Reddit, like practically every other social media platform, has been struggling as of late with a deluge of bots and AI-generated content. In a study from last year, roughly 15% of posts on the platform were found to be AI-generated.
Now, it may soon start experimenting with asking users for biometric data like Face ID or Touch ID, or other forms of passkey technology, to stem the tide of bots. In an interview with the TBPN podcast, first spotted by Engadget, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said this tech is the most “lightweight way” to ensure all users were human. Huffman indicated the platform may use decentralized third-party information providers to verify users’ personal details.
“Part of the promise to users is we don’t want to know your name,” he told the hosts. “But we want to know that you’re a person.”
In 2026, bots are an existential risk to online platforms. Content aggregator Digg, which was in beta ahead of its comeback, was recently forced to pause operations and lay off staff in response to the horde of bots on its platform.
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Meanwhile, the ability of bots to influence the discourse on Reddit has already been demonstrated. In April 2025, researchers from the University of Zurich secretly deployed AI-powered bots that to influence debate in a subreddit called r/changemyview, with bots pretending to be a ‘rape victim,’ a ‘Black man’ who was opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement, and someone who ‘work[s] at a domestic violence shelter.’
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Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian said his website using Face ID was not something that he had on his “bingo card,” but argued that “something has got to be done about all the fake/botted content” in a recent post on X. However, the founder added the caveat that he doesn’t “know how to sell face-scanning to redditors or even lurkers.” Many Reddit users have already expressed grievances with the move, with one user saying: “Tell me you want to kill Reddit without telling me.”
Reddit wouldn’t be the first anonymous platform to start requesting users provide biometric data to prove who they are. For example, Discord earlier this year started to demand that some users provide face scans so its AI tool could determine if they were over 18, as part of efforts to keep minors off the platform.
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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.
I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.
