Reddit takes further action against unwanted content

Reddit has again taken action against unwanted content. For example, certain subreddits can be quarantined, with access only to users who explicitly choose to do so.

Reddit recently took action against bullying, which has come under criticism from the company’s leadership, but is now tightening the thumbscrews even further. For example, “extremely offensive” subreddits will be quarantined, according to Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. Users will then only be able to see those subreddits if they explicitly choose to do so.

In addition, the company is banning a number of subreddits that “exist only to annoy other redditors.” This includes a number of subreddits with offensive content to black people, such as ‘CoonTown’ and ‘WatchNiggersDie’. ‘Coon’ is an insulting name in English for dark-skinned people.

Reddit, unlike most other US internet companies, has always been reluctant to moderate its platform. For a long time, users were able to upload erotic photos of teenagers to the ‘jailbait’ subreddit. Only after that subreddit was repeatedly uploaded nude photos of minors did Reddit decide to close the subreddit, though similar subreddits continued to exist.

Earlier this year, Reddit also tightened its rules on publishing nude photos after captured nude photos of celebrities were distributed via the website. Since March, redditors are no longer allowed to upload nude photos to the website without permission from the portrayed.