[Verifying freelancer identity prior to hire]

Quote

Freelancers are not employees. They're freelancers and you have no right to invade their privacy because of your own insecurities.

Rent an office and hire staff is the best advice I can offer you.

Contractors, vendors and other third-parties too.  Thanks for the suggestions.

[Verifying freelancer identity prior to hire]

16 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

Sorry for asking, but what kind of work are you asking freelancers to do? I am curious, because without mentioning that, it seems very strange to go through all the hassle of checking identities, etc.

The work is application development.  The project is broken into smaller tasks such as designing UI in Figma, developing the UI in Flutter and developing the underlying app functionality.  I'd like like to eventually have 2 or 3 reliable devs to work with on a regular basis.  I think it's normal (and often required) for any company to screen employees and to know who has access to their intellectual property.

[Verifying freelancer identity prior to hire]

3 hours ago, catwriter said:

Fiverr's Terms of Service strictly forbid to ask for personal contact information, so yes, it does violate them.

Not to mention that Fiverr is meant to be an anonymous platform.

If you want to hire sellers with a verified identity and credentials, use Fiverr Pro. They won't show you their IDs (because nobody in their right mind would show their ID to a random stranger on the internet), but at least you'll know that they have been verified by Fiverr and that they are who they say they are.

I will check out Fiverr Pro.  That still may not address my requirement to screen freelancers.  I do not believe Fiverr is intended to be an anonymous platform... nothing in their terms of service states this.  I have not found any term that strictly forbid asking for personal information.  In fact, the TOS explicitly acknowledges and permits the necessary exchange of personal information.  To clarify, I am not planning to request an email as this is not a reliable method of verifying an individuals identity.

• To protect our users' privacy, user identities are kept anonymous. Requesting or providing Email addresses, s***e/IM usernames, telephone numbers or any other personal contact details to communicate outside of Fiverr in order to circumvent or abuse the Fiverr messaging system or Fiverr platform is not permitted.
• Any necessary exchange of personal information required to continue a service may be exchanged within the Order Page.

If there are other relevant terms I missed please let me know.

[Verifying freelancer identity prior to hire]

3 hours ago, strategist_ceo said:

As long as you provide your identification and allow the seller to decide if you are a "real buyer," most level-two (and level one) members with a good number of reviews are at least somewhat reliable. I wonder if your personal experience has something to do with what you are willing to pay for a reliable seller who communicates well.

Thanks for the response.  As one of the issues to resolve is contractual, both parties need to know who the other is and I have no issue sharing my identity.  I understand a seller will need to decide if it's a legitimate request.  This is typically required in any employer/employee relationship (regardless how short the duration is).  Simply, I need to know who is handling our code.  If a freelancer wishes to remain anonymous that is their right and it is my right not to hire them.

I have seen freelancers with multiple accounts, I have seen freelancers reposting projects of other buyers, I have seen freelancers reselling past projects, I have seen agencies posing as an individual freelancer and more.

Fiverr terms of service requires that payments and communications use the Fiverr platform.  I am not trying to circumvent those requirements.  The terms of service also allows for the exchange of personal information.  The purpose of the verification is simply to confirm who the individual is and to reduce risk of fraud and intellectual property theft.

[Verifying freelancer identity prior to hire]

I have had some bad experiences on Fiverr (and other freelancer websites) with fake accounts.

I intend to pay freelancers through Fiverr, however, I am planning to screen freelancers prior to hiring them.  I want to use a tool called OnFido for verifying identity documents (like passport, drivers license etc) along with a selfie.  If a freelancer declines to complete the screening (or fails) I will not hire them.

Before I request this of freelancers, I'd like to confirm this does not violate Fiverr terms of service.  Any thoughts?