Nationwide Recall Issued for Reddit Comments Section
Posted on Thu 13 April 2023 in News
October 1, 2020 || San Francisco, California
The popular website Reddit today issued a nationwide recall of its comments section. Reddit administrators cited "toxicity, misinformation, and general awfulness" as the reasons for the recall.
"We had hoped that by providing a platform for open discussion, we were enabling genuine debate and exchange of ideas," said Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. "Instead, the comments section descended into a cesspool of trolling, abuse, and utter nonsense disguised as opinions."
The recall includes all comments posted on Reddit since its founding in 2005. All future comments will be screened by human moderators before publication to ensure a basic level of decency and truthfulness. "We understand this recall will be inconvenient for our users," Huffman said. "However, the health of our platform and community is our top priority."
The recall has been praised by public advocacy groups long critical of the spread of misinformation on Reddit. However, free speech advocates argue it goes too far in restricting open expression. "Censorship should always be an absolute last resort," said the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "There are better solutions for minimizing abuse than throwing the baby out with the bathwater."
Some Reddit users have speculated the recall is a publicity stunt or that the moderators will soon lose control of the new screening process. Others have announced plans to migrate their discussions to other less restrictive platforms. Reddit expects a significant drop in comments and possibly users in the coming weeks as the changes take effect.
The future of Reddit now hangs in the balance as it attempts to create a sanitized version of its former open and chaotic comments section. As the first major platform to attempt such an overhaul, Reddit stands to influence how tech companies should optimally balance free expression and moderation in the years ahead. The recall of Reddit comments will likely shape that debate in profound and unpredictable ways.