Verification of location

[Christina D]

If Upwork has my tax ID number, verifying that I'm located in the U.S., why is a driver's license, passport, etc needed?

[Preston H]

re: "If Upwork has my tax ID number, verifying that I'm located in the U.S., why is a driver's license, passport, etc needed?"

A tax ID number does not verify that you are located in the U.S.

A person with a U.S. tax ID number could be located anywhere in the world. Maybe they lived in the U.S. and then moved to Paris. Also: A tax ID number is not associated with a photo.

One of the main purposes of Upwork identify verification is to verify that a person's profile photo matches the photo on their government-issued ID.

[Mark K]

Preston,

"One of the main purposes of Upwork identify verification is to verify that a person's profile photo matches the photo on their government-issued ID."

Good God, is THAT the reason?  Verifying photos -- really.  I can go to downtown Sacramento and have - in 30 minutes time - a phony govt issued ID with ANY photo I choose. 

Please tell me UW is not just checking photo matches from our private ID revelations to it.

Mark

[Preston H]

Mark:
Upwork is not hiring a personal bodyguard for the king of Richlandia.

Upwork is not trying to create a system which is "100% foolproof."

Upwork has set up multiple security protocols and identify verification procedures - not all of which you know about - in order to maximize the extent to which its freelancer information is accurate, while minimizing the cost to doing so. It is a balancing act.

[Mark K]

Preston:  Well it seems that their scales of balance are tilted quite far to the cheap end - if you ask me (which you didn't,,,but its nice to pretend that you did)

Mark of Richlandia