Identity Verified badge soon required for all earning freelancers

[David P]

As I do not have a camera attached to my pc, and have no plans to do so, I presume I will not be able to complete the ID verification, unless their is another method I can use.

[David P]

I meant 'there', of course!

[Denise M]

Is there any way to avoid uploading an image of our ID? I'm really not comfortable with that. 

[Aleksandar D]

Hi Denise,

Thanks for reaching out to us. I'm sorry to hear that you are uncomfortable with this process. In general, Upwork has security measures in place, and teams dedicated to ensuring the security of the Upwork platform and your information. We continue to refine these systems and processes so we stay ahead of any site attacks.

Also, all the information you submit when verifying your identity is kept secure. Access to your information is reserved exclusively for Upwork agents who have passed strict background checks and our third-party vendor. Our system stores your ID image for 30 days with exceptions in cases of fraud.

Thank you.

[Emma M]

I'm not entirely impressed about this. Who is the third party? What is their history of being hacked? Why are our details being kept for 30 days? You should need to do no more than check a photo, you shouldn't need to keep my details on file for 30 days. How have you guaranteed the system won't be hacked? What background checks have your staff been through? How can you guarantee that they still won't sell on details? What country are these staff from that will be checking our ID's? Are you going to take responsibility if we end up dealing with identity fraud because your supposedly safe systems have been hacked?

In regards to the videos, are you going to make us do this during US time? So those anywhere else in the world need to do the checks at some stupid hour of the night? 

It seems to me that Upwork may be the ones wanting to **Edited for Community Guidelines**. First of all, you want us to pay to apply for jobs (which is a big red flag - the general consensus is that you don't pay to apply for work and if someone wants you to pay to apply for work, they are running a scam) and then you want our ID's that contain enough details for someone to steal our identities. The documents you are asking for, at least in my country, include a signature and many, many people would not be comfortable handing over these details to some unknown people or company.

Do Upwork employees have to have the same identity checks? Are your CEO and directors having their identities run through the same system? What about job posters? If not, why not? Why are freelancers being singled out and having their details put at risk?

[Tudor V]

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Emma M wrote:

I'm not entirely impressed about this. Who is the third party? What is their history of being hacked?

Yeah, I'd like to know that too.

Who's going to interview me? An Upwork employee? A 3rd party contractor/company/person? From which country?

Will the interview be in English?

[Denise M]

I did the interview when I first started several years ago and that portion was really no big deal. “Yes, hello, I’m a real person.” But sending in a copy of my ID? Forget about it. Same reason I’m not sending FB my EIN to get a blue check for my business page. I don’t trust any of these big companies with info like that. It’s not necessary and can’t be reasonably guaranteed to be safe.

[Denise M]

Thank you for articulating PRECISELY my concerns when all I could manage was essentially “duhhh...that sounds um bad or something.”

[Karen B]

These are all extremely valid points.  I especially appreciated the part about Upwork **Edited for Community Guidelines** and being charged to apply for jobs.  Well, actually I appreciate the entire post.

If Upwork wants to keep their valued freelancers -- I suggest they rethink these silly requirements.  Upwork isn't the only game in town.  

[Artyom H]

Those are valid points, Emma.

There is also another thing. Why do Upwork staff think/beleive that all freelancers want that 'Identity verified' badge on their page?

It could be that some people are confortable with what they already have (assuming no badge).

Why does it have to be required for all freelancers?

Additionally, I was intervied by an Upwork representative a year or two ago. It was a video call (if I'm not mistaken) in order to verify my identity, but that was it. I'm definitely not confortable with uploading my ID to Upwork's servers, especially when any server can be hacked/sabotaged etc. Nor do I want my ID kept on Upwork's servers for 30 days, considering that the servers are probably being backed up from time to time to ensure that if a failure of one of the servers occurs or it gets hacked the information can be easily restored. Thus, to think that our IDs are going to be removed in 30 days altogether is, I believe, at least, misleading.