how platforms use id verification

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There are social media and market sites that allow for identity verification through documents like a state license or passport. How does this actually work? I found some info such as [here](https://www.e-verify.gov) but the info I can find seems limited to either employers or third-party sites.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

The goal of these sites is to allow someone to prove they are who they say they are with a specific level of proof, or “level of assurance.” There are four levels: LOA1-4.

Think about a site that you can log into with a username/password. If I’m the site, and someone has an account with me, and then logs in, I don’t actually **know** that I’m talking to the correct person. I could be talking to a hacker who got the username/password.

So, to prove you are who you say you are, the sites might do something more. They might send you physical mail that makes you prove you control the mailbox, or (on these sites) make you show a government document in a way that shows its not an edited image.

Once that’s done, ideally automatically, you can then interact with the website and make changes to important things like benefits, next of kin, and other stuff – where the site can “believe” they are talking to real you.