For all those who are prowling around the social networking space in celebrity avatars, beware, Facebook launched an authenticity check to identify fake profiles.
The California-based company is imitating Twitter in issuing a 'blue tick mark' for the verified celebrity profiles. The 'blue badge' would be awarded to those who prove their worthiness for it. It would pop up along with the name in the search results and in one's timeline. The new move means Facebook is keeping a tap on those who are maintaining real accounts and those who are posing as fakes.
Want Facebook to issue a similar pass for you? Try applying for one here. But let us warn you before you may get disappointed. Facebook says you can't 'request' for one; it is the company itself which will decide if your worthy of a blue badge.
"Verified Pages belong to a small group of prominent public figures (Celebrities, journalists, government officials, popular brands and businesses) with large audiences. This update is rolling out to profiles as well," said Facebook in a statement.
So the list is devoid of daily wagers and students for sure. And are doctors, managers, teachers, engineers and other professionals not counted here? And does 'not getting' verified means we are, well, not leading a 'public life'? And it has not specified what exactly 'large audiences' mean? Well, Facebook has left open a cornucopia of queries and its help centre is not of much use. But it cautions users saying, "Keep in mind that not all authentic profiles and pages are verified and that you can't request to have your profile or page verified."
"But is offers you with an option, you can 'report fake accounts that are impersonating you, your business or your brand," it added.
