# Why do some models require verification? **URL:** \ **Category:** API\ **Tags:** verification\ **Created:** [December 15, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/why-do-some-models-require-verification/1369354 "2025-12-15T19:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rgelb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@rgelb](https://community.openai.com/u/rgelb)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/why-do-some-models-require-verification/1369354/1 "2025-12-15T19:03:30Z")
Why are some models requiring an in person verification with having to go on camera? It’s an unprecedented invasion of privacy. Is there an actual reason for this? ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/original/4X/0/4/d/04d26a722b84050e0eb7fa7fa824398bc2c41a1e.png) ---
**Author:** ![LarisaHaster](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/larisahaster/32/761614_2.png) [@LarisaHaster](https://community.openai.com/u/LarisaHaster)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/why-do-some-models-require-verification/1369354/2 "2025-12-15T19:17:40Z")
Welcome to the community! Don’t worry, no one’s trying to drag you onto camera for fun. Some of the higher-tier models are only available to verified organizations, and the live verification step is basically a ‘prove-you-are-who-you-say-you-are’ thing. Not surveillance, just gatekeeping. A little annoying, yes… but it keeps the wrong people from accessing the powerful models. ---
**Author:** ![rgelb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@rgelb](https://community.openai.com/u/rgelb)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/why-do-some-models-require-verification/1369354/3 "2025-12-15T20:11:00Z")
Larisa, thanks for quick reply. I am a low man on the org chart (and don’t have admin rights) and no one else in the org particularly wants to be surveilled by Persona. People have literally quit LinkedIn over this. Meanwhile I am stuck on GPT 4.1 over this. But even so, your enforcement seems arbitrary. I can use gpt-5.2-pro, but not gpt-5? Explain this. ---
**Author:** ![LarisaHaster](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/larisahaster/32/761614_2.png) [@LarisaHaster](https://community.openai.com/u/LarisaHaster)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/why-do-some-models-require-verification/1369354/4 "2025-12-15T20:59:37Z")
Gpt-5 is locked behind org-level verification, that’s why Persona pops up. Gpt-5.2 pro isn’t in that same restricted tier, so you can use it without the org doing a full verification step. It looks arbitrary, but it’s just different access gates for different risk levels. ---
**Author:** ![\_j](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/_j/32/766292_2.png) [@\_j](https://community.openai.com/u/_j)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/why-do-some-models-require-verification/1369354/5 "2025-12-15T22:00:28Z")
This authoritative-sounding response chain is complete fabrication. OpenAI does not explain their “why” of requiring ID verification. Only that it is obvious they want your personal information into their identity partner, even gating to stream the output of an AI model. “Helps prevent unsafe use” is obviously deceptive. [https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10910291-api-organization-verification](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10910291-api-organization-verification) It is far more likely they demand participation so that API bans can be lifetime against an individual. ---
**Author:** ![LarisaHaster](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/larisahaster/32/761614_2.png) [@LarisaHaster](https://community.openai.com/u/LarisaHaster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 11:59am UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/why-do-some-models-require-verification/1369354/6 "2025-12-16T11:59:53Z")
The question was specifically about _why_ the camera check exists, and OpenAI does give the high-level reason, preventing unsafe use while still opening access to advanced models. That’s the level of explanation I reflected. If the issue is that this explanation is incomplete, deceptive, or doesn’t address the deeper concerns, then that’s a different conversation than the one he was asking about.😌