Reddit Eyes Sam Altman's Iris-Scanning Orb To Verify Real Users Without Compromising Anonymity: Report

Reddit Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) is reportedly exploring a partnership with Tools for Humanity, the company behind Sam Altman's World ID and iris-scanning Orb, to offer anonymous but verified user identities.

What Happened: Reddit has been in talks with Tools for Humanity to integrate World ID, a biometric verification system powered by its Orb device, reported Semafor, citing two people familiar with the matter.

The Orb scans a user's iris to confirm they are a unique human, offering proof of personhood without collecting personally identifiable information.

If implemented, World ID could become one of Reddit's third-party verification options, allowing users to confirm their identity anonymously amid growing concerns over bots, fake accounts and AI-generated content on social media platforms, the report added.

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Why It’s Important: World ID is part of a broader initiative by Tools for Humanity—co-founded by OpenAI CEO Altman—to distribute cryptocurrency called Worldcoin in exchange for biometric verification, aiming to establish a universal digital identity system.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Reddit is gaining more visibility in Google's AI Overviews, becoming the second most-cited source after Quora, according to Semrush.

This boost is linked to Reddit's $60 million content licensing deal with Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google in 2024. However, analysts caution that the increased exposure may not lead to significant revenue growth for Reddit.

Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate a consistent upward trajectory for Reddit across short, medium and long-term periods. More detailed performance data is available here.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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