Microsoft-owned professional networking platform LinkedIn is rolling out its identity verification feature for users in India, the company has announced. The professional networking platform would verify a user's identity through a government-issued ID by one of its verification partners. LinkedIn's verification partner in India, HyperVerge, is a third-party service that uses DigiLocker, an online wallet for Indian government-issued IDs such as the Aadhaar Card, to verify the user.
LinkedIn's verification feature is available for users with a valid Aadhaar number and an Indian phone number. According to Microsoft CEO and Chairman Satya Nadella, LinkedIn has 100 million or 10 crore members in India, which is an increase of 19 per cent YoY.
"Having an ID verification means that the individual's government-issued ID is verified by one of LinkedIn's verification partners," Ashutosh Gupta, Country Manager at LinkedIn India, wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.
"On LinkedIn, when you show that you're the real you, you'll have an even greater chance of finding the professional opportunities that matter to you and your community," Gupta added.
The company maintained that it would not have access to any sensitive data from the member's Aadhaar.
"If you don't have an Aadhaar, you can still verify other information for use on LinkedIn using different methods. You can choose to verify through your work email, or workplace credentials," he added.
To recall, earlier in April, the company launched ID verification in the US and it is mulling to roll out this feature to other regions soon. In a bid to provide verification for its members in the US, LinkedIn partnered with CLEAR, a secure identity platform. Users in the US can display on their profile that they verified their identity with CLEAR and to do so, all they need is a US government-issued ID and phone number.