If Reddit required face scans to prove you’re human… would you still use it?
With AI bots getting harder to detect, there’s been growing discussion around platforms using biometric verification (like face scans) to confirm real users.
Cool in theory... Reddit is full of bots, fake accounts and garbage engagement. But let’s be real…
Reddit without anonymity isn’t Reddit.
The whole point of this platform is:
Saying things you wouldn’t say elsewhere
Being anonymous without consequences tied to your real identity
Having raw, unfiltered discussions
And now the proposed solution is… scan your face?
But what's the guarantee tech companies not to store or misuse biometric data.
Even if they promise they won’t store it:
No one believes that
Data leaks happen all the time
And once that line is crossed, there’s no going back
On one side, identity verification could:
Reduce bots and fake accounts
Improve trust in conversations
Clean up spam-heavy communities
On the other hand, Reddit has always been built on anonymity, and changes like this could shift how people use the platform entirely.
There are also alternative ideas being floated:
Zero-knowledge proof verification
Device-based authentication
Temporary “human verification” tokens
Two questions for the PH community here:
If you use Reddit, what would you want: fewer bots or actual anonymity?
Should Product Hunt apply the same verification to find and delete bots or fake accounts?
P.S. I am currently working on a pilot with Reddit's ex-CTO to test identity verification on my subreddit. I will check the sentiment of the community at my subreddit r/GrowthHacking and report back here.
Replies
Your pilot sounds more interesting than the idea itself tbh. Real user reaction will say a lot. What kind of response are you expecting from the subreddit?
I think there is a middle ground here🤔 Something like temporary verification or proof of humanness without tying it to identity could help reduce bots while keeping the spirit of Reddit intact.
Scade.pro
It's an interesting platform but requiring facial recognition to log in is a bit much. I don't use Reddit much, and with that kind of verification, I'd probably stop using it completely.
PickleMatch
If you use Reddit, what would you want: fewer bots or actual anonymity? In my opinion, bots are a part of the community and valuable as long as they are identified as such. X has a decent approach here IMO, paying a nominal fee to verify yourself as a human while still letting bots operate automations and updates.
No I would not. Plus, it is not necessary with reddit. They have moderators. Facebook or twitter are a hellhole of bots. Reddit doesn't have that as much because they have moderators. They have some but its one of the few websites where you might actually be looking at comments from real people.
Yes, I'd use it as long as I can keep multiple reddit accounts. Also, does this mean reddit would be able to face ban? :/
Well, rather than ‘prove you’re human’, it would be better if reddit's goal is to be ‘build for humans first.’ If the platform works for real people, wouldn’t that naturally push bots out? What's the need for a face scan in such a case
There are other platforms I can use if I don't need to be anonymous, but reddit will forever be my go to for anonymous activities.
This feels like solving a real problem (bots) with the wrong tool (biometrics). The cost to user trust is too high.
Hard no from me on face scans. The trade-off is way off — you sacrifice the one thing that makes Reddit uniquely valuable (anonymous, genuine opinion) to solve a problem that will just mutate into a harder one.
The real question AI detection poses is about behavior patterns, not identity. And honestly, building for trust without biometrics is more interesting. We're doing something adjacent with Hello Aria — an AI assistant in WhatsApp/iOS. We want users to trust that the AI is representing them faithfully. That trust has to be earned through behavior, not imposed through surveillance. Launching on PH April 10th if you want to see our approach.
Reddit with face scans = LinkedIn. Hard pass.