As far as social media sites go, Reddit is as divisive as it gets. On the one hand, it's helped connect people, including the team behind last year's Game of the Year, Claire Obscur: Expedition 33. On the other hand, it's a cesspool for negativity and horror content, such as the recently banned subreddit Pragmata, dedicated to sexually assaulting Diana's robot child protagonist.
That's not to mention its huge problem with bots.
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As Reddit mods continue to play whack-a-mole with offensive subs, the platform as a whole may institute some extreme requirements to rid itself of the bot issue that plagues every corner of the forum.
Speaking on a Technology Business Programming Network (TPBN) podcast, CEO Steve Hoffman confirmed that things like Face or Touch ID have been considered.
“The easiest way is something like Face ID or Touch ID,” Hoffman said (thanks to Engadget for the site). “They really need a human presence, like a human to touch, or do or see something, that actually proves there's a person there or takes you too far.”
If those are not available on the platform, other options, such as third-party services that are decentralized or do not require an ID, can be installed. Similarly, there may be a lane where ID-checking programs are used.
Anonymity is part of what makes Reddit so successful
While the bot problem is understandably huge, the idea that Reddit will soon require users to authenticate through some rather strict method ultimately goes against the grain of the site, which is supposed to provide anonymity. As Endgadget noted, that could be a dealbreaker for many users, who will leave the platform.
“Part of our promise to our users is that we don't know your name, but we want to know that you are a person,” Hoffman said. “It's going to take some time for us to develop, and probably every platform to find the right middle ground here.”
For his part, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian admitted that Face ID wasn't what he thought it would be, but it might need to do something.
“Requiring RDDT Face ID wasn't on my bingo card, but something needs to be done about all the fake/botted content – I don't know how to sell face scans to redditors or peeps,” he wrote on social media.
If it passes, Reddit won't be the only platform to have some sort of requirement, as Discord recently used with age requirements to combat underage users engaging with adult content. Still, just because it's common doesn't mean users will pick it up, which could mean mass exodus in opposition.
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