Illusion Of Anonymity On Reddit
As a regular Reddit user, or as I like to call myself, a Redditor, I can’t get enough of the platform! It’s my go-to spot for all kinds of stuff, and honestly, I trust the recommendations I find from strangers way more than what my friends suggest (lol). Whether I’m looking for restaurant recommendations or travel hacks, Reddit has me covered like no other platform out there.
For those not familiar with Reddit – it is like a huge online playground with lots of niche groups called subreddits. Each subreddit focuses on different topics, and these communities are managed by regular Reddit users, known as moderators. People often share personal stories in these subreddits. For example, r/relationships is a popular place where folks discuss their personal relationships and ask for advice.
Lack of True Anonymity
When people sign up for Reddit, they keep random usernames. You may think that posting under a random username keeps you anonymous, but that’s not entirely true. Anyone can see your comment history, which includes your previous 1000 comments. This means it’s possible for someone to piece together your information if they really want to. Unfortunately, Reddit doesn’t let you hide your comment history. The only comments that are private are those in private subreddits (communities that you have to join and be a part of), but those are less in number compared to the public subreddits.
While they may not share their email address or full name (some people even do that!), we can get enough context about someone based on their comments, which can help determine their identity in real life. This is referred to as doxxing, which is quite common on Reddit.
Small Study on Reddit Privacy Leakage via Comment History
To illustrate how people share personal details on Reddit (and end up doxxing themselves unknowingly), I conducted a small study. I extracted the comment histories of 10 random Reddit users by using Reddit API. Here’s what I was able to infer:
Personal Information Revealed:
Usernames tied to real identity: One user has a wordplay on their real name as their Reddit username (mentioned by them in a comment).
Sensitive details shared: One user has publicly shared their crypto wallet address and wondered if it is safe to share it on Reddit.
Address leaks: One user shared their USPS tracking link with details as they were frustrated with USPS service (the link reveals their residential address).
Education background: Two users revealed the college they attended, their major, and their graduation timeline. This, combined with other identifiers, could help trace their social media profiles (e.g., LinkedIn).
Direct address disclosure: One user revealed their street address, talked about their career, and shared age identifiers that could assist in identifying their real-world identity.
Demographic Data Inferred:
Gender:
8 users identify as male;
1 user identified as female;
1 user’s gender remained undetermined.
Country of Residence:
9 users revealed the country they live in.
8 of these users also revealed their state/city.
5 users are from the United States.
Common Topics in Comments:
Careers: Eight users revealed information about their current or past careers.
Personal Relationships: All users discussed personal relationships—exes, divorces, or current partners.
Users from the United States: Among the 5 users from the U.S., there were some notable common traits:
All mentioned they dislike Donald Trump and plan to vote for Democrats in the 2025 U.S. Presidential Election.
They frequently talk about cars or driving experiences.
Two of the five users expressed a preference for public transportation if it were improved.
Conclusion and Recommendations
I understand my above analysis contains a very small set of users but I was able to infer a lot from this small set. I could only imagine what bad actors could do with 1000s of user comment data.
There’s no doubt that Reddit is a remarkable platform. While users often believe they’re anonymous, the reality is more complex. As people engage in niche subreddits, they frequently share personal information without realizing it. A determined individual could potentially piece together a user's identity by carefully examining their comment history.
The platform’s design encourages users to feel safe expressing their political views and personal thoughts. This is a valuable aspect of Reddit that shouldn’t be compromised. However, to better protect user privacy, Reddit could consider implementing a feature that allows users to hide their comment history. This would enable users to maintain their privacy while still expressing themselves freely on the platform.
Such a feature would strike a balance between preserving the open nature of Reddit discussions and giving users more control over their digital footprint. It would allow people to participate authentically in conversations without worrying about their entire comment history being accessible to anyone who might want to profile them.