Reddit is reportedly in discussions to adopt the Orb—an iris-scanning device developed by Tools for Humanity, a company co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman—as a way to verify users as unique humans while preserving anonymous identities. This action demonstrates the increasing unease with AI-powered fake accounts, and emerging rules requiring online platforms to verify the age and humanness of users more effectively.
Why Verification Matters Now
“With the rise of artificial intelligence, distinguishing human users from bots and AI agents has become a pressing problem. Platforms like Reddit face escalating issues with automated accounts and AI-generated content. On top of this, many governments—including several U.S. states—are enacting laws demanding age or identity verification on social media . To comply while safeguarding privacy, Reddit’s CEO Steve Huffman suggested collaborating with third-party providers: “We will do our best to preserve both the humanness and anonymity of Reddit,” he stated.
What Is the Orb & World ID?
The Orb is a metallic, beach-ball-sized scanner that captures a unique iris image. That biometric data is immediately encrypted, fragmented, and distributed across global servers. No raw images are stored, nor can the data be traced back to an individual by server breaches. The result is a privacy-preserving biometric hash called “World ID,” stored locally on the user’s device.
For proof of age, the Orb can withhold scanning if the user appears under 18.
What Reddit’s Adoption Could Look Like
If Reddit integrates World ID, users may be required to confirm “proof of humanness” before posting or interacting—though they’d remain pseudonymous. There’s also flexibility: unverified World ID holders could be granted limited access, while fully verified users may receive broader privileges .
However, World ID is just one of several identity solutions. Australia’s recent review concluded there is no single ideal system for age verification or proof of person—the same may apply here.
The Human vs AI Dilemma
With new “AI agent” ecosystems, distinguishing between humans and bots may soon become essential. Platforms may require users to present a quick credential—a biometric hash or other proof—to interact online. World ID’s Orb is positioned to meet that future demand. However, it certainly won’t be the only way–interoperability with competing verification systems is expected.
Trust, Privacy and Critics
There are privacy issues with the Orb, even with solid encryption and fragmentation. Although we’ll have some protections around privacy, analysis from critics indicate that centralizing biometric verification (even if encrypted) poses significant risks.For example, the Electronic Privacy Information Center has claimed that incentivizing iris scans via cryptocurrency could have negative consequences for providing fairer access to vulnerable populations. Meanwhile, regulatory bodies in Spain, France, Kenya, Hong Kong and elsewhere have paused or restricted Orb operations over data safety worries.
Consent and transparency remain core: Tools for Humanity emphasizes the system’s open-source design, with no retention of raw data, but ultimately it’s up to users to decide if trust outweighs risk.
What’s Next for Reddit
These are initial discussions, and neither Reddit nor Tools for Humanity have confirmed the integration. If it happens, Reddit will likely use more than one way to verify humanness; World ID may be one of them.
It is unknown yet if scanning your iris to register for Reddit will be a method users will want, or if they will prefer other options. However, as more fake accounts generated by AI are created and regulations develop, platforms have an increasing amount of pressure to find trusted methods of identity verification that respect privacy and maintain anonymity and community at the same time.
Conclusion
Reddit’s exploration of Sam Altman’s Orb technology signals an internet-wide transition toward “proof of humanity”. As issues of identity and humanness become a battleground in the age of AI, the challenge will be demanding proof while also respecting users’ sense of security, privacy, and trust. Perhaps World ID becomes the standard, perhaps it is only one option among others. Either way, one could argue that Reddit will have a major role in shaping this space moving forward while also hoping they don’t lose their reason for being.
