With Discord and other platforms implementing ID verification methods, Reddit might fall in line and do the same.
During an interview on the TBPN podcast, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman mulled over the various ways to confirm it’s a human using Reddit. On one end of the spectrum are features like Apple’s Face ID and Touch ID, since they require “a human presence.”
Other options include third-party services that are decentralized or don’t require ID. On the other end of the spectrum are things like ID-checking services akin to what Discord plans to use.
All of this is to serve one purpose: differentiate humans from bots. Huffman emphasized he wants to reserve a user’s ability to remain anonymous on Reddit, but also said bots have become a problem on the platform.
“Part of our promise for our users is we don’t know your name but we do want to know you’re a human,” said Huffman. “It’ll be an evolution for us for a while, and probably every platform to find the right middle ground here.”
It remains to be seen if Reddit eventually requires age verification.
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