First of all you need to know that recently Meta who owns Instagram and Facebook has made some updates to improve the verification process and both of these social media platforms. When we talk about verification on Instagram, what comes to the mind first is the blue tick and its significance. Obviously, Instagram is no more the ordinary social media chatting platform which was introduced in 2010. It has become much more versatile throughout the years. It now has several unique features that no other social media has. One of those best features of Instagram is Verification. Before we move on to understand the Verification, let’s see what Verification is.
What is Verification?
Have you ever applied for a passport or visa? If yes you must know that the police come to your place for your verification. In general, we use the term Verification to determine that a person is genuine. In some way verification on Instagram is similar to that but yet it’s different.
On Instagram verification is a way for people to find out the real accounts who they say they are. If you use Instagram you should know that the crazy fans of big celebrities create a lot of fake profiles with their name. In this instance, verification helps you to distinguish the genuine and real account. It helps people to know which accounts are authentic and notable. You must have seen the blue tick next to some profile names, this is the verification badge only a few profiles have. You can also call it a symbol of significance.
Recently, Meta made some updates to the verification process of Instagram as there were so many people who speculated the purpose of verification, how to get verified, and whether it has any effect on how an account is treated on Instagram as well as Facebook. Over the last few months , the process of verification on Instagram has become much easier for people to request verification or make changes in their application and get verified Badges.
How to get verified?
Instagram has proposed some terms and conditions that you have to follow in order to get yourself verified on Instagram. These conditions are very smart and demand truth. If anyone violates the guidelines provided by Instagram, her/his verification badges can be taken away by them at any time and their accounts can also be suspended forever. So before you go for anything, please have a keen look at the guidelines or requirements.
- Your account must represent a real and relevant person, registered business or entity.
- Your account that you want to get verified must be a unique presence of the person or business it represents. Notable entities like pets or publications are also eligible.
- Note that one account of one person or business may be verified, with exceptions for language specific accounts.
- A private account cannot be verified. Your account must be public, have a bio, profile photo and it must have at least one post.
- Your account must represent a well-known, highly searched-for person, brand or entity.
Instagram also made it clear that they only verify those profiles who are featured in multiple news sources. They don’t consider paid or promotional content as new sources. They have come across several news sources to expand their list of news sources to include more diverse outlets including LGBTQ+, Black, Latinx Media and many more. Now as a result of the updates, people can also share information like the nature of their audience, the region they are famous in, etc.
What does Verification mean?
There are a lot of rumors that people have made for their own satisfaction about the verification on Instagram. Making all of this clear, Instagram claims that Verification is simply a signal or symbol of Authenticity and notability. It doesn’t mean that you have any endorsement with them or the system will favor your content in terms of where the content shows up. Instagram claimed that they ensure impartiality in the verification process by only considering sources such as credible press coverage and considering the impact the individual has in its community or how much popularity he enjoys. Cultural impact is a significant factor that helps Instagram determine who will be Verified.
It’s also not hidden from anyone that verified accounts also come up with a security risk for account holders. Verified accounts are more likely to be subjected to hacking as they have a large fan following and more Authenticity and notability. So, Hackers may attempt to hack the Verified accounts and take control of them in order to sell the verified badge as well as hard-earned following for a big amount. This is why Instagram recommends that verified accounts should have two factor authentication set up for protection from hacking and to be alert of such scams.
Can you transfer your badge to someone?
No. Absolutely not. Alongside so many benefits, Verified accounts have also a few limitations. Verified accounts can not change their profile name or transfer that hard-earned badge to someone else. It would go against the community guidelines of Instagram as the conditions state that the verified account must be of a real person. The blue verification badge is for people to know that the account has been verified and Instagram has confirmed that they are who they say they are. And if in any case, someone gets caught violating any of the above written guidelines, the suspect will get punished for this.
What happens when a suspicious or malicious verification is detected?
Here we have come to the point we mentioned above. What happens when Instagram finds a suspicious or malicious verification? If Instagram catches someone who acquired verification in a malicious way or sells their verification badge to another account, it will take immediate action against you. They even conduct regular sweeps both on and off to find and get rid of these malicious actors. Instagram is constantly making efforts to improve the system and people’s experiences.
