Reddit implements policy changes to stifle community protests, requiring large subreddits to submit requests when switching privacy settings
The social community site Reddit is made up of a group of bulletin boards (subreddits) for each topic. Mods (moderators) in each subreddit perform the role of administrators, sometimes changing the subreddit from 'public' to 'private' or 'restricted,' or switching between 'SFW (safe for work)' and 'NSFW (not safe for work).' However, due to a policy change, subreddits with more than 5,000 members are now required to send a request to the administrator when changing the settings.
Changing your Community Type – Reddit Help
Reddit is making sitewide protests basically impossible - The Verge
In fear of more user protests, Reddit announces controversial policy change | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/09/policy-change-lets-reddit-veto-user-protests/
Reddit policy changes make sitewide protests nearly impossible
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/reddit-policy-changes-make-sitewide-protests-nearly-impossible-183754240.html
According to Reddit, submitting a request is mandatory for switching subreddits between 'public/restricted/private' and 'SFW/NSFW.' However, by using the ' Temporary events ' feature, which temporarily overrides settings when a sudden increase in traffic is expected, posts and comments can be restricted for up to seven days without a request.
Administrators will respond to requests 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Please note that requests will be automatically approved for subreddits with fewer than 5,000 members and subreddits that are less than 30 days old.
Regarding this policy change, Reddit's VP of Community, Laura Nasler, commented, 'Previously, moderators were free to change community types at will, but the ability to instantly change community types has been used to disrupt the platform and violate our rules. We have a responsibility to protect Reddit and ensure its long-term health, and we cannot tolerate intentionally harmful behavior.'
A change to Community Type settings: r/modnews
https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/1fsyzjd/a_change_to_community_type_settings/
The example of 'using it to violate the rules' mentioned by Nasler is likely a reference to the protests by users when Reddit announced the launch of a paid API in 2023.
Fearing that third-party apps will disappear as Reddit's API becomes paid, some communities plan to make their apps private in protest - GIGAZINE
This incident led to multiple subreddits being made private, and Reddit's servers going down for three hours.
Nasler said he would change the settings but acknowledged that he was open to complaints against Reddit, and called on people to 'speak up if you think Reddit is doing something that is not in the best interest of your community.'
During the 2023 uproar, the subreddit 'r/Steam' about the gaming platform 'Steam' made its forums private, but was forced by the administrators to choose between making the forum public or deleting the subreddit.After making the forums public, the administrators protested by saying that even on Steam, users only posted images related to steam engines.
Nasler said, 'If protests cross the line and begin to harm our users or Reddit itself, we will step in,' but it's unclear whether a protest like r/Steam's last one would amount to intervention.
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in Web Service, Posted by logc_nt