I understand why verification enables some confidence among two parties forced to trust each other. However, I will never become verified on these boards. Verification involves submitting personal information to the admins to review. This is why I won't do it:
1) I do not trust **anybody**--these boards' admins included--to store my data in a secure fashion. When you send a copy of your drivers license and utility bill to an admin here, you can't take it back. They have it now, and anyone who is better at stealing information than they are at hiding information can also have it now! How good are these admins at securing your data? Are they security experts? Extraordinarily unlikely.
2) I do not trust **anybody**--these boards' admins included--to not maliciously steal and sell my data. What is preventing these people from selling your data to an identity thief? The job they're doing here is thankless and pays $10 per verification minus overhead, your data is worth a lot more than $10 to an identity thief. Doesn't take much for the financial incentives to outweigh the moral incentives since being a good person doesn't put money in the bank.
3) In my opinion, quality feedback history > verification. How, exactly, are we guaranteed the admins didn't get duped by someone using fake/stolen credentials in the verification process? Again, it costs $10. Putting your $10 verification on the line for a scam isn't a big deal if you stand to make more than $10. Putting a lengthy feedback history on the line for a scam is more of a big deal. It's much harder to recreate a lengthy quality feedback history than it is to get verified!
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I have never and will never scam anybody and in order to protect myself against scammers I always consider depth and quality of feedback history when doing a deal, if they have none or little I won't 'go first', if they have a lot I'll go first. In most of the deals I've done I've gone first, I have never been scammed. I also have always completely ignored whether or not they're verified.
In summary, feedback history > verification for protecting yourself against scammers, and verifying yourself exposes you to an unnecessary amount of counterparty risk for no relevant benefits.
1) I do not trust **anybody**--these boards' admins included--to store my data in a secure fashion. When you send a copy of your drivers license and utility bill to an admin here, you can't take it back. They have it now, and anyone who is better at stealing information than they are at hiding information can also have it now! How good are these admins at securing your data? Are they security experts? Extraordinarily unlikely.
2) I do not trust **anybody**--these boards' admins included--to not maliciously steal and sell my data. What is preventing these people from selling your data to an identity thief? The job they're doing here is thankless and pays $10 per verification minus overhead, your data is worth a lot more than $10 to an identity thief. Doesn't take much for the financial incentives to outweigh the moral incentives since being a good person doesn't put money in the bank.
3) In my opinion, quality feedback history > verification. How, exactly, are we guaranteed the admins didn't get duped by someone using fake/stolen credentials in the verification process? Again, it costs $10. Putting your $10 verification on the line for a scam isn't a big deal if you stand to make more than $10. Putting a lengthy feedback history on the line for a scam is more of a big deal. It's much harder to recreate a lengthy quality feedback history than it is to get verified!
............
I have never and will never scam anybody and in order to protect myself against scammers I always consider depth and quality of feedback history when doing a deal, if they have none or little I won't 'go first', if they have a lot I'll go first. In most of the deals I've done I've gone first, I have never been scammed. I also have always completely ignored whether or not they're verified.
In summary, feedback history > verification for protecting yourself against scammers, and verifying yourself exposes you to an unnecessary amount of counterparty risk for no relevant benefits.