01
Create your private account
Sign up with email and phone. Your account is private and never shown publicly. It exists only to prove you're a real, unique person.
Verified identity forums
Launching soon — Massachusetts politics
Online forums where everyone is who they say they are.
The Forvm is a new kind of discussion platform where joining a community means proving you actually belong. No bots. No trolls. No outsiders pretending to be locals.
Join the Waitlist
Be the first to know when we launch.
The problem
The internet has a trust problem.
Your state politics subreddit is full of people who don't live in your state.
Your school's Facebook group has been overrun by spam bots.
Medical forums can't distinguish a practicing physician from someone who watched a YouTube video.
Every online community faces the same fundamental question: how do you know the person you're talking to is who they claim to be?
You don't. Until now.
The solution
How The Forvm works
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Verify your eligibility
Prove your real-world credentials through a secure third-party provider. Your ID is checked and immediately discarded — we never see or store your documents. We only learn the result: verified or not.
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Choose a pseudonym and join
Pick a display name for each community you join. You're anonymous — but verified. Other members can see your credentials but never your real identity.
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Discuss with people who are actually there
Post, comment, and vote in forums where every participant has proven they belong. No drive-by trolling. No impersonation. Just real discussion among real members.
Launching with
Communities that matter
Our first forums are communities where knowing who's in the room changes everything.
BP
BeanTownPolitico
MA Resident • Verified
What actually changes if Boston adopts the MBTA funding bill?
A forum where every voice is a real Massachusetts resident — and you can argue policy without bots or brigading.
Massachusetts Politics
Requires: MA Residency
State and local politics discussed by verified Massachusetts residents. No out-of-state brigading. No bots. Just your neighbors.
Launching firstCalifornia Politics
Requires: CA Residency
Policy, elections, and local issues — by and for Californians.
Coming soonU.S. Politics — Citizens Only
Requires: US Citizenship
National political discussion limited to verified American citizens.
Coming soonMIT Community
Requires: MIT affiliation
Students, alumni, and faculty. Verified through institutional email or degree records.
Coming soonHarvard Community
Requires: Harvard affiliation
Verified community for Harvard students, alumni, and faculty.
Coming soonSuggest a Forum
Have an idea for a verified community? Tell us what you'd want to see.
Let us know →Trust & privacy
Your identity, your control
We understand the irony: a platform about trust is asking for your trust. Here's exactly how we handle it.
Verification is performed by Persona, a SOC 2 certified identity verification provider used by major companies. They check your ID, confirm the result to us, and your documents are handled under their privacy policy and retention schedule — not ours.
Your pseudonym in each community is separate. Even we can't publicly connect your Massachusetts Politics identity to your MIT Community identity. Cross-forum anonymity is built into the architecture, not bolted on.
We store
We never store
- ✓ Verification status (verified / not verified)
- ✓ What was verified (e.g., "MA Resident")
- ✓ When it was verified
- ✓ Which provider checked it
- ✕ Your government ID photo
- ✕ Your name
- ✕ Your home address
- ✕ Your selfie
- ✕ Your ID number
- ✕ Any biometric data
Secured by Persona
Who's building this
Built by people who are tired of this too.
The Forvm is built in Boston by people who believe online communities should be at least as trustworthy as the offline ones they represent. We're starting with Massachusetts because it's home.
Get early access
Join the waitlist
Join the waitlist and be the first to know when The Forvm launches. Early members will help shape the community from day one.
You're on the list. We'll be in touch soon.
Help us grow — share The Forvm with someone who'd want in.
FAQ
Questions, answered
When does The Forvm launch?
We're launching our first forum — Massachusetts Politics — in 2026. Waitlist members will get early access. Additional forums will follow based on demand.
What do I need to verify my identity?
A valid government-issued photo ID (driver's license, state ID, or passport) and a smartphone with a camera. The process takes about 60 seconds.
Do you store my ID or personal information?
No. Verification is handled by Persona, a third-party identity provider. They check your ID and tell us the result (verified or not). We never see, receive, or store your identity documents, photos, name, or address. We only store the verification status and what was verified (e.g., "MA Resident").
Can people figure out who I am?
No. You participate under a pseudonym that you choose for each forum. Your real identity is never displayed. Even your pseudonyms in different forums are not publicly connected.
Who verifies my identity?
Persona (withpersona.com), a SOC 2 Type II certified identity verification provider. They're used by major companies for secure identity checks.
Is this just Reddit with ID verification?
The forum format is familiar, but the experience is fundamentally different. When you know every person in a Massachusetts politics discussion is actually from Massachusetts, the entire dynamic changes. Bad-faith arguments, brigading, and bot manipulation become nearly impossible.
What if I don't want to verify but still want to read?
Many forums will be readable by anyone. You only need to verify to participate — post, comment, and vote.
What forums are you planning?
We're starting with state politics (Massachusetts, California), U.S. politics (citizens only), and school communities (MIT, Harvard). Professional forums (medicine, law) are planned for later phases. You can suggest a forum on the waitlist form.
Is this free?
The Forvm will be free to use at launch. We may introduce optional premium features in the future, but core participation will always be free.