Reddit introduces human verification for suspected bot accounts

On Wednesday, Reddit announced it is introducing labeling for automated accounts that provide a service to users, similar to how “good bots” are labeled on X. Alongside this, the platform will require accounts suspected of being bots to verify they are human. Reddit emphasized that this verification will not be a sitewide requirement, but will instead target specific accounts based on their activity. If an account fails verification, it may be restricted.

To confirm humanity, Reddit will leverage third-party tools. These include passkeys—an authentication method using cryptographic keys—provided by Apple, Google, and YubiKey. The platform will also support biometric services such as World ID, a project associated with Sam Altman. In certain jurisdictions, including the U.K., Australia, and some U.S. states, government IDs may be required for verification due to local regulations.

The new measures are designed to address “fishy behavior” on the platform and combat the broader “dead internet theory”—a conjecture that bots outnumber humans online and that the vast majority of content, interactions, and web activity on the internet is automated or AI-generated, rather than from people. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has previously addressed this theory. The issue is increasingly pressing as Cloudflare reports that bot traffic will exceed human traffic by 2027. Reddit is already actively fighting automated manipulation, including astroturf—the practice of masking the sponsors of a message to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. Currently, Reddit averages 100,000 account removals per day to curb spam and narrative manipulation. This challenge is highlighted by the recent shutdown of former competitor Digg, which closed down due to bot issues.

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman emphasized that the verification process is designed to protect user privacy. “If we need to verify an account is human, we’ll do it in a privacy-first way. Our aim is to confirm there is a person behind the account, not who that person is. The goal is to increase transparency of what is what on Reddit while preserving the anonymity that makes Reddit unique. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice one for the other,” Huffman said. He also noted that the best long-term solutions will be decentralized, individualized, private, and ideally will not require an ID at all.

Why it matters

As bot traffic is projected to exceed human traffic by 2027, online platforms face an escalating challenge in curbing automated manipulation and misinformation. Reddit’s approach highlights the difficult balance social networks must strike between verifying human users and preserving the anonymity that defines their communities.