Reddit might require iris scans for user verification

Social media platform Reddit is reportedly considering using World ID, the verification system based on the iris-scanning Orbs, for its user verification. The company behind the system, Tools for Humanity, was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

According to a report by Semafor, citing two people familiar with the matter, Reddit could soon deploy World ID as a means for users on its platform to verify that they are unique individuals. The report also suggested that the system would still ensure users remain anonymous if they chose to do so.

Reports of talks between representatives of Reddit and Tools for Humanity show the need for new identity verification technologies, as online platforms are being flooded with inauthentic content using artificial intelligence. It is also in line with global governments considering new age verification laws to prevent children and teenagers from accessing social media. If the aim of the partnership is approved, it would signal a good turn for Tools for Humanity.

Reddit is in talks to deploy World ID on its platform

Tools for Humanity founded World ID six years ago, to provide users with a universal basic income, offering them a digital asset called Worldcoin in exchange for scanning their eyeballs with an Orb. According to reports, when World ID users scan their irises in one of the company’s Orbs, they get free Worldcoins. The token is worth just under a dollar at the time of writing this article.

This development also comes off the back of a recent issue involving Reddit and the University of Zurich. According to reports, lawyers representing the social media platform sent formal legal demands to the university whose researchers used AI to impersonate actual users in an experiment carried out to showcase the powers of AI persuasion. In addition, states across the United States are considering new laws that will require internet companies to verify the age of their users.

As a result of these developments, there has been renewed urgency to find ways to verify some of the information people give to online platforms while also providing them with adequate privacy and anonymity which has been seen as a characteristic of the web. Last month, Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman said AI and age verification laws could force the firm to check if its users are humans and are of a certain age.

Huffman said the company could work with third-party platforms to avoid having to directly collect user information. “Specifically, we will need to know whether you are a human, and in some locations, if you are an adult,” said Huffman. “But we never want to know your name or who you are. The way we will do this is by working with various third-party services that can provide us with the essential information and nothing else.”

In response to the update, many users have threatened to boycott the platform. Most users said they would delete their accounts or move to other platforms if Reddit were to adopt the verification system. “Tell me – should I be happy that Reddit may enter the crypto space or sad that they want to verify us users by a method we already declined when [World] was launched?” a Reddit user said.

Aside from Reddit users, World’s biometric data collection using its Orbs has also faced pushback from many industry advocates and policymakers. As of May, the project had reported that more than 12 million individuals had scanned their irises using the Orb. World also announced plans to debut in six United States cities in April, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Miami, Nashville, and Austin.

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