Since usernames are only unique to the instance it’s created on, what’s to stop someone from creating a copycat username in order to impersonate another user?
Since usernames are only unique to the instance it’s created on, what’s to stop someone from creating a copycat username in order to impersonate another user?
As others have said, nothing.
Mastodon has a sort of lightweight verification which just signifies that you are to some degree in control of the URLs linked to in your profile. So for example, if you have your own domain or something that people associate with you, then you can use that in your profile to show that it’s you. Of course, that depends on that domain meaning something to the end user, and the end user being savvy enough to, for example, know that someone could get the .com version of your .net domain, etc. etc.
Does that give a verification badge?