Question: Whats the best way to get people to verify their identity for the purpose of preventing fake accounts on a social site.

For example, Zoosk does the following:

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> Members who choose to verify their photo will be prompted by the system to record and submit a video “selfie” that will capture the individual’s face from a variety of angles. If the moderators approve the member’s photo, he or she will be notified and a Photo Verified badge will be added to their profile.
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However I'm interested to know if there's a clever way to do this without human intervention (aside from using Amazon Turk service or the like, I mean fully automated)

Answer: 
Create hurdles not barriers
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Aside from highly intrusive methods, any type of verification is subvertable. You can ensure that you get real people creating accounts. You can give them hoops to jump through to make sure they have some level of commitment. But you don't want to make them feel like they're applying for a passport.

Here's a few basic solutions:

* Email verification: Don't let them access anything until the address is verified.
* SMS PIN: Require a mobile number to which you send a randomized PIN they'll use to log in the first time.
* Open ID log in: Require the use of another account to create this one (e.g. Facebook). No assurances, but it's another hoop.

Disclaimer
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Any kind of ID verification is intrusive. Be sure you analyze your audience well before deploying a solution. You have to find the right balance of answering security concerns for your app and using a method that feels like a worthwhile exchange to your users.
you can use an external service like [Yoti](https://www.yoti.com) that handles verification for you, it handles 

1. Identity Verification
2. Age Verification
3. E-signing
4. Authentication

check out this blog post for more info on how it works <https://www.zdnet.com/article/yoti-aims-to-provide-everyone-with-a-biometric-digital-identity-that-works-via-a-smartphone-app/>