Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has released a blog post that shows the level of fake accounts it must handle. Through the shared data, we can see the company took action on 21.6 million fake accounts during the first six months of this year.
Between January and June 2019 LinkedIn says it stopped 19.5 million of the fake accounts at the registration stage. This means they were unable to actually get on the network. However, 2 million fake accounts did break through. However, the company says is managed to remove them before receiving reports from users.
So, around 98% of all the fake accounts were removed through LinkedIn's own defenses. The company employs artificial intelligence to help find fraudulent accounts.
Only the remaining 67,000 accounts avoided detection and were removed through manual reviews following user reports.
“We want to make sure our community continues to be a valuable resource for you; one that creates opportunities to find jobs, make connections and grow careers,” the company says. “When we stop fake accounts, we start more chances for economic opportunity. We are committed to using every measure available to maintain your safety, allowing everyone to access economic opportunity while feeling supported and secure.”
Fake Problems
Fake accounts are a problem that affect social media networks, including Twitter and Facebook. Where LinkedIn has excelled it is in detecting fake accounts quickly. On Facebook and Twitter, fake accounts can remain for months.
Furthermore, the business-focused network has largely stayed clear of the misinformation and fake news that has characterized the rise in fake accounts.
“LinkedIn continues to grow as an active professional community of more than 645 million members. Our teams are working to keep LinkedIn a safe place for professionals by proactively finding fake profiles then removing them and any content they share.”
