In response to last year’s site-wide protests, Reddit has made a significant change in how moderators can manage their subreddits. Following the large-scale user protests where many moderators turned subreddits either private or not-safe-for-work (NSFW), Reddit now requires moderators to seek approval from the platform before making such changes. This controversial policy shift is part of Reddit’s effort to prevent a repeat of the disruptive events that shook the platform.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
In the wake of last year’s protests, Reddit introduced new restrictions that prevent moderators from unilaterally turning subreddits private or NSFW. The protests, sparked by Reddit’s decision to charge for its previously free API, led to many third-party apps closing, which in turn triggered a mass protest. Subreddit moderators turned their communities private or restricted them to NSFW content as a form of resistance. Reddit responded by removing some moderators and instituting this new policy, requiring any such changes to be approved by Reddit’s team.
Reddit’s Vice President of Community, under the username Go_JasonWaterfalls, announced this change, stating that subreddit mods now need permission to change their community’s access level. This includes switching from NSFW to safe-for-work (SFW) or making subreddits restricted. According to the announcement, Reddit will respond to requests within 24 hours, with automatic approvals for subreddits with fewer than 5,000 members or those less than 30 days old.
This new policy, which was reportedly under discussion since 2021, was accelerated due to last year’s protests. Reddit’s leadership sees the policy as a safeguard to prevent the platform from being disrupted by widespread protests in the future. Moderators’ ability to instantly alter community access has been deemed a potential risk, with Reddit now asserting that such actions could harm the platform at scale.
The Protest Fallout
The previous protests illustrated the extent of Reddit’s reliance on unpaid moderators and user-generated content. The protests, which included turning subreddits NSFW or private, hindered Reddit’s ability to sell ads and even resulted in the site going down for several hours. Reddit’s CEO Steve Huffman, who referred to moderators as “landed gentry,” received substantial backlash during this period. Though the protests didn’t achieve the goal of reversing the API fee changes, they succeeded in drawing widespread attention to user concerns.
Despite the new policy limiting moderators’ powers, Reddit insists that protest is still welcome on the platform, as long as it doesn’t harm other users or Reddit itself. The platform has made it clear that it aims to maintain long-term stability and profitability while ensuring moderators can still manage their communities effectively without resorting to site-wide disruptions.
TF Summary: What’s Next?
With Reddit now publicly traded, the platform’s focus has shifted more toward profitability, particularly through advertising. The new policies, designed to prevent another major protest, reflect this goal. While the platform encourages user feedback, this change underscores Reddit’s intention to maintain control over its platform, even at the cost of alienating some moderators and long-time users.
TF forsees the community’s response to these new restrictions will further shape Reddit’s ongoing policies. Whether this shift quells future protests or cause further discontent remains to be seen.