Reddit Tests Verification Badges for User Accounts
▼ Summary
– Reddit is testing a new feature that adds a grey checkmark to the profiles of verified notable people or businesses.
– The purpose is to help users identify experts, celebrities, journalists, or brands to mitigate misinformation, while preserving the site’s culture of pseudonymity as an opt-in feature.
– Having a checkmark does not grant special privileges, and eligibility requires being an active contributor in good standing, excluding NSFW profiles.
– The initial rollout is a limited, manual process, with plans to use a third-party verification system in the future.
– This development coincides with broader industry efforts, like those from Digg and OpenAI’s Worldcoin, to verify human users online amidst concerns about bots and AI.
Reddit is initiating a limited trial for verified user profiles, introducing a grey checkmark badge to identify notable individuals and official brands. This feature aims to clarify who is behind an account during interactions where authenticity is crucial, such as expert-led AMA sessions, journalist reports, or corporate announcements. The platform emphasizes that this optional system is designed to support trust and reduce misinformation, not to create a tiered user hierarchy.
For years, an online verification mark simply confirmed a person’s identity. Recently, the meaning has shifted on some platforms to denote a paid subscription. Reddit is returning to the original concept: confirming that public figures and organizations are genuine. The company recognizes that pseudonymity remains central to its community, allowing open discussion without real-name exposure. This verification is purely voluntary and intended to help both regular users and moderators quickly confirm someone’s claimed identity.
Not having a badge does not imply an account is fake. The pilot program involves only a select group, and even a full launch would not guarantee every well-known user gets one. Consider professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, who participates casually in skateboarding forums. He interacts like any other enthusiast, though his shared videos of complex tricks at age 57 might hint at his unique expertise.
During this initial alpha phase, eligibility requires being an active contributor in good standing or a “trusted partner,” a term Reddit has not fully detailed. A verification badge grants no special privileges or powers. Accounts focused on NSFW content or primarily active in adult communities are ineligible. The process is currently manual, but Reddit plans to transition to a third-party verification system later.
This move towards verification coincides with broader industry trends. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is involved in reviving the social aggregator Digg, whose team has voiced concerns about bots and AI agents overwhelming the internet. They aim to make Digg a space for genuine human connection and are investigating methods like zero-knowledge proofs for verification.
Similarly, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman is working on World, a project focused on proving human identity online. An app from this initiative is slated for release soon, further highlighting the growing emphasis across tech on distinguishing real people from automated accounts in digital spaces.
(Source: TechCrunch)
