LinkedIn locked me out of my account, and wants me to verify via this same Persona company. I didn't read the terms but there's no way I'm giving Microsoft or its minions my govt id.

What this user missed is the affidavit option: you can get a piece of paper attested by a local authority and upload that instead, if you really really need a LinkedIn verified account.

Microsoft can go jump.

I too found that my LinkedIn account had suddenly become “temporarily” disabled a little while ago, for reasons unspecified. I too was invited to share my government ID with some verification system to get back in again.

I too declined on privacy grounds.

My friends were pestering me about having to have an X account to know what's going on and that it'll be fine if I don't engage with any conversation or even follow anyone. I created one, and started the usual "don't show me this" thing for the crap that comes up in the field by default.

I think my account was active for 10 minutes when it got blocked due to "suspicious activity" and locked. All I have to do now to activate is give them more of my information including my phone number.

I've had this same exact thing happen with Facebook and Instgram too. Facebook was probably no less than 5 years ago so this is not new. You can usually confirm your identity (which they do not know), using your phone number (which they do not have). Read that again. :) They ALL do this.

The kicker is you will not find any sympathy because they start with jurisdictions (3rd world) where they can get away with it and people will lecture you about how you must have done something because Facebook never asked for their phone number or blocked them.

I had Airbnb ask for my passport 10 years ago ffs and I did give it and they still didn't want to give me the place until the proprietor intervened and sorted it out. I had the same exact helpful comments about it online that I described above. "You must have done something", "You're full of shit, they don't ask for passport at all".

This attitude by my "fellow men" is what bothers me most about this whole thing.

And now it's global, the same people will probably go "what do you have to hide", "you show your passport at the border don't you?".

The trouble is, now it WILL be harder for you to find a job later. These policies are “your choice” like a diabetic taking insulin “chooses” to take insulin. If we actually treat things like this as a choice, the word loses all meaning.