Facebook's Instagram: Locks User Accounts - Requires Your Gov't Issued Photo ID

[TheBlackAdder]

snip...

"Over the past week, a number of users of the popular photo sharing app Instagram and parent company Facebook have been locked out of their accounts and prompted by both services to upload images of their government issued photo IDs to regain access, as CNET first reported on Tuesday.

Concerned users seeking to regain account access have turned to several outlets online, including Yahoo Answers, to try and determine whether or not the prompts asking for images of their IDs are real or are hacking attempts.

TPM itself has received a number of emails and communications from users reporting that they have been abruptly locked out of their accounts and asked to provide photos of their IDs."
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“This is just a general practice for both Facebook and Instagram to request photo IDs for verification purposes depending on what type of violation may have occurred,” a spokesperson for Facebook told TPM. “Unfortunately, I can’t share more with you beyond that as we don’t go into details beyond that.”
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Back in February 2012, well prior to its acquisition of Instagram in April that year, Facebook confirmed that it had begun asking some users to provide government issued photo IDs, but at that time, a Facebook PR rep told TPM that the company was only “testing this process right now with people who have a large number of subscribers,” and would “iterate based on the feedback we receive.”

...snip

http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/instagram-asking-for-users-government-issued-photo-ids-now-too.php?ref=fpnewsfeed




snip...

"The desktop validation process then requires the user to upload a photograph of a government-issued photo ID by February 1 -- a puzzling requirement for many thread participants, who worried that a hacker was attempting to gain access to their personal information. Which is not the case."

...snip

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57565293-93/instagram-account-crackdown-spreads-panic-fear-of-hacking/


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This might actually be verification prior to a civil suit for some type of intellectual property claim since it is "depending on what type of violation may have occurred". People who verify their accounts might find themselves targeted by some sort of Copyright Infringement lawsuit. Regardless of the claim's credibility, users might be forced into a multi-thousand dollar legal matter.

If this is such the case, perhaps reaching out to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) might be in order.

[ManiacJoe]

1. Previous threads:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022266469
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022267300

[TheBlackAdder]

2. Sorry, I didn't see them.

It could be due to an intellectual property claim that they want positive ID for.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

4. Well that was helpful.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

3. I'd upload a picture of Alfred E Newman.

[Ikonoklast]

12. "Welcome back onto Facebook, Mr. Bush."

[Pretzel_Warrior]

5. I could be wrong ....but do you think it could relate to underage

Kids...minors posting borderline pornographic photos of themselves of instagram and Facebook wanting to protect itself from charges of hosting child pornography?

[chillfactor]

6. the reason does not concern me as much as the request

if I am ever asked to upload an ID..my Facebook account is gone...

[Pretzel_Warrior]

7. Same here

[TXDemoGal]

8. No, because on digitalgirlmedia blog linked in a TPM comment

the majority of women posting about this happening were adults...some quite mature.

This IS a great way for FB to verify its users' identities so as to make more advertisers want to throw money at them, though. Never suspect FB of doing something for an altruistic reason when it could be explained by naked capitalism.

[Bluenorthwest]

9. What the other poster proposed would not be altruism, but loss prevention.

Protecting the company from litigation and very bad press.

[TXDemoGal]

19. Okay, point taken.

Thanks!

[blueclown]

10. Brick and mortal retail stores have been doing this for years.

Ever want to return something and don't have your original receipt? You must pull out your driver's license or photo ID.

[TheBlackAdder]

11. But, the brick and morters don't keep a scanned image of it. nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. That's a safeguard to stop theft.

They don't have to take the item back without the receipt, but they will in good faith if you attach your ID to the return. The premise is if you're one of the people habitually stealing things to return them for cash you'll leave a trail of your crimes. If you really did lose your receipt, or got a crappy gift, you're not stuck with a bad item.

Maybe I'm dense, but I'm not seeing how it's similar to these incidents with Instagram/Facebook.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. Somehow they stand to make money off this.

My guess is it's to further sell your information to other entities, but there's a buck - or a few million - to be made on their end.

I don't need their service, let alone trust them, enough to do it. I wonder how many people will though?

[MadrasT]

15. The day any site wants me to do this is the day I quit using it forever. n/t

[NoGOPZone]

16. Yet another reason to hate Facebook. nt

[EastKYLiberal]

17. I have no problem sending it to them. My license photo isn't THAT bad. nt

[PeaceNikki]

18. As I said in another thread, this is about reports of 'fake' accounts.

It happens when internet 'enemies' report your page for being fake. It's an aggressive, sometimes coordinated, tactic I've seen used in really heated arguments on places like The White House's Facebook page.

In addition, someone can take your name and maybe an image of you and set up a Facebook page pretending to BE you. You can report it as fake and FB will ask you both for photo ID's to weed out the real fake.

If someone stole one of my pictures and created a profile pretending to be me, I'd want them to dosomething. It's a delicate dance. Both of these scenarios have happened to people I know: being falsely accused of being a 'fake' and being impersonated.