Facebook has officially acquired government ID verification startup Confirm.io in a bid to boost security and authenticity on its social network.
With the new acquisition, Facebook would be able to better confirm the identities of the people on its platform and protect users and political elections.
Confirm Now Part Of Facebook
Confirm is a startup based in Boston, which started three years ago and raised $4 million in venture funding since then to sustain its business. The seed round from 2015 funded mobile biometrics and facial recognition to authenticate an individual's identity, as well as advanced forensics designed to get the necessary information from an ID card.
The startup allowed other companies to integrate the technology, which came in handy in a number of scenarios such as verifying employees, authenticating the identity of people handling sensitive information, and more.
Confirm Digital ID Authentication Software Shutting Down
Neither Facebook nor Confirm has disclosed any details of the acquisition, but the employees of Confirm are expected to join Facebook's offices in Boston. As part of this deal, Confirm's product offerings and all digital ID authentication software will be shut down, says the startup.
"We're excited to announce that we have agreed to be acquired by Facebook! This is the culmination of three years of hard work building technology that will keep people safe and secure online," says Confirm.
Facebook, meanwhile, tells TechCrunch that the Confirm team will play a major role in the company's endeavors.
"Their technology and expertise will support our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe," says Facebook.
More Facebook Security?
Confirm's technology could have a number of uses and applications. Facebook could take advantage of it to help people confirm their identities more easily if they're locked out of their accounts, for instance. So far, Facebook has been requiring users to provide a copy of their photo ID or some other materials to verify their identity so they could regain access to their account.
At the same time, it could make it easier for legitimate users to regain access to their accounts when locked out. The technology could also make it harder for users to create fake accounts on the platform.
Facebook and others have been struggling to combat fake news, hate speech, and abusive content often coming from fake accounts. Thus, having a simple and more secure way of verifying users' identity could go a long way.
Facebook has yet to detail just what exactly it plans to do with Confirm, but the acquisition looks promising.
