How Reddit is dealing with the unprecedented subreddit blackout
What's the story
Earlier this week, thousands of Reddit communities called subreddits went dark or private to protest the platform's upcoming API changes. It was planned for 48 hours but many are still staying dark. The blackout has caused significant problems for Reddit, including a major outage on the first day of the protest. Let's see how Reddit is dealing with the blackout.
Context
Why does this story matter?
In April, Reddit announced its new API pricing terms. The company plans to charge third-party applications for access to its API. Following Reddit's announcement, a few Reddit apps announced their shutdown, blaming the potential financial burden due to the new API pricing. Many moderators rely on third-party apps to manage their subreddits. Therefore, Reddit's decision irked them, leading to an unprecedented protest.
No action
Reddit expected the protest to pass
Reddit's reaction to the protest has changed over time. Initially, the company took a casual approach to the blackout. In an internal memo sent to staff on Monday, CEO Steve Huffman said the blackout hasn't had a "significant revenue impact." He also anticipated many subreddits to be back online soon. "...like all blowups on Reddit, this one will pass as well," the memo read.
Respect
We respect communities' ability to protest: Reddit
After 48 hours, many subreddits did come online. However, over 4,900 subreddits are still dark according to Reddark. As a result, the company has changed its approach. Reddit still says it won't "unilaterally" reopen communities. "We respect our communities' ability to protest as long as mods follow our Moderator Code of Conduct," a Reddit API Fact Sheet reads.
Threat
Reddit threatened to replace moderators of subreddits
The word "unilaterally," however, leaves a lot of room for interpretation. ModCodeofConduct, an account on Reddit, informed moderators that it will replace inactive ones with active moderators. The company is citing Rule 4 of its Code of Conduct to do this. A Reddit spokesperson told The Verge that moderators of subreddits that went dark are in violation of Rule 4.
The rule
The rule does not cover the present situation
Interestingly, Rule 4 does not say anything about moderators that took subreddits private. In fact, it has only been used to deal with totally abandoned subreddits or moderators who were unreachable. Is Reddit going for a moderator purge? In an interview with The Verge, Huffman called Reddit a "democracy" where protests can happen "every once in a while." Maybe no mod purge then?
Landed gentry
Huffman wants to change Reddit's moderator removal policy
In a different interview with NBC News, Huffman compared Reddit moderators to a "landed gentry." He said the platform will bring changes to its moderator removal policies, which will allow users to vote out mods easily. According to him, the change is necessary to ensure protests on the platform are "representative" of communities. It seems like a mod purge is in the making.