Hello Codeforces,
With plagiarism and throwaway alt accounts remaining an ongoing headache in rated rounds, I've been thinking about the core incentive structure.
Right now, getting banned carries almost zero consequence. Creating a fresh handle takes two minutes and costs nothing, which makes burning disposable accounts effortless for cheaters.
What if creating a new Codeforces account required a tiny, symbolic registration fee (e.g., .50–$1.00)?
Why this could help:
- Removes the disposable account meta: Alt accounts wouldn't be free anymore.
- Adds real consequences to bans: Plagiarists would actually face a tangible penalty every time an account gets flagged.
- Low barrier for honest users: It remains cheap enough that genuine learners aren't heavily burdened, while creating friction for mass account abuse.
Do you think introducing a tiny financial friction would effectively curb throwaway cheating accounts, or would the drawbacks for honest newcomers outweigh the benefits?
