Reddit has some ideas about how to solve its bot problem and 'the most lightweight way' could be using Face ID

Date:
Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Description:
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has been discussing the ways that human users could be verified on the platform.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter The CEO of Reddit has been talking about verification Face ID or Touch ID could
be used to prove you're human Nothing has been decided or implemented on Reddit yet Reddit has a serious bot problem, and CEO Steve Huffman has been talking about ways that it could prove that posts are crafted by humans including the possibility that Face ID and Touch ID verification could be required.

Huffman made the comments in an interview with TBPN (via Engadget ), while discussing the idea of making Reddit more valuable for its users, and opening out the platform to people who haven't used it before. "The most lightweight way [to verify a user is human] is with something like Face ID," Huffman
said, before going on to mention more "heavy" options such as ID checking services, and other alternatives in between. Article continues below You may like Deepfakes and distrust: how human provenance can rebuild digital confidence Is fingerprinting real media the only way to beat AI slop? AI bot web traffic is closing in on human usage, experts warn

Reddit is looking at passkey technology in general, Huffman said: "They actually require a human presence. A human has to touch, or do, or look at something. That actually just proves that there's a person there, or gets you pretty far." 'We do want to know you're a person' Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says that while there are legit types of AI content on the platform, the company is considering Face ID and other passkey verification methods among other options to ensure there's a human behind each prompt while allowing users to stay anonymous: pic.twitter.com/Erv2jfj9Qu March 20, 2026 Huffman also said the internet as a whole needs better third-party tools for
verifying that someone is a human being, without having to require any kind
of ID and without impinging on the privacy and security of users.

Reddit isn't the only online platform struggling with an influx of automated bots, especially with the rise of generative AI to power them. We're getting to the stage where bot traffic is overtaking human traffic on the web .

While platforms such as X and Facebook seem okay with AI-generated content being posted for the masses, it's something Reddit is keen to crack down on while also respecting the anonymity of its users. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"Part of our promise for our users is we don't know your name but we do want to know you're a person," Huffman said. "It'll be an evolution for us for a while, and probably every platform to find the right middle ground here." Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/social-media/reddit-has-some-ideas-about-h ow-to-solve-its-bot-problem-and-the-most-lightweight-way-could-be-using-face-i d


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