Reddit has introduced a small, gray checkmark to its user profile pages to indicate if the person has been verified, marking the company’s first foray into authentication on the platform. The company explains that the feature is designed to ensure that identity counts in moments that matter (like an expert-led AMA) rather than becoming a system of pay-to-play status symbols (for example, journalist breaking-news updates or official brand announcements).
Different from more formal paid verification programs at other companies, Reddit’s early take on the issue is opt-in, manual and designed to sustain the site’s culture of pseudonymity. The company stresses that badges “do not grant you any specific rights or ranking”; they are just a way for users and mods to immediately recognize an account is who it presents itself as.
Why Reddit Is Embracing Verification Now
And identity cues are growing more important as misinformation, impersonation and automated posting gain more traction across social platforms. Reddit states in public filings that it sees tens of millions of daily users across more than 100,000 active communities, and according to Pew Research Center about one out of five U.S. adults use the service—a scale that raises the stakes when a purported source is misinformed or fake.
Other networks are wary. They have learned the hard way. When a paid verification program launched on a competitor, an impostor account that had received the seal of approval of one of the world’s largest drug companies wrote a post about insulin being free, causing a viral sensation and briefly roiling markets before certain users let everyone know it was fake. By separating identity checks from subscriptions and perks, Reddit is making clear that its badges are a trust feature, not the bait on an upsell.
How the Pilot Works for Reddit’s Verification
For this alpha, eligible accounts are prominent users and organizations that have been contributing in good standing as well as “trusted partners.” The checkmark is grey and displayed to the right of their username (note that no badge does not mean they’re an impersonator—we are starting off slow for this initial wave and many legitimate users are not badged yet).
There are guardrails. We don’t accept NSFW profiles (or any accounts that are mostly active in NSFW areas). For the test, Reddit is manually verifying some accounts, and says it will eventually adopt a third-party verification process. Badges don’t unlock special features, moderation powers or algorithmic boosts; they are purely lightweight signals of identity.
What It Means for Moderators and AMAs on Reddit
For moderators, who surely review the high-profile AMA guests they approve, a platform-level badge can move pre-AMA checks that today take place over email chains, social cross-posts and one-off proofs to the front of Reddit. That lessens the friction for both hosts and guests, while helping to eliminate last-minute uncertainty about whether a guest is legit.
For everyday redditors, the badge clears up when a name that seems like it belongs to a celebrity, author or brand is indeed who you think they are.
There’s a long history on Reddit of high-profile people dropping into niche threads — from pro athletes in sports subs to scientists in r/AskScience — and the badge makes those moments easier to trust without forcing users to leave the platform and verify elsewhere.
Lessons From Other Platforms About Verification
Verification has become fragmented across the industry. On X, paid checkmarks muddied the identity and status of users, opening up new avenues for impersonation. And Meta Verified offers subscription badges for people, and now companies, that include customer support and protections against impersonation. YouTube and TikTok have higher thresholds for brand and creator vetting, but lower ones for people who want to share expertise without providing too many cues of identity.
Reddit’s gray badge is an aesthetic decision to de-emphasize clout. By eschewing gamified colors and super premium perks, the company is attempting to divorce “this is the right person” from “this person is important.” The only challenge now is user education: that people will learn that absent a badge doesn’t mean untrustworthy.
The Greater Arms Race With Bots Across Social Media
Automation is the broader backdrop. According to sections of Imperva’s 2024 Bad Bot Report, bots and “bad bots” were responsible for almost half (n=47.42%) of all internet traffic; bad bots made up 31.08% alone. That is a reality that is forcing the platforms toward clearer signals of humanity and authenticity.
Beyond Reddit, new and resurrected aggregators are experimenting with cryptographic techniques including zero-knowledge proofs to verify that the user is human without revealing identity, and Sam Altman-linked projects have moved forward World ID notions for distinguishing against bots. This broader shift is the context in which Reddit’s move to verify public identity fits, though its focus is more on verifying who we are than that we’re human.
What To Watch Next as Reddit Tests Verification
Crucial questions remain: How Reddit will scale verification beyond this first batch of users, whether it will provide clarity about who is eligible and how to appeal a rejection, and how the badges will be displayed in search results, comments, chat and third-party apps. That’s where transparency around process and error correction is going to matter as the program scales up.
The trust payoff could be substantial. Ensuring that identity is verified can fortify AMAs, lighten moderator overhead and make users more trusting when serial newsmakers and brands are being posted. If Reddit can expand the program without reducing it to a status symbol, it might arrive at something increasingly hard to come by in social media: a system of verification that does what it was intended to do.
