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📂 Category: Social,identify verification,Reddit
📌 Main takeaway:
Reddit is starting a limited test of verified profiles, which places a gray check mark next to the username of a notable person or company.
“This feature is designed to help Redditors understand the people they engage with in moments when validation is important, whether it’s an expert or celebrity hosting an AMA, a journalist reporting the news, or brand sharing information,” Reddit wrote in a blog post.
Believe it or not, there was a time on the internet where a verification tag just confirmed that a prominent figure was who they said they were, and wasn’t an indication that you were paying a monthly fee to Elon Musk and/or Mark Zuckerberg. But Reddit decided it might actually be a good idea to fact-check the accounts of public figures in an effort to mitigate the spread of misinformation.
Reddit acknowledges that pseudonymity is a core part of its culture, allowing users to express themselves more openly than if their real name were attached to everything they say. But Reddit says this feature is completely voluntary and can be opted into. The verification feature isn’t about indicating special elite status, but it makes it easier for both regular users and subreddit moderators to quickly verify that someone is honest about their identity.
However, the absence of a check mark does not mean that someone is a scammer. Reddit is piloting this feature with a small group of profiles, and even if the check marks are rolled out completely, it’s still possible that some popular Redditors won’t get a check.
Tony Hawk, for example, posts very casually on skateboarding subreddits, simply talking about his favorite sport with like-minded fans. He’s just like us! But he blew up his profile a bit when he shared his skating videos on r/OldSkaters, because there probably aren’t many 57-year-olds doing heel turns.
Although Reddit Checkmarks is still in alpha, users will be eligible if they are active contributors in good standing and “trusted partners,” which Reddit has not specified. Having a check mark does not grant the user any special privileges. However, users will not be eligible for a check mark if they have a NSFW profile, or if they primarily participate in NSFW communities.
Right now, Reddit manually verifies profiles, but says it will use a third-party process in the future.
It’s perhaps no coincidence that Reddit is exploring verification at the same time its co-founder Alexis Ohanian is launching a reboot of the social aggregator Digg. Digg’s founders have expressed concern that the internet is becoming filled with bots and AI agents, and they want Digg to be a place where people can connect with actual humans. They have said they are looking into using zero-knowledge proofs as a potential way to verify that users are human.
Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, is also exploring ways to verify people’s humanity online. Project World, Altman’s human verification project, is expected to release an app this week that also focuses on blocking bots.
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