Trust and Identity in LinkedIn
I have two ideas about the future of Online Social Networks.
1) Over the next decade Online Social Network (OSN) platforms should allow the importing of user trust and reputation rating systems from a variety of other online platforms.
2) Over the next decade Online Social Network (OSN) providers should employ a variety of third-party 'verified' digital identity systems.
Survey of these questions at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ox52X4sZdUDhE53CfgRfRw_3d_3d
What do you guys think? Do we need greater trust and identity mechanisms on LinkedIn and other platforms?
Clarification added September 3, 2007:
"The value of Online Social Networks is effective conversations, which can be provided without you knowing my real identity"
Thanks Chris,
To extend my rationale, trust as a technology enabled mechanism, appropriated as needed, to afford stability to that ephemeral notion of trust that exists between individuals. As with exchange of any property of value, “Men are more conscientious when they are doing acts in their own names”. As more commerce is based on the interactions of individuals in online environments, it makes sense that the culmination of one's actions is available to those in his network. For instance, as recommendations may be passed by word-of-mouth traditionally for a Web Designer etc or 'he's really good guy you shoud speak to him' in the real world, why not the negative aspects? Further, that he is the guy he says he is. The contract emerged as a legal document to support the promises of individuals for good and services, if a local bulder got a bad reputation he made less money or charged less. If an idividual borrows money and defaults it goes on his credit rating.I understand the fears... but I bet over the next ten years (and I stick by that time scale) that our professional interactions online are influenced by the one's we make before.
Good Answers (22)
Sean T
Managing Consultant in Financial Services
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There is a huge difference between trust ( a human emotion based on almost infinite variables) and identity verification (a specific validation based on meeting agreed criteria ).
Identity verification can support and develop trust but can never replace it. Say a star ebay seller with 100% positive feedback over 5 years but completely unknown to me is "validated" on to my linked in network - it's still my judgement (use of trust) which will allow me to make the decision over what to do and how to act.
Replacement of trust with business rules around identity verification is similar to replacement of business judgement from credit lenders by credit scoring machines. It can all seem to be going swimmingly and then a raft of defaulters turn up.
We all understand the benefits of the improved efficency of process (e.g. more access to credit) but the pendulum swings of correction are often swingeing (massive flight from risk by potential investors - global market turbulence).
So I am all for finding appropriate and easy uses of identity verification (I use credit cards all the time) - but replacement of trust (on a social network based on relationships), not for me I am afraid.
Henriette H
Portfolio Analyst (Asset & Portfolio Management) at Eneco Trading
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Tony,
I think that if people want to cheat they will always find a way.
I trust people until it's proven they don't deserve my trust (and I'll probably learn that the hard way). I know that I'm telling the truth where ever I put my profile online, and expect others to do the same. Call me naive....
But when there are trust identity mechanisms, I'm supposed to trust those?
It is impossible to know where this social networking path will take us on the usage of the Internet. I suggest that over time things will evolve like social networking does without computers - there will be trustworthy people and then there will un-trustworthy people and there will be some that we simply "trust with verify".
It is interesting how some job search sites are taking the "trust" issue for examply www.visualcareers.com which allows users to put their own verifiable information in place to make it easier for those hiring to verify the applicant data (e.g.; job history, references, even paystubs is the user wants to share the data).
The next round of social networking will be interesting to participate in.
This is starting to happen with Open ID.
Open ID aims to provide single-identity across multiple sites. LiveJournal allows you to comment on blogs using it; Mag.nolia allows full login (IIRC).
Open ID uses unique urls for authentication. You can also forward from your site's url to an Open ID server. This helps prevent you from being bound to a particular provider, and the protocols for forwarding are very simple.
Even Microsoft are in on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6339813.stm . I'd love to see OSN providers worldwide joining in, with LinkedIn amongst them.
Links:
George W
Publishing executive with deep experience in digital, marketing, publishing and book retail
Interesting points. I think the difficulty is that reputation/identity systems really only work if there is a universal, interoperable trusted standard (something like Cory Doctorow's concept of Whuffie, for example), and I don't currently see much evidence of this - developments like OpenID notwithstanding.
Nitesh Dhanjani also addresses the question of identity on social networks in the blog post I've linked to below.
Links:
Someone once said "Trust no-one but your Mother and even then, cut the deck.
People have to earn my trust from the outset so I think any mechanism that can speed up the process is a good idea.
Tony, more often than not, when I get a serious resume in front of me, I cna search for the candidate on LinedIn and hit a match. Then I look for consistency; do the positions, interestsand date sync with their resume? On mor than one occasion I have found something in LinkedIn that was not on the resume which gave me a pause in consideration of the candidate.
This has been my unofficial and unscientific "verification and trust rating" which seems to be working.
Mark Schaffel
Blake R
Multi-Family and Apartment Investment and Management
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Clearly, there is potential for individuals to misrepresent themselves over LinkedIn. The key is the value / quality of the first level connection with a reference. I don't believe this can be completely relied upon as a source of validity.
With all that in mind, here are my thoughts.
1) I believe allowing people to openly join and use their existing networks is of tremendous value. This should not be discouraged or throttled in anyway.
2) As part of premium membership or level of membership paying to have a certified ID including some verification of your background and skills could significantly improve "value" in the network. One perk that could be tied to this certification could be allowing these individuals a "4th degree" of visibility to the network. Also, rather than premium membership, individuals might pay for this certification at their option to "establish" the credibility of their credentials.
3) Some random checking of individuals plus a published means of identifying "bad egg" is probably valuable and an investment an organization like LinkedIn should invest in providing.
4) Also, (while running a bit counter to my earlier statement about open access) a means of verifying that you are signing up as yourself on entry would be nice. At least, this gives everyone the baseline integrity.
Bruce B
An Open Networker - Always on the lookout for an adventure!
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My response would be an ambivalent "maybe".
People who will cheat will probably always cheat. There is always a road around truthfullness.
That being stated, I also believe those people are fewer than one might imagine.
Perhaps I look at life through rose coloured glasses, but I have found the vast majority of people I deal with to be honest.
From a personal perspective I simply try to put my best foot forward at all times.
I will be interested in reading further responses.
Regards
Bruce
Chris C
1600+ connections, chrisclark@chrisclark.com
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10 years is a long time. I would offer that identity has nothing to do with the value of Online Social Networks. The value of Online Social Networks is effective conversations, which can be provided without you knowing my real identity.
Thawte has something called the Web of Trust to map free mail encryption certificates to real people. Your certificate will say Free Thawte Member until a least two people from the Web of Trust verifies your identity with proper IDs. A similar approach can be achieved in Online communities of all kinds.
Links:
For any social system to be truly fair and open it has to accept that
1) it will be open to abuse, and
2) there will be a minority of people who take advantage of that.
Personally I think the risks are acceptable because I would rather have an open and fair social network. For anyone not willing to take that risk then the options are far simpler than demanding verification systems - just don't join in.
The quote above is really geared around social justice systems but seems to me to be equally relevant to social networking systems.
Take care,
Shaun
Eileen B
IT Professional, Information Security Quality Assurance Operations & Administration / President, CMU SEI LI SPIN
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I believe Microsoft is already well on their way to that with the advent of the "live" system. It seems to be working in some ways and not in others. There will always be people with multiple identities, they just like that avaiability of the web for too many reasons to count, some good, some not.
With regard to the information presented, specifically on LinkedIn, this is a profile, NOT a resume. I would not expect them to match completely, I am looking at LinkedIn for an overview, not an in depth CV of every job you ever had. I expect to find that on your resume. They are two entirely different, although related, tools. Some folks like to put it all out there and if that works for them, great! Honestly though, do you really read the entire page if you are scrolling for 10 minutes? Statistically speaking, web users do not devote so much time for that. Human nature lacks the patience, we "skim".
Eileen
Haim T
Technology Entrepreneur and Consultant
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I don't see it as a major concern on linkedin, I have been a member for a long time and relatively active as well, and never had any concern about the identity or trustworthiness of the individuals I am dealing with. With that said, I am not an open networker, those may have different experiences.
Lawrence David S
Antitrust and financial services litigation
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1) A due awareness of the shortcomings in the credit rating/reporting system --- a system essential to the operation of the markets that use it --- makes one dread the prospect of life under Idea 1 with its inevitable shortcomings --- a system not the least bit necessary for the operation of the markets that would use it. The idea is proffered in the spirit of concern about trust and identity. But imagine yourself in the shoes of a victim of false negative "trust and reputation" data that, under Idea 1, is imported into platform after platform. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a user relying on false positive "trust and reputation" data. (By the way, why the "over the next decade" timeline instead of any other timeline?)
2) Idea 2 depends on how the particular OSN is set up. Let's take LinkedIn. (a) For conventional users (not open-networkers): If you are concerned about imposters, I have an easy, low-tech, free solution. When I send an invitation, in the body of the invitation I say something like "When accepting, please add a note to confirm identity." The invitee can send me a note that mentions something from our past or present that authenticates that s/he is who I think s/he is. Nobody gets hurt, and when the time comes to serve as a conduit in an introduction, I know I've already pre-authenticated the person. (b) For those who do the open-networking thing, Idea 2 would add little value when the whole point is to network openly.
3) Addressing Mark Schaffel's remarks: LinkedIn is different, and is meant to be different, from a resume. Many of us are advised to omit from a resume everything that is not obviously and directly on the topic of the position sought. Indeed, experience in the hiring process has taught many of us the same lesson: a resume that gets a callback is one that omits everything that is not obviously and directly on the topic of the position sought. Therefore, the discovery that a resume omits something found on any other source, e.g., a candidate's LinkedIn profile, is not a cause for pause. (See Eileen Bonfiglio's remarks.)
4) I nominate Chris Clark's for best answer.
Links:
Karl G
CTO/Owner Intelligent Fusion, Enterprise Architect, Business Strategist, PhD
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I agree with the premise that trust is central to the longer-term success of OSNs to the extent they evolve as an extension of ourselves into the virtual world - in fact, I think that wil be a core reason for their success (although it is grossly abused on places like MySpace).
I think trust is primarily important for new users who haven't established some type of track record. Folks that have been around awhile have enough history to know they are real people with consistent positions and opinions.
Andrew B
Senior Technology Executive: Enterprise Network Architecture, IT Operations, Information Security & Compliance
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Tony,
To some extent, the Recommendations system is one mechanism that LinkedIn provides to establish a web of trust. Additionally, LinkedIn permits links to other websites that can help validate an identity or persona. I'm not sure that LinkedIn really wants to get into the identity certifying business, given the liabilities that could be associated with that.
Yes, it is possible for a set of users to collude with fake recommendations, etc, but in general, the system is largely self-managing, in that you can peruse each of the links that provide recommendations and determine how much trust you want to put in them.
Ann T
linkedin@toddconsulting.co.uk - Managing Consultant and Director of Change Programmes
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What an interesting and relevant question.
Doing business with people requires trust. I don't see much difference between online and face to face networking - the same issues surely apply. Are they who they say they are, and can they deliver what it is they are offering?
The point about networking is that the introduction used to be the demonstration of credibility and probity - nbeacuse it came from someoine you knew or your parents had known. And that system of personal recommendation still largely applies, certainly in B2B.
You need to check them out, and how much of this we do depends on the value/cost of the potential transaction. Harder on the web of course - but this is one of the reasons why the questions on Linked In are so useful - it gives you another layer of understanding, given that you have some understanding of the topic. Reaching out to new people is inherently risky - however, it is what drives business.
A wider problem is for the customer - with everyone saying that they can do everything and using the same words (often nicked from other sites and flyers); how does the customer differentiate? The answer is probably by reverting to recommendation and known contacts, which makes the marketing harder for the rest of us.
Fraudsters, organised crime, stalkers, fantasists, paedophiles - they're all here on line. And surely they are able to manipulate trust certificates just as well as they can your confidence. Caveat Emptor!
Zulkifly J
♥Owner at Z-J'S☻ﮍ
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Why do you need to hide your true identity , dont you think so is unique about yourself .
Joseph W
Quantitative Finance Research / Astrophysics
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What's a name. I go by about twenty different names depending on the social situation.
Identity is a tricky issue because it is not all or nothing. One problem with identity verification methods is that they end up with "all or nothing" identity. Either you know everything about me or you know nothing about me. There are times when I'd like bits of my identity made public in a way that doesn't link to other parts of my identity.
For example, it may be relevant for this conversation that I know something about astrophysics, but I don't want you to link "guy who knows something about astrophysics" with "person who has $X in his bank account who used to buy french fries this evening."
I think certification is a good idea for these social networks, but shouldn't be a substitute for common sense when deal with people on the net.
As Online Social Networks become more important, our personal branding and positioning within these networks will become even more important.
I suspect that over the next decade more people will employ others to help them achieve this, and that this will not just be limited to help construct attractive profiles. We will see more people who employ others to do their online interactions for them - 'ghost-bloggers', etc...
So I may well be 'me' when I applied for my account, but is it 'me' who's writting this, sending out connection requests, accepting/rejecting thos of others, asking and answering questions here on LinkedIn? And maintaining an active presence on all the networks that 'I' need to be active on?
Regards, Ian Moncrieff MacMillan
Specialist at rescuing mission-critical change programmes for financial institutions
Ian M also suggests these experts on this topic:
More Answers (2)
Steven D
Author at "Protecting Games"
Best Answers in: Computer Networking (1), Information Security (1)
The first question that you should ask is - why should someone want more trust in these networks?
Most social networks are an end in themselves. Informal reputation via actual in-network actions is much more important than any technical rating system.
Networks like LinkedIn and its social equivalent, online dating services, are "authenticated" in real-life - so, again, a technical solution doesn't actually have much value.
"If PKI is the answer, what is the question?" is a question that I have asked many people for years (and I have been working in the field for over 20 years now) and I have never had a good answer.
Open ID is not a trust or identity system, it is simply an identity transport system where all of the hard work has not occurred. It is an identity system with no meaningful identity and a trust system that you can't trust.
Registration and identity maintenance are very difficult, expensive problems. They are not solvable, at least at this time, with any technical measures.
Serena H
Direct Marketing, CRM Strategy, Customer Profiling
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Everyone can buy trust. All it takes is a credit card.
