Reddit Is Planning to 'Quarantine' Its Most Toxic Communities

Reddit, the embattled democratic link sharing and discussion platform, has officially set down specifics on what content it's prohibiting, and is placing some of the site's more offensive subreddits in a "quarantine" that will hide content from viewers unless they opt in.

Quarantining, which we should stress is different from outright banning, is meant to shield users from content that's more offensive to the average sensibilities. When a subreddit is quarantined, it can't generate revenue, can use no custom images in its design, must be opted into, and can't be viewed by unregistered users or users without a verified email address.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced this in a content policy update this afternoon, with updated rules collated from an "Ask Me Anything" thread that he held some weeks back. The thread was meant to give users an opportunity to discuss and round out the specifics of the site's new direction, after some weeks of backlash resulting from former CEO Ellen Pao's announcement that the site would be banning subreddits that incite or propagate harassment.

it was seen by some vocal members of the community as a brusque and abrupt step in the opposite direction compared to what the site vouched for in the past: unmitigated free speech.

"Our policies are not changing dramatically from what we have had in the past," Huffman wrote. "We will Quarantine communities whose content would be considered extremely offensive to the average redditor."

The site used to have five basic rules, but that page now redirects to a much more exact content policy page that links to more concise explanations of what isn't allowed. For instance, the site's definition of harassment:

"Harassment on Reddit is defined as systematic and/or continued actions to torment or demean someone in a way that would make a reasonable person conclude that reddit is not a safe platform to express their ideas or participate in the conversation, or fear for their safety or the safety of those around them."

"Being annoying, vote brigading, or participating in a heated argument is not harassment, but following an individual or group of users, online or off, to the point where they no longer feel that it's safe to post online or are in fear of their real life safety is."

The content policy doesn't look like a crackdown as the subreddit bannings did, and it wouldn't hurt to see those rules fleshed out a little more. Now, if only the company can stick with a CEO for more than a few years.