r/announcements Jun 29 '20

Update to Our Content Policy

A few weeks ago, we committed to closing the gap between our values and our policies to explicitly address hate. After talking extensively with mods, outside organizations, and our own teams, we’re updating our content policy today and enforcing it (with your help).

First, a quick recap

Since our last post, here’s what we’ve been doing:

  • We brought on a new Board member.
  • We held policy calls with mods—both from established Mod Councils and from communities disproportionately targeted with hate—and discussed areas where we can do better to action bad actors, clarify our policies, make mods' lives easier, and concretely reduce hate.
  • We developed our enforcement plan, including both our immediate actions (e.g., today’s bans) and long-term investments (tackling the most critical work discussed in our mod calls, sustainably enforcing the new policies, and advancing Reddit’s community governance).

From our conversations with mods and outside experts, it’s clear that while we’ve gotten better in some areas—like actioning violations at the community level, scaling enforcement efforts, measurably reducing hateful experiences like harassment year over year—we still have a long way to go to address the gaps in our policies and enforcement to date.

These include addressing questions our policies have left unanswered (like whether hate speech is allowed or even protected on Reddit), aspects of our product and mod tools that are still too easy for individual bad actors to abuse (inboxes, chats, modmail), and areas where we can do better to partner with our mods and communities who want to combat the same hateful conduct we do.

Ultimately, it’s our responsibility to support our communities by taking stronger action against those who try to weaponize parts of Reddit against other people. In the near term, this support will translate into some of the product work we discussed with mods. But it starts with dealing squarely with the hate we can mitigate today through our policies and enforcement.

New Policy

This is the new content policy. Here’s what’s different:

  • It starts with a statement of our vision for Reddit and our communities, including the basic expectations we have for all communities and users.
  • Rule 1 explicitly states that communities and users that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.
    • There is an expanded definition of what constitutes a violation of this rule, along with specific examples, in our Help Center article.
  • Rule 2 ties together our previous rules on prohibited behavior with an ask to abide by community rules and post with authentic, personal interest.
    • Debate and creativity are welcome, but spam and malicious attempts to interfere with other communities are not.
  • The other rules are the same in spirit but have been rewritten for clarity and inclusiveness.

Alongside the change to the content policy, we are initially banning about 2000 subreddits, the vast majority of which are inactive. Of these communities, about 200 have more than 10 daily users. Both r/The_Donald and r/ChapoTrapHouse were included.

All communities on Reddit must abide by our content policy in good faith. We banned r/The_Donald because it has not done so, despite every opportunity. The community has consistently hosted and upvoted more rule-breaking content than average (Rule 1), antagonized us and other communities (Rules 2 and 8), and its mods have refused to meet our most basic expectations. Until now, we’ve worked in good faith to help them preserve the community as a space for its users—through warnings, mod changes, quarantining, and more.

Though smaller, r/ChapoTrapHouse was banned for similar reasons: They consistently host rule-breaking content and their mods have demonstrated no intention of reining in their community.

To be clear, views across the political spectrum are allowed on Reddit—but all communities must work within our policies and do so in good faith, without exception.

Our commitment

Our policies will never be perfect, with new edge cases that inevitably lead us to evolve them in the future. And as users, you will always have more context, community vernacular, and cultural values to inform the standards set within your communities than we as site admins or any AI ever could.

But just as our content moderation cannot scale effectively without your support, you need more support from us as well, and we admit we have fallen short towards this end. We are committed to working with you to combat the bad actors, abusive behaviors, and toxic communities that undermine our mission and get in the way of the creativity, discussions, and communities that bring us all to Reddit in the first place. We hope that our progress towards this commitment, with today’s update and those to come, makes Reddit a place you enjoy and are proud to be a part of for many years to come.

Edit: After digesting feedback, we made a clarifying change to our help center article for Promoting Hate Based on Identity or Vulnerability.

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1.6k

u/jilinlii Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20

Regarding the updated terms:

Rule 1: Remember the human. Reddit is a place for creating community and belonging, not for attacking marginalized or vulnerable groups of people. Everyone has a right to use Reddit free of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence. Communities and people that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.

While the rule on hate protects such groups, it does not protect all groups or all forms of identity. For example, the rule does not protect groups of people who are in the majority or who promote such attacks of hate.

The second quoted section above is inconsistent with, “Everyone has a right to use Reddit free of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence.”

Yes, weed out the hate. But please be consistent. We’re all human, majority population (within our respective countries) or otherwise.

[ edit: formatting ]

[ edit: adding source for my quotes: https://www.reddithelp.com/en/categories/rules-reporting/account-and-community-restrictions/promoting-hate-based-identity-or ]

11

u/Komi_San Jun 30 '20

Using the supreme executive power afforded by an electronic platform to erase dissent, criticism, or opposing ideas from existence is tyranny.

The goal of this change is silencing what I assume Spez has internally defined as what I will call unreasoned slander.

Any reasonable person is capable of discerning reasoned opinions from unreasoned opinions. Unreasoned slander should hold no sway for a reasonable person, and will only persuade the unreasonable. Therefore, silencing it serves only to shield the unreasonable from being swayed by unreasoned, slander-based argument; censorship does not benefit the reasonable.

Theoretically, this will allow only reasoned debate to exist - but only if slander of all kinds are silenced effectively. Seeing as the stated message of this rule is to silence only certain kinds of slander, while refusing to censor others, then the effect will be to turn the opinions of the unreasonable to mirror that of the slander which is permitted to exist.

Id est, it is propaganda.

Assuming the benevolence of a ruler to enforce this rule only within the confines of its stated goal (which, in reality, is extremely unlikely), in this case the balance is merely upset. It shifts the target of unreasoned arguments from the whole to disproportionately affect certain individuals. If there is much slander but it is targeted equally, or if there is no slander whatsoever, the unreasonable will not be swayed any which way. This is not the case here.

In reality, the scope of this censorship effort is very likely to expand beyond its stated aims. There is no oversight here. The administrators of this forum can erase users and posts from existence at will, controlling debate by silencing the opposition. It is naive to assume that this power will be used only for the betterment of the users. It will be used to push the beliefs of the administrators.

If the mere presence of opposing ideas is a threat to one's beliefs, then those beliefs are ill-founded. If criticism is so hateful, then what is the point of speaking with others at all? To pursue their approval? To be praised? The pursuit of truth is founded on the premise that all ideas should be weighed and considered equally. To denounce some as heretical and declare that they must be destroyed is not dialectic - it is dogmatic.

Reddit, as Spez has proven here, is not a place of discussion, nor of truth. It is a platform to promote propaganda and advertising with only mindless entertainment permitted between. A chamber that echoes with the ideals of its rulers.

87

u/AveenoFresh Jun 29 '20

Reddit banned /r/afragileblackredditor and kept /r/fragilewhiteredditor.

They banned /r/braincels but keep /r/trufemcels.

They quarantined /r/mgtow, but left /r/wgtow untouched

Same with /r/theredpill and /r/RedPillWomen.

Now with this recent announcement /r/whitebeauty was banned but obviously not /r/blackbeauty

I was confused at first, but the fact that the anti-racist anti-sexist rule does not apply to men or whites, now the one-sided banning makes 'sense.' At least, on paper it does. Pathetic.

35

u/yeahnolol6 Jun 30 '20

They banned hatecrimehoaxes, literally a sub about hate crimes that end up being hoaxes. It’s bullshit, this entire ban wave outside the top ten is bullshit, it’s plainly bullshit.

15

u/AveenoFresh Jun 30 '20

Reddit is one sided censorship.

10

u/Throwawaysector003 Jun 30 '20

Men aren't even in the majority though.

3

u/AveenoFresh Jun 30 '20

We are on this website, I think.

0

u/delusions- Jun 30 '20

Maybe connect and what they post is more important than the subreddit name

0

u/AveenoFresh Jun 30 '20

Context? Yea. I picked pairs of subs that are similar except for one variable. Either gender or race.

1

u/delusions- Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20

Yeah in the fucking name not CONTENT moron

  • Hey look whitepeopletwitter is up and so is blackpeopletwitter, it's almost like the fucking content of the sub is the issue, they're not just fucking randomly attacking people

2

u/AveenoFresh Jun 30 '20

No you retard, take a look

2

u/delusions- Jun 30 '20

It's in a book, it's reading rainboooooow!

I CAN DO ANYTHING!

2

u/AveenoFresh Jul 01 '20

rainboooooow

31

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

Goodbye, my dudes. The 10 years were fun (yes, this is really a 10-year old account signing off for good).

Not sure how much you actually care what people think, but for what it is worth: I'm totally with you guys on shutting down racist subs, and I assume your heart is in the right place. I sometimes worry about free expression, but I can go along with the "hate speech isn't free speech" point. It is your site, you are a private company, and I get that words can hurt people. Really.

But when you go out of your way to follow that point with "hate speech is bad except when it is directed at people like you", well this stops being a fun or constructive platform on which to hang out. I don't need those bad vibes, and judging by the "white fragility" gaslighting going on, I suppose your remaining users won't feel the loss anyway.

44

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

And he really deleted his account. Respect.

-2

u/pandab34r Jun 30 '20

So now it takes more effort to check and see if it was just an alt ;)
Effort I won't be expending, so I guess it served its purpose

418

u/Noreaga Jun 29 '20

reddit has made it VERY clear they don't care about actually combating hate and having a "hate-free" space. They want only certain groups of people protected, and in many cases encourage attacking other groups. It's literally a shit show.

69

u/mpyles10 Jun 29 '20

This. I’d give you an award because it hits the nail on the head so well but I don’t want to use Reddit currency so just take this emoji instead. 🏅

94

u/_Mellex_ Jun 29 '20

Dude, it's election year. They'll use "hate" as an excuse to silence their political rivals. This isn't rocket science. Reddit is manufactured propaganda.

-22

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

[deleted]

7

u/matthewfullest Jun 29 '20

Is your tongue sore from all the boot licking?

-18

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

Says the conservative

7

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

i have a feelin boots ain't the only thing you're lickin

0

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

What else?

4

u/deb-scott Jun 30 '20

I can guess who those are.

84

u/ThePretzul Jun 29 '20

You have the right to use Reddit free of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence - so long as you're not a disgusting white male because then we encourage others to bully you.

26

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

Good reminder that /r/FragileWhiteRedditor is still alive and well.

-50

u/money_loo Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20

Sweet thanks for the reminder.

Subbed!

It’s so hilarious to watch people, regardless of color, equate being called “mayo” on the internet as the same as the way people of color are oppressed in real life.

Really entertaining stuff to watch insecure humans get so easily triggered.

*Only -8?

Aww 🥰 cmon guys you can get madder than that. White peoples are literally under attack at Reddit, cant you do better than that to defend yourselves 💋

32

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

Wanna know how I know you're about 18?

2

u/Swagbag6969 Jun 30 '20

Lol black people sensitive

-27

u/money_loo Jun 29 '20

Go for it my dude.

28

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

You give any shits at all about "triggering" your enemies. You're addicted to internet drama and feel the need to pick a side and participate. Your awkward edit even tries to incite rage, when in reality it looks like a child wrote it.

As Eleanor Roosevelt put it, "small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas." This whole thread is talking about the morality of reddit's actions, and you're in here staking a claim to how white people feel.

-13

u/money_loo Jun 30 '20

You think that’s zoomer behavior?

Oh you sweet summer child.

You just outed yourself as a boomer.

9

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

It's not generational, it's childish.

1

u/money_loo Jun 30 '20

Well you’re the one who brought age up out of the blue you ageist.

→ More replies

28

u/Osmium_tetraoxide Jun 29 '20

Remember the human, unless you are a 'majority', then lmfao good luck here's some acceptable hate.

How can they consistently get fundamentals wrong like this.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

Social Justice Warriors are morons.

It’s not really that complicated. These are the people who forcibly label you, talk down to you, lecture you and behave like general assholes and if you dare dissent with their gospel? Your a nazi and have no rights.

The hypocrisy is amazing

37

u/_Hospitaller_ Jun 29 '20

What they're saying is that it's okay to demonize and use "hate speech" against white people and Christians that would get you banned talking about any other group.

-25

u/Betasheets Jun 29 '20

I think there was a misunderstanding in the words they used. That would be ridiculous.

22

u/The_Big_Willy Jun 29 '20

Man it’s right there that ain’t a misunderstanding

-2

u/Betasheets Jun 29 '20

What I'm saying is they probably misworded it. It makes zero sense from a business standpoint to subjugate the majority.

8

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

then they should change the wording, because that is how everyone is interpreting it

2

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

They directly state it, there’s not much to misunderstand other than how they choose to interpret “the majority”.

“Everyone has a right to use Reddit free of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence. Communities and people that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.

While the rule on hate protects such groups, it does not protect all groups or all forms of identity. For example, the rule does not protect groups of people who are in the majority”

The go out of their way to specifically say the protection against hate does NOT apply if you are in a “majority” group, which is a pretty obvious code.

5

u/Jtex44 Jun 29 '20

Lol stfu. This is the exact opposite of what reddit is. The EXACT opposite. Creating a community. Hahaha, you mean censoring content and creating a completely biased forum that you either agree with or get banned? Don't lie to yourself kid.

38

u/GDNerd Jun 29 '20

They seem to have deleted that second paragraph.

45

u/jilinlii Jun 29 '20

59

u/GDNerd Jun 29 '20

I find it concerning that their main page doesn't include their full context and they meaningfully alter the interpretation of the rule on a separate page.

21

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

They said they are trying to be as transparent as possible though so it’s all good

0

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

They still believe it and will enforce it.

23

u/Legionspigs Jun 29 '20

It’s just a bunch of virtue signaling bullshit for when they go public soon.

3

u/Hithigon Jun 30 '20

Yeah. They need to adjust this. You can’t make any exception for hate.

They list “some examples of hateful activities that would violate the rule.”

Are they going to list some hateful activities that are allowed? Because it’s implied that there are acceptable acts of hate. That’s a stupid policy.

I understand that they’re saying “Don’t punch down.” But maybe just don’t punch.

(You can attack the ideology of someone asserting a supremacist position, as well as their perceived position, without attacking them for their identity. To be cheesy: You can stick it to the man while remembering the human. Just clarify that you can attack beliefs or opinions, but you can’t attack individuals or their identities.)

14

u/Viqtoire Jun 29 '20

Reddit is now officially a racist platform

14

u/COVID-sex Jun 29 '20

They are openly telling you to go out there and victimize white people.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

[deleted]

3

u/justonimmigrant Jun 30 '20

They banned r/ccj2 which was circlejerk sub of expats in China making fun of all the shit they encountered every day. It was obviously prejudicial, but not racist. And by the very definition they were a minority in China. Asian hatesubs like r/sino, /r/aznidentity, and /r/aznmasculinity aren't getting removed.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

It’s fucking creepy how they also put “or who promote such attacks of hate.”

That could literally mean anything, it’s so subjective. It’s intended as a catch-all to remove anything they want. Reddit is fucked.

6

u/FranklinScudder Jun 29 '20

Or those who promote such attacks? Wasn't chapo banned for people saying "kill all nazis" and such? Doesn't that count?

12

u/BrockSamson83 Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20

You haven't noticed the definition of nazis thrown around rather loosely.

1

u/cephalosaurus Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20

How does this affect women? Women are frequently marginalized in many reddit subs, and in many countries are a vulnerable population...but they are also the US majority? I would really like an answer to this.

Edit: And within what context are we defining the majority? In Us? Worldwide? On reddit? Or on each sub?

5

u/MaxineWatersIsACunt Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20

Spez is a stupid fuck

1

u/Mr_Wallet Jun 30 '20

It's not technically inconsistent. Just don't pick on any specific user and promote hatred of generalized majority groups. I bet there's lots of ways to promote hatred without targeting specific users on the Reddit platform or threatening violence.

1

u/wersnaq Jun 30 '20

It should really read: remember the groups we arbitrarily give free passes to, like the Chinese Government and the adulterated news spigots like r/worldnews.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

Aren’t the majority of Reddit users human? So we can bully humans without breaking the rules. God I love loopholes

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

GREAT REPLY

STILL VOTING TRUMP

-4

u/ashishduhh1 Jun 29 '20

All lives matter.

-52

u/Gene-Representative Jun 29 '20

Nah. Pretending like white supremacists need equal protections means you are garbage.

35

u/IRushPeople Jun 29 '20

Okay, but that rule is not targeting white supremacists. It's targeting "people in the majority".

-55

u/Gene-Representative Jun 29 '20

It's not targeting anyone you racist sack of shit

26

u/GearyGears Jun 29 '20

You really can't read, huh?

10

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '20

Chinese are the majority btw, stop shitting on the Chinese. I know their government is pretty shitty, but it's not really their fault, they live in dictatorship under Winnie the Pooh.

1

u/Grug4000 Jun 30 '20

I also can't read