UPDATED 20:49 EDT / JANUARY 23 2018

APPS

Facebook acquires online identity authentication startup Confirm

Facebook Inc. said today it has acquired Confirm Inc., a startup specializing in authenticating government-issued identity documents, for an undisclosed amount.

The social media giant isn’t saying what it intends to do with the technology. But the acquisition comes amid broader efforts by Facebook to confirm the identities of its users to protect their accounts and prevent people from using its platform to influence political elections. “Their technology and expertise will support our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe,” Facebook said in a statement.

Another use for the tech could be to help confirm user’s identities if they’re locked out of their accounts. Facebook has reportedly been testing a new feature that lets users access their accounts by taking a selfie.

Based in Boston, Confirm was founded back in 2015 and has raised $4 million in funding. The startup used that money to develop advanced forensics that can pull information from an ID card and combine it with facial recognition and other biometrics to confirm a person’s identity. The service then deletes that data to ensure it can’t be stolen by someone else.

Although the applications for the technology would appear to be widespread, most of Confirm’s customers use the platform as a means to speed up staff onboarding, TechCrunch reported. For example, the food delivery platform DoorDash Inc. uses Confirm to verify the identity of its drivers.

Confirm said on its website that it will now shut down its operations, as its staff relocates to join Facebook’s team. The company had boasted more than 750 clients prior to the acquisition.

“This is the culmination of three years of hard work building technology that will keep people safe and secure online,” Confirm wrote on its website. “Now, we’re ready to take the next step on our journey with Facebook. However, in the meantime this means all of our current digital ID authentication software offerings will be wound down.”

It’s not immediately clear what Facebook intends to do with Confirm’s technology, but the social media giant has been under pressure to stop foreign agents using its platform to influence political elections. Last year, Facebook said that Russian agents had paid to boost Facebook posts in the U.S. in an attempt to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, though Russia denied that’s the case. Facebook later responded by saying it would require ad posters to prove their identities, and Confirm’s tech would surely help to facilitate this.

Image: Confirm.io

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