Earlier this year, a Reddit user had asked members of a skincare-focused subreddit if anyone had tried a specific hypochlorous acid spray, a product often used for acne. There were dozens of responses; one from a user named Primary-Taro4254 seemed innocuous enough, at least at first.
Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?
The era of AI-powered search has made Reddit mentions highly valuable. Subreddit moderators are catching brands trying to take advantage.
is features writer with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools.
“I haven’t personally tried [that brand] so I can’t fully compare, sorry,” they commented. “But I have been using a similar hypochlorous acid spray from Honeydew Labs and I’ve honestly really liked it.”
Primary-Taro4254 helpfully shared their experience using the spray to calm their skin’s redness and irritation, and even threw in some of Honeydew Labs’ credentials: “One thing I noticed when comparing products is that Honeydew Labs uses a 0.02% hypochlorous acid concentration and it’s also accepted by the National Eczema Association, which made me feel a bit more confident trying it on sensitive skin.”
But a closer look at Primary-Taro4254’s Reddit profile revealed that they apparently really, really liked the Honeydew Labs hypochlorous acid spray. It wasn’t just the one thread where they were praising the product — they had posted similar messages on threads about unrelated products as well as in other skincare-related subreddits. Was Primary-Taro4254 working for Honeydew Labs? Was it a marketing firm’s inartful promotional strategy? Was there a person behind it at all, or was it an automated spammer? Before long, a member of r/SkincareAddiction — a popular subreddit with more than 1 million weekly visitors — had caught on, telling others to “be aware of honeydew labs hypochlorous acid/ marketing bots.”
Subscribe to The Verge
to continue reading.
