I Verified My LinkedIn Identity. Here's What I Handed Over

4 days ago

LinkedIn's verification process redirects users to Persona Identities, Inc., a third-party company, for identity verification.
Persona collects extensive personal data including full name, passport details, biometric facial data, and behavioral biometrics like hesitation and copy-paste detection.
The verification process involves cross-referencing data against government databases, credit agencies, and other third-party sources, effectively running a background check.
Persona uses uploaded identity documents and selfies to train their AI systems under 'legitimate interest' rather than user consent.
Verified data is shared with LinkedIn, Persona's service providers, third-party data partners, and potentially law enforcement under the CLOUD Act.
Persona's subprocessors include 17 companies, all based in North America, with notable AI firms like Anthropic and OpenAI processing passport and selfie data.
The CLOUD Act allows US authorities to access data stored outside the US, including in Germany, undermining GDPR protections for European users.
Persona's liability for data breaches is capped at $50, and disputes are subject to mandatory binding arbitration in the US.
Users can request data access or deletion under GDPR, but biometric data may be retained indefinitely if required by US legal processes.
The verification process trades significant personal and biometric data for a cosmetic blue checkmark on LinkedIn, with long-term privacy risks.

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