FU
LinkedIn.

Published November 11, 2026 · 3 min read

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TL;DR

Went back to LinkedIn after years away.
It demanded a government ID and a selfie.
All I wanted was to edit a stale profile.
No deal. This page is the profile now.

What happened

Hadn't logged in for years.
Went back to update a profile from a few jobs ago.
Typed the correct password.
Got this:

LinkedIn prompt: Use a mobile device to verify your identity. You'll need the LinkedIn app. Scan the QR code and follow the steps on your mobile device. — The QR code opens the LinkedIn phone app. The app asks for a photo of a government ID and a selfie. Code blurred here.

Fair point

The platform is overrun with bots, fake recruiters, and scam accounts.
A dormant account logging in from a new device looks stolen.
Making a robot prove it's a person is a reasonable goal.

For the record I have a job. It keeps me plenty busy. I'm not looking. This is about how much personal information a company thinks it's owed, not a career move.

Meanwhile, in my inbox

I use a separate address for every site. This one belongs to LinkedIn alone.
Mostly job alerts and recruiter pitches.
They're sure I'm job hunting. I'm not.

Email inbox filtered to the LinkedIn address: a device verification email at the top, a DevOps conversations reminder, a connection request, then a torn gap covering months of job alerts. — Torn for length: the gap is months of job alerts. Recipient address and personal name blurred.

The verification email

The newest one landed right after my login: "Jim, please verify your new device."
No code. No link. It says to use an authenticator app.
The footer: "Never miss an update with the LinkedIn app."
Every road leads to their app.
Bonus: that avatar in the corner is about 20 years old. That's how often I log in.

LinkedIn email: We noticed you recently tried to sign in from a new device. You can finish signing in by inputting the code generated by your authenticator app. Footer: Never miss an update with the LinkedIn app, with App Store and Google Play buttons. — Time and location blurred. Avatar left in, for the record.

Why I said no

They had better options. I knew the password. They have my email. Either one can carry a one-time code.
They emailed me anyway. Not with a code. With a pointer back to an app.
The ask was huge. Install their app. Photograph a government ID. Hand over a face scan.
The reward was tiny. Edit a few lines of text on a feed of posts about what someone's toddler taught them about B2B sales.
You can't rotate your face. A leaked password gets reset. A leaked ID and a biometric don't.

The catch

Some employers require a LinkedIn account for compliance training. Two ways that goes:
- Done right: company single sign-on. No personal profile involved.
- Done cheaply: a personal account. Now that means a government ID and a face scan just to log in.
If I'm ever asked for an ID and a face scan:
- Then I'll say no.
- The requirement and the refusal are both on the record.
- The "simple" training isn't simple anymore.

So this page is the profile now. Static HTML, source on GitHub. Nobody has to prove they're human to read it.

FULinkedIn.