Facebook introduces free verified badge to prevent fake identities with AI

After artificial intelligence (AI) has made it easier to create fake identities, Facebook is introducing a new Facebook Verified badge to verify users’ real identities, which will be provided to users for free.

According to the company, to get verified, a user will only have to record a short video selfie, which will be matched with the profile pictures on the Facebook account to confirm that the account really belongs to the same person. This process is completed in a few minutes and there is no subscription fee to pay for it.

However, this facility will not be available to every user. For verification, the user must be at least 18 years old, while the account must be free of fraud, deception and misleading activities according to Facebook’s policies. If evidence of unauthorized activity is found in the account, the Verified badge will not be issued.

Facebook has clarified that Pages and professional mode accounts are not currently eligible for this program. According to the company, this feature is being introduced in different countries in stages and will later be expanded to users around the world, so if it is not visible on your account right now, it is likely to become available in the coming stages.