounts. Please for the love of all that is fat seriously look at and consider implementing a photo verification like this. It would at a HUGE boost in user quality and confidense knowing there was actually a good system in place to keep out the rubbish accounts.

      • Fat Nat commented  · 

        Any chance of a photo verification system along the lines of what they had at "the other place"? Since you have 30 volunteer helpers it wouldn't be too difficult to keep up with the verification process from the backend and it would seriously discourage fakers and trolls from applying for accounts. Maybe you could make it so that people who haven't photo verified can't post on the wall or something but can still view, and in that way the shyest people can still sort of engage with the site. I know you need to keep a flow of new people joining and paying for membership, but the current rate of spamming is really making the site quite unpleasant to hang out on these days, and your strategy of limiting the number of posts per hour is not dealing with LoveFromRussia because s/he simply creates endless new accounts. I know what I'm saying has already been suggested many times but I've not seen any official response - would you mind taking a moment to reply to this message explaining your reasons for not implementing such a system?

      • nicholas.torcasio commented  · 

        please include some kind of verification system for all these ridiculous fake/multiple profiles.
        all it takes is a: "in order to become a member, please send a picture of yourself, with your username" and a word of Feabies choosing.

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