Reddit is eyeing Worldcoin’s iris-scanning Orbs for user verification: report

Worldcoin price rose slightly on Friday amid reports that Reddit is exploring the use of the project’s iris-scanning Orb to verify its users.

News platform Semafor claimed in a report that Reddit was in talks to leverage the iris scanning device launched by Sam Altman-backed World, formerly Worldcoin, to use the Orb for the verification of Reddit users.

The price of Worldcoin (WLD) rose slightly amid the report, with sources telling Semafor that there are talks between Reddit and Worldcoin contributor Tools for Humanity. 

Age of bots and AI fakes

The alleged talks come amid growing concerns over bots and artificial intelligence-generated content. Worldcoin’s technology offers proof-of-human verification through its eye-scanning device, enabling platforms to distinguish real users from bots and AI entities.

Worldcoin has seen significant growth and adoption of its technology, despite notable legal and regulatory bottlenecks in various jurisdictions. WLD is the cryptocurrency of this ecosystem. 

According to its official website, World claims to have over 28 million World App users, with more than 13.1 million verified as unique humans. Launched in July 2023, the project has received major venture capital backing, including from Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital. It was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The project officially launched in the U.S. in April 2025, with theWorld ID verification orbs going live in six key innovation hubs. World’s Orbs are powered by NVIDIA chips.

The report of Reddit eyeing World ID comes on the back of Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman’s comments about AI and verification laws. 

According to Huffman, developments in the AI space and the risks posed to users means the company may have to verify if the platform’s users are human. Checking users’ age is also part of the critical know-your-customer requirements. Rather than have to collect and store the data, Reddit was looking to leverage third-party providers, he noted.