What is a Linkedin Workplace Verification?

Chances are if you use Linkedin for business, you've spotted fake user accounts. In the first six months of 2022, Linkedin stopped 44.7 million fake accounts from registering. So how can we crackdown on fake profiles being listed as employees on our Linkedin company pages? Microsoft Entra! In June 2022, Microsoft launched Entra to help customers take control of their identity. One part of this service includes verifying individuals and the organizations they are employed at on Linkedin. In this blog post, we will outline what it means to be a verified workplace and why it’s important. 
 
What is a Verified Workplace and Why is it Necessary? 
 
In recent years, there has been an uptick in impersonation on Linkedin made possible with the use of fake Linkedin profiles. If you use Linkedin you’ve most likely seen a fake account with a suspicious image and little to no personal information on someone’s profile. Or perhaps you’ve noticed “employees” on your company Linkedin page that aren’t actually employees. This problem, combined with more sophisticated attacks that evade Multi-factor Authentication to steal access tokens and gain access to critical data has solidified the need for more advanced forms of identity verification. 

In the last six months of 2022, Linkedin stopped 44.7 million fake accounts from registering. Linkedin Community Report 

A verified workplace means that the individual has or had a workplace account with the company listed on their Linkedin work experience, which was verified by going through the company’s authentication process. This authentication process is enabled by Microsoft Entra Verified ID. Only companies that have adopted Entra and its verification standards can achieve this which is then displayed on an individual’s Linkedin profile. Having your company verified means that people can be confident that they are collaborating with professionals online whose profiles are accurate.

The Bigger Picture: What is Microsoft Entra Verified ID? 

Microsoft is one of many identity provider services. Microsoft Entra Verified ID is founded on the principle that individuals should have ownership and control of their credentials to access websites, apps and organizations to confirm their identity. Microsoft’s decentralized identity system is based on the following five principles: 

• Secure, reliable and trustworthy: It shouldn’t be easy to impersonate or hack a person. Individuals should have access, use and be able to securely recover their digital identity and have a log of every they’ve used their digital identity. 
• Privacy protected and in the user’s control: Users shouldn’t be tracked without their consent and should be able to delete aspects of their digital identity. 
• Supervisable: Individuals should be able to designate friends or family access to their digital identity and parents or custodians should have control over their children in a classroom setting. 
• Inclusive, fair and easy to use 
• Environmentally responsible