Fake profiles and spam accounts have always been a headache for social media platforms like Instagram. In a fresh attempt to limit such spam accounts on its platform, Instagram is now requiring users to take a video selfie to verify their identity.

As spotted by social media consultant Matt Navara, Instagram has started using video selfies to verify user identity. Instagram owner Facebook (now Meta) promises that video selfies you upload will never be visible on Instagram and deleted in 30 days. It also says that it won't collect biometric data nor use the company's face recognition technology. Basically, Instagram will ask new users to shoot a short selfie video clip which will then be used by the company's AI algorithms to confirm that you're a real person.

We need a short video of turning your head in different directions. This helps us confirm that you’re a real person and confirm your identity.

Video selfie verification is something that Instagram has been working on for some time now. Instagram first started rolling out this security check back in August last year, but it quickly rolled back as technical issues cropped up. But it looks like Instagram has finally resolved those issues as the feature is now widely available.

Right now, it looks like Instagram is requiring a video selfie verification for newly created accounts only; existing accounts aren't seeing a prompt to verify their identity just yet.

Dating apps including Tinder and Bumble have long used a photo verification system that requires users to upload selfies from different angles to verify their identity. However, Instagram's video selfie verification, at least on paper, seems more robust and won't be easy to spoof for spammers.