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I think it could be a relatively easy problem to solve: give any user the option to verify their identity. In this way, as verified accounts increase, the unve

I think it could be a relatively easy problem to solve: give any user the option to verify their identity. In this way, as verified accounts increase, the unverified accounts become more obvious and I imagine we will start to view them with more scrutiny. It would allow anonymity to remain, just make it so those accounts are more obviously anonymous or pseudonymous.

fwip 7y ago
What do you think the marginal cost of verification is, and how many users will Twitter have to verify in order to make this work?
- scholia 7y ago
  The marginal cost of verification could be zero. All Twitter has to do is to get together with Facebook, Google et al and agree to support a number of approved independent identity systems such as Yoti [1]. That uses a combination of government documents (eg passports) and biometrics. Basically, users would be able to sign up for a sort of "digital passport" ID that would, in the long term, be accepted by governments and most websites. Enough people might find it convenient enough to sign up. Twitter already allows you to block all users who have not registered a phone number and not uploaded a photo or whatever. I used these settings. They actually do remove a lot of bots and bad players. Again, in the long term, Twitter would give people the option to see only verified accounts. I really wouldn't care if it meant I only saw tweets from a relatively small number of verified accounts. It might be more like Twitter in its first half dozen years, when it was much more engaging and fun than it is today. [1] https://www.yoti.com/ https://www.yoti.com/ Yoti also works offline. For example, you can use it to prove that you are over 18 without giving away your name or other irrelevant information.
brokensegue 7y ago
Verify how
- casefields 7y ago
  You should try signing up on Nextdoor. This isn't a hard problem, nor would anyone be forced to verify themselves if they don't want to.
  - Crosseye_Jack 7y ago
    Nextdoor doesn’t think I’m using my real name and told me to contact support instead. Yeah F that...
  - jimkleiber 7y ago
    I don't know if Nextdoor's method of mailing a card to someone's mailbox would work for Twitter, but I like your example of a social network that has taken verification much more seriously.
- jimkleiber 7y ago
  Not exactly sure which method they'd use but seems like if they wanted to do it, they could put a lot more effort into figuring it out. I mean, Bumble, a dating app, does a simple (maybe too-easy-to-game) verification, but with so many banks having to abide by know your customer (KYC) requirements, then I think social networks could figure it out.

fwip 7y ago

What do you think the marginal cost of verification is, and how many users will Twitter have to verify in order to make this work?

scholia 7y ago
The marginal cost of verification could be zero. All Twitter has to do is to get together with Facebook, Google et al and agree to support a number of approved independent identity systems such as Yoti [1]. That uses a combination of government documents (eg passports) and biometrics. Basically, users would be able to sign up for a sort of "digital passport" ID that would, in the long term, be accepted by governments and most websites. Enough people might find it convenient enough to sign up. Twitter already allows you to block all users who have not registered a phone number and not uploaded a photo or whatever. I used these settings. They actually do remove a lot of bots and bad players. Again, in the long term, Twitter would give people the option to see only verified accounts. I really wouldn't care if it meant I only saw tweets from a relatively small number of verified accounts. It might be more like Twitter in its first half dozen years, when it was much more engaging and fun than it is today. [1] https://www.yoti.com/ https://www.yoti.com/ Yoti also works offline. For example, you can use it to prove that you are over 18 without giving away your name or other irrelevant information.

brokensegue 7y ago

Verify how

casefields 7y ago
You should try signing up on Nextdoor. This isn't a hard problem, nor would anyone be forced to verify themselves if they don't want to.
- Crosseye_Jack 7y ago
  Nextdoor doesn’t think I’m using my real name and told me to contact support instead. Yeah F that...
- jimkleiber 7y ago
  I don't know if Nextdoor's method of mailing a card to someone's mailbox would work for Twitter, but I like your example of a social network that has taken verification much more seriously.
jimkleiber 7y ago
Not exactly sure which method they'd use but seems like if they wanted to do it, they could put a lot more effort into figuring it out. I mean, Bumble, a dating app, does a simple (maybe too-easy-to-game) verification, but with so many banks having to abide by know your customer (KYC) requirements, then I think social networks could figure it out.