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.