June 22, 2023
Reddit has removed several protesting moderators who are voicing their concerns against the platform’s new API pricing scheme from various subreddits, and it has come under fire for doing so.
The justification provided by Reddit is that these removals were necessary due to violations of the Moderator Code of Conduct pertaining to the presence of “not safe for work” (NSFW) content in previously “safe for work” subreddits. However, suspicions linger among some moderators who suspect that Reddit’s true motive behind these removals is to suppress their protests against the new fees.
One of the anonymous moderators, who goes by the name Omar, argues that the protests extend beyond issues with moderation tools. Omar criticizes Reddit CEO Huffman, accusing him of exhibiting hostile behavior towards contributors and providing inadequate time to adapt to API changes.
While Reddit asserts that the removal of moderators is unrelated to the protests, it is evident that the situation stems from violations of the Moderator Code of Conduct. The company maintains that it respects the right of communities to protest and underscores that actions are taken based on rule infractions rather than mere participation in protests.
The sources for this piece include an article in ArsTechnica.
