**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., ~$0,2026-10-09.50–$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?↵
↵
What are your thoughts?↵
=======================↵
↵
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., ~$0,2026-10-09.50–$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?↵
↵
What are your thoughts?↵
=======================↵
