FCC could require phone companies to authenticate calls

Today, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed new rules that would require phone companies to adopt the STIR/SHAKEN protocol, an increasingly popular method for caller ID authentication. The rules are meant to combat robocalls, specifically those that spoof...

Twitter verified a fake congressional candidate created by a teenager

Andrew Walz isn't a real person. A high school student from upstate New York created the fake congressional candidate -- complete with website, AI-generated photograph and Twitter account -- to test the social media platform's verification system. Ac...

Pass Tinder’s catfish test and you’ll get verified

In an attempt to deter catfishing, or that awkward moment when you show up for a date and the other person looks nothing like their photos, Tinder is introducing a new Photo Verification feature. The tool will compare a series of real-time posed self...

YouTube reverses course on ‘verification’ — you will keep your badges

Yesterday YouTube announced plans to change its policy around channel verification status. In a move to follow other social networks, the company said changes tying approval to authenticity and prominence would mean some might lose their tag, and wou...

Juul will require retailers to scan IDs before selling its vapes

By May 2021, anyone looking to purchase a Juul e-cig will have to have their ID scanned. Juul announced today that it will soon require all retailers to use an updated point-of-sale (POS) system. When Juul products are scanned, the POS will prompt th...