Social network allows for user validation

As more users - and advertisers - sign on with social networking websites, many wonder just who they are talking to online. Is it really Tom from down the street or Joe with a favored product? A new validation platform will make it easier to know just who is trolling the social networking wires.

by Kristina Knight

And knowing who marketers are - and are not - is a good way to keep an eye on how the brand is faring online.

The platform is part of the YUNiTi social network and is called ValidateID. Here is how it works: once a users creates a profile the validation program scans online information, using public records, to ensure that a user proclaiming to be Joe-from-your-city really is that person. Users have to be 18 or older to have a validated identification.

The program is a collaboration from YUNiTi and Strike Force, an company that specializes in preventing identity theft.

By authenticating who users are on social networks, message boards and other platforms, social networkers can be more secure in talking with others on the different networks. For marketers, this type of platform security is also a good idea because before any users begins posting information on the site, they will be authenticated - basically ensuring that they are who they say they are.