Reddit is an online discussion platform where communities known as subreddits cover a vast range of topics. With over 50 million daily active users, moderating content and addressing issues like misinformation and harassment at such a massive scale presents significant challenges. Over the years Reddit has introduced several policy changes and tools to help curb the spread of inaccurate information and abusive behavior on the site.
One of the first major policy updates came in 2017 when Reddit introduced sitewide rules banning content that incites or glorifies violence. This was an important step in clearly defining what kind of harmful speech would not be tolerated. The site then updated their rules again in 2018 to more explicitly prohibit doxing, or posting private or confidential information about individuals without their consent. Doxing had been a tactic used by some to target and harass others.
As the spread of conspiracy theories and politically polarized misinformation increasingly became issues in recent years, Reddit enacted new content policy bans. In 2020, they prohibited spreading demonstrably false claims that could significantly undermine participation or trust in democratic systems. Specifically calling out QAnon conspiracy forums, Reddit banned their communities later that year which had been platforms for spreading inaccurate claims. In 2021, they expanded this to ban spreading medically unverified information capable of directly causing physical harm.
On the technical front, Reddit has rolled out tools using both human and machine learning models to help address policy violations at scale. In 2018 they introduced an online abuse report form to streamline the process for users to flag concerns. Audio and photo fingerprinting technologies were added in 2020 to automatically detect and prevent reposting of doxed or revenge porn images. Behind the scenes, Reddit also uses automated systems that rely on natural language processing to analyze reported comments and flag those most likely to contain targeted harassment, threats or inappropriate references for human review.
Reddit’s volunteer moderator community plays a crucial role in curbing misinformation and abuse within individual subreddits as well. To empower moderators, Reddit enhanced moderator tools in recent years. For example, in 2021 ‘Crowd Control’ was rolled out, allowing mod teams to temporarily restrict participation on their subreddits just to regular, long-standing members during major events to curb brigading from outsiders. AutoMod, a tool for setting rule-based filters, was also given more configuration options.
A key step has been increasing communication and transparency with moderators. In 2020 Reddit launched a feedback forum where moderators can openly discuss policy changes and provide input to Reddit admins. A ‘Mod Highlights’ series was started in 2021 where Reddit admins spotlight different moderator teams and the work they do. Such open channels help build understanding and reassure volunteer mod teams they have an avenue to voice concerns over site policies and content issues within their communities.
Addressing “misinformation superspreaders”, or accounts dedicated to intentionally spreading false claims, has also been a focus. In 2021, Reddit updated their site-wide block toolbox to allow ignoring entire communities, not just individual accounts. Other signals like an account’s age, karma, and participation across multiple subreddits are increasingly factored into automated systems detecting and limiting the reach of superspreader accounts.
Looking ahead,Reddit is working to enhance trust and transparency around content recommendations. Changes are being explored to provide more context about why certain subreddits may appear in a user’s feed. This could reduce the chances of accidentally exposing people to problematic communities. Reddit is also in the process of launching official transparency reports with aggregated data on content removals and account suspensions due to policy violations.
Through a combination of new policies, technical solutions, empowering volunteer moderators, and increased transparency – Reddit has made important strides in curbing the spread of misinformation and abuse on their platform over recent years. With the challenges constantly evolving at their massive scale, continuing to enhance safeguards and accountability will remain an ongoing effort. Open dialogue between Reddit and experienced moderators also sets an example of how online communities can work collaboratively to strengthen protections.