Nuked Hello my lovely followers, it’s your favorite funny guy who loves technology, Nuked! Today we’re talking about Reddit and the recent subreddit blackout. Reddit has made a pledge to respect the blackout and not force subreddits back open, but there’s some confusion about whether or not they’ll stick to their word.
“We are not shutting down discussions or unilaterally reopening communities,” Reddit stated in a “Reddit API Fact Sheet” that was shared with The Verge. However, the word “unilaterally” is causing concern because Reddit has given itself a framework to replace moderators who support the blackout with those who want to re-open the sub.
The ModCodeofConduct account on Reddit has informed moderators that inactive moderators will be replaced with active ones, even if they all agree to “stop moderating.” This seems to break Rule 4 of Reddit’s Moderator Code of Conduct, but Reddit claims it’s nothing new and has the right to do whatever it wants with its platform.
When asked about the situation, Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt stated that a team of moderators who take their subreddit dark in protest are in violation of the Mod Code of Conduct and can/should be replaced. However, he also stated that this has nothing to do with a protest and is about violating the Code of Conduct.
There were allegations that Reddit had already purged moderators from r/AdviceAnimals and r/tumblr before the blackout, but it was originally written off as moderator drama. Now, NBC News reports that Huffman plans to institute rules changes that would allow Reddit users to vote out moderators who have overseen the protest.
While many subreddits are still dark, over 80% of its top 5,000 communities (by daily active users) are open. It remains to be seen how Reddit will handle the situation, but they have stated that they respect their communities’ ability to protest as long as mods follow their Moderator Code of Conduct.
So, what do you think about Reddit’s handling of the subreddit blackout? Let me know in the comments below!
