How To Get The Instagram Account Verification Process

Throughout the past few months, Instagram and Facebook have been putting a lot of work and time into upgrading the quality of their verification process. And for you to truly understand the changes and how you can cope with them, we've prepared a very detailed article just for you. We've also answered common questions related to the topic. 

What is Verification? Is it helpful for getting more Instagram Followers?

Nowadays, it is relatively challenging whether a particular social media account provides factual information about his identity. Dummy accounts that buy Instagram followers and trolls are very prevalent in online society these days, and it is always a challenge for everyone to unravel the truth about the actual users. How can you know if you are indeed following your favorite singer? Are you sure enough that you are following Justin Bieber's authentic account? Or are you messaging the valid account of the food delivery stall where you order goods for your family's consumption? If you are still wondering how to verify accounts, one of the best ways is to look for a verified badge. Although these badges are not a sign of endorsement from the social media platforms themselves, they indicate that a particular account's user has complied with specific necessities to prove his legitimacy.

As Facebook and Instagram check their verification process, they have confirmed that many of their users are still uncertain and are not knowledgeable enough about their platforms' purpose, process, and effects. Due to this fact, the two massive platforms have worked to simplify the process to request verification. They also ensured that the newly upgraded process would be more transparent and consistent across Instagram and Facebook.

What are the Implications of Being Verified?

First things first, verification does not imply that the two platforms endorse the verified account. It is only through Instagram and Facebook that the account has an excellent probability of authenticity. It is merely an indicator of compliance with specific requirements, and it does not mean that the social media platforms favor the accounts' posts more. The social media platforms make sure that the verification process is objectively and impartially done. They weigh in different factors such as credible press coverage and the account user's cultural impact to decide whether to verify the account or not. For example, the account should significantly impact people in his community, or they've already made posts that have trended in the past. These considerations are vital to the decision of the social media platforms. 

Once you get verified, you will get a blue badge placed beside your username in your profile. This can be seen when people visit your account or when you comment on specific content. This prevents other users from impersonating you by creating dummy accounts named after you or your business. 

Although Instagram and Facebook do not give the checkmark importance and preference, it is a good foundation for your online presence. You can gain more followers when you have a business since verified users are highly trusted by people online. With this feature, you can rapidly spread brand awareness and cement your company as a leading brand in your chosen industry. 

How Can Someone Get Verified?

Just like any other verification process in different social media platforms, Instagram verification follows concrete guidelines. Here are the requirements of being verified on Instagram or Facebook:

1. The user must be a genuine person, a registered business, or a specific authentic for specific purposes. 
2. The user's account must have completed his profile, such as uploaded profile picture, cover photo, bio, and one post. The account's privacy should also be in public.
3. The account should be well-known. Facebook and Instagram should confirm that several accounts inside the platform abundantly searched for the brand, person, or business.
4. Only one account per person, business, or entity can be verified. 
5. The account user must be unique. Aside from businesses and entities, an account can be verified even if it's for fun purposes like sharing a pet's life. 

Instagram also prefers verifying accounts already featured in news content spread all over the internet. The paid content, however, is not considered by the platform as news content. As the new verification process is introduced to users, Instagram also expanded its list of new sources to allow different groups of individuals to have their fair share of experience in the process. News sources related to Black, LGBTQ+, Latinx media, and many other authorities are now highly considered to uphold equality and diversity in the platform. 

What Happens After Applying for Account Verification

The length of the process highly depends on the information you provide. You are given up to a month of waiting for the verification. A notification will pop up in your application for up to 30 days, confirming whether your application was approved or not. Remember that Instagram does not support multiple applications for account verification. Once their system detected that you'd passed numerous applications, your application will be instantly denied. In case your application is rejected, you can try again after 30 days. 

Do I Have the Ability to Transfer My Verified Status to Other Accounts?

The simple answer is no, and you cannot transfer the verified status to another account. The level you earned means that you have undergone a process of confirming your true identity. The verification of your account denotes that Instagram has evaluated and authenticated that the information you've provided them with is trustworthy. 

 Cancellation of Verification After Getting Verified

Despite getting verified for a long time, you should still comply with several Instagram requirements. If you try to violate the platform's Community Guidelines and Terms of Use, your verified badge can get taken down. You also cannot transfer or sell the badge. Since your account should be set to public, switching the option to Private and vice versa may also result in your badge being taken away. 

Take note that Instagram is regularly monitoring accounts to prevent malicious actions that will corrupt the system. Also, verified users should always abide by laws and regulations. 

Asking For User’s Birthday Details: An Improved System for Better User Experience

Instagram has been clear on its objectives on making the platforms a safer and more private place for users, especially for the younger ones. Before, it was always a trial and error journey for Instagram developers in segregating the content they provide to their audience. But starting in September, Instagram has stepped up its game in delivering the right experiences for its users by dividing them through age groups. This task will be made possible by asking users about their birthdays. One of the most notable changes that Instagram has already implemented is preventing adult users from messaging minors. When we say adults, these are the users aged 18 and up, while juveniles are those under 16. 

Instagram is now looking to dish out more relevant content to specific age groups. 

By knowing the users' age, Instagram will now choose which minor content users will get. For example, they can now restrict specific advertising campaigns from reaching the newsfeed of minor users if they are deemed inappropriate.

Birthdays Are Now Required to Be Disclosed In the App

Do you know that Facebook and Instagram require people to be aged 13 and up to use their applications? Instagram has been developing a system to remove underage accounts from the platform. But in case of failure in getting rid of the accounts, Instagram is looking to provide better and safer experiences for this age group.

Users are required to be 13 years old and up to sign up for the platform. When a person opens the sign-up page, he will be immediately asked about his birthday to verify right then and there if he is qualified to sign up. However, the process isn't as simple as that. That might look promising initially, but minors can still get away with simply misrepresenting their age. This is the biggest problem in this situation. How can a platform precisely determine if a user is lying about his details online? Is there any concrete way to solve this complicated problem?

Instagram has found a few ways to identify users that are not truthful about their age. People can now report accounts that they think are owned by users aged 13 and below. Admins are then tasked to verify these reports. They can require the reported users to pass specific requirements to disprove the claims against them. If they can't provide any documents, Instagram will immediately delete their accounts. 

Collecting IDs is Not a Foolproof Solution in Identifying Birthdays

Many people still think that requiring users to have their IDs submitted to Instagram will solve the age-old industry problem of identifying the actual age of users. However, there are several lapses in this method. We know that users come from different parts of the earth, and not all countries have the same rules in providing IDs to their citizens. Many states do not provide valid IDs until a resident reaches a certain age, usually 18. Access to IDs may be more challenging for some people since they will not get any ID unless they choose to get it from their government specifically. Also, many young people will not have enough confidence to show their IDs despite owning one. 

These problems have been occurring in the scene for quite some time now. They are not new, but they are also not straightforward. Instagram genuinely cares for its users, and its team continuously works hard to discover other different reliable ways to keep very young users off Instagram and Facebook. 

Other Ways to Detect User Age

Due to in-depth research made by the Instagram and Facebook teams, they developed a list of great ideas to detect user age. These solutions are carefully designed to address the seemingly unending cycle of age misrepresentation of young people.

Artificial Intelligence

As a modern saying denotes, “modern problems require modern solutions,” and the Instagram developers are exempted from this rule. Instagram has developed a new technology that can read signals to estimate people's ages. For example, artificial intelligence can recognize how people greet you during your birthday. If the system proves that your friends are welcoming you at a generation different from what you initially disclosed, your account will be subject to termination. 

In addition to this, the new system will now prevent adult accounts from messaging underage accounts not following them. Instagram will now also prevent adult's accounts posts from showing in the newsfeed of minors' accounts. Adults with suspicious activities will also have fewer engagements and visibility across the platform. 

Partnering With Technology Industry Leaders

Aside from developing technologies internally, Instagram is also now partnering with different companies to share information to establish an age-identifying system. Instagram is looking forward to working with operating systems providers and internet service providers. If these companies share user information, there will no longer be a need for lengthy and burdensome age verification across multiple apps and platforms.

Getting the Help Of Parents

The truth is, there will still be a long process of research and development in creating a perfect tool to identify user age. What Instagram thinks is a viable way of controlling underage users is to address the problem with the help of parents. Instagram is now eyeing to provide users under 13 years old with more age-specific experiences monitored by their parents. 

Warning Screens

Probably the most feasible feature on this list, Instagram now places warning screens before opening a post to verify if the user's age is appropriate for the content he's trying to access. These screens will pop up when users who haven't shared their birthdays yet try to access a reasonably sensitive topic. The goal of this warning screen is to repeatedly ask users who are stubborn enough not to share their birthday on multiple occasions.

Whatever your birthdays will be collected, please note that this information will always be used to better user experience and secure a safer environment for our youth.

Date: November 13, 2021 / Categories: Interesting, / Author: Joy P