New Reddit rules make sitewide protests almost impossible
Reddit has rolled out new rules that require moderators to get the green light before switching a community's status from public to private or labeling it as NSFW (Not Safe For Work). This decision follows last year's protests when a bunch of subreddits changed their status in response to Reddit's API changes. The new regulations are effective right away and are likely to hit larger communities the hardest.
Instant approval for new or small communities
Reddit has said that if a community is less than 30 days old or has fewer than 5,000 members, requests to change its type will be approved instantly. For all other communities, an administrator will respond within 24 hours. The company also reassured users that it has enough human support to handle these requests 24/7 throughout the year.
Temporary restrictions and permanent changes
Reddit's got some new rules for subreddit moderators as well. They can now limit post contributions and comments for up to seven days using temporary events, and they don't even need any approval for that. But if they want to make a permanent change, they'll have to submit a request. This is all part of Reddit's plan to keep things in check and stop any rule-breaking.
Reddit's stance on protests and platform disruption
Reddit has explained that its latest update isn't about stopping users from protesting, but rather about keeping the platform running smoothly and avoiding any rule-breaking. Before rolling out these changes, the company consulted over 100 moderators from various subreddits through the Mod Council. Laura Nestler, Reddit's VP of Community, highlighted the company's duty to safeguard Reddit and ensure its long-term health in a post on r/modnews.
Nestler's statement on Reddit's new regulations
Nestler, who goes by the username Go_JasonWaterfalls on Reddit, said, "The ability to instantly change Community Type settings has been used to break the platform and violate our rules." She also mentioned that while protests are allowed on Reddit, they'll step in if it crosses the line into harming Redditors and Reddit itself. These changes have been on the table since March 2021 when she joined the company.
