Reddit said on Wednesday it had started testing verified profiles, a new feature aimed at increasing transparency on the social media platform.

The company said that the introduction of a grey checkmark next to usernames is designed to help users identify individuals and businesses in scenarios where verification is crucial, such as during official brand announcements.

The verification process is voluntary and opt-in, and selected users must actively contribute on Reddit.

“We’re kicking this off with a small, curated group of individuals– most of whom have already self-identified on Reddit– as well as businesses that currently hold an official badge,” Reddit said in a blog post.

Verification helps to combat misinformation and enhance accountability at a time when digital landscape is crowded with artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfakes and scams.

Several major social media platforms including X and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram offer paid verification, as the tool gives them a new revenue line beyond advertising and often comes with enhanced features, or support for verified users.

Reddit said its existing “official” watermark for businesses will be replaced with the new grey verified checkmark.

The company added that currently users cannot request to be verified and verification does not grant special privileges.

Reddit said that profile verification does not give the company, moderators or other users additional access to private data.

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(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)