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How Reddit is dealing with the unprecedented subreddit blackout
Reddit threatens to replace mods of protesting subreddits

How Reddit is dealing with the unprecedented subreddit blackout

Jun 16, 2023
03:36 pm

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.