We live increasingly virtually, in the digital — and in this interconnected world, verification on professional platforms like LinkedIn should be seamless, secure, and inclusive. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience. What started as a simple change of email spiraled into a maze of platform bugs, unresponsive systems, and an ultimately failed identity verification process that left me asking:
What’s going on at LinkedIn?
The Email Switch That Went Nowhere
My journey began with a straightforward task: updating my primary email address on LinkedIn. I added the new address in settings, verified it, and set it as the primary email. But when I checked my public profile — nothing had changed.
To make matters worse, when I tried to log in with the new email, LinkedIn didn’t recognize it. Yet, when I attempted to assign the same email again, the system told me it was already in use. So LinkedIn clearly acknowledges this email — enough to send me promotional content — but I can’t use it to log into my account.
Trying to Outrun the Bug: Account Merge
After weeks of back-and-forth with no resolution, I gave up and created a new LinkedIn account with a completely different email. My goal? To merge my old and new accounts and start fresh. This part, surprisingly, worked. My accounts were successfully merged, and I could finally use my desired email to log in.
But then came the next hurdle: identity verification.
The Persona Loops of Identity Verification
After merging my accounts, LinkedIn urged me to verify my identity. I followed the instructions from their email, which led me to a platform called PERSONA — not the CLEAR platform mentioned in their official documentation.
- Scan my face — left and right.
- Scan the front and back of my government-issued ID.
I completed the process. Nothing happened. I tried again. Still nothing. A third time — same result.
A Verification Badge That Never Arrives
After these failed attempts, I reached back out to LinkedIn. Their response was an automated message with instructions — again — to use the CLEAR platform. But the verification button on my profile still took me to PERSONA.
This time, PERSONA asked me to scan only my ID. I did, only to be met with a baffling error: “The issuing country isn't supported for verifications.”
I am an EU national living in the UK. Settled Status and all. I can use my ID for ...
- unlimited travel within the EU, and
- to travel in and out of the UK (until at least 31 December 2025).
... but apparently cannot use it to verify my identity on LinkedIn?
So Let Me Get This Straight...
- LinkedIn's system recognizes and stores my new email — but doesn’t display it in my Settings.
- They instruct users to verify through CLEAR — but send us to PERSONA instead.
- Then, PERSONA excludes entire countries from the verification process.
Meanwhile, my profile remains without the verification badge, despite multiple attempts, multiple scans of sensitive ID data, and numerous automated replies.
Authenticity Shouldn’t Be This Hard
LinkedIn says, “Authenticity is key to creating meaningful interactions.” If that's the case, the platform itself must also demonstrate authenticity — in its user experience, in its technical reliability, and in its support systems.
Until then, the only thing LinkedIn seems to verify is how difficult it can be to get verified.
