<s>
Controversial	B-Application
Reddit	I-Application
communities	I-Application
are	O
communities	O
on	O
the	O
social	O
news	O
site	O
Reddit	B-Application
(	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
subreddits	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
often	O
devoted	O
to	O
explicit	O
,	O
violent	O
,	O
or	O
hateful	O
material	O
,	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
the	O
topic	O
of	O
controversy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Controversial	B-Application
Reddit	I-Application
communities	I-Application
sometimes	O
get	O
significant	O
media	O
coverage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Reddit	B-Application
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2005	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
only	O
one	O
shared	O
space	O
for	O
all	O
links	O
,	O
and	O
subreddits	O
did	O
not	O
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subreddits	O
were	O
created	O
later	O
,	O
but	O
could	O
only	O
initially	O
be	O
created	O
by	O
Reddit	B-Application
administrators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
rose	O
to	O
infamy	O
in	O
October	O
2011	O
,	O
when	O
a	O
report	O
by	O
CNN	B-Architecture
showed	O
that	O
Reddit	B-Application
was	O
harboring	O
the	O
r/jailbait	O
community	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
devoted	O
to	O
sharing	O
suggestive	O
or	O
revealing	O
photos	O
of	O
underage	O
girls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
commenters	O
were	O
seen	O
asking	O
for	O
nude	O
photos	O
of	O
underage	O
girls	O
,	O
and	O
under	O
significant	O
external	O
scrutiny	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
shut	O
down	O
r/jailbait	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
quarantine	O
policy	O
to	O
make	O
visiting	O
certain	O
subreddits	O
more	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
decentralized	O
moderation	O
,	O
user	O
anonymity	O
,	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
fact-checking	O
systems	O
,	O
the	O
platform	O
is	O
highly	O
prone	O
to	O
spreading	O
misinformation	O
and	O
disinformation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
who	O
use	O
Reddit	B-Application
should	O
exercise	O
caution	O
in	O
taking	O
user-created	O
unsourced	O
content	O
as	O
fact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
communities	O
exhibit	O
the	O
echo	O
chamber	O
effect	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
repeated	O
unsourced	O
statements	O
come	O
to	O
be	O
accepted	O
among	O
the	O
community	O
as	O
fact	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
distorted	O
worldviews	O
among	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2021	O
letter	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Senate	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
CEO	O
Steve	O
Huffman	O
expressed	O
concern	O
about	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
COVID-19	O
misinformation	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Banned	B-Application
subreddits	I-Application
refer	O
to	O
subreddits	O
that	O
Reddit	B-Application
has	O
shut	O
down	O
indefinitely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
9	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
a	O
subreddit	O
called	O
r/beatingwomen	O
was	O
closed	O
by	O
Reddit	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subreddit	O
was	O
banned	O
in	O
2019	O
,	O
after	O
violating	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
content	O
policy	O
with	O
respect	O
to	O
bullying	O
and	O
harassment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
community	O
of	O
the	O
subreddit	O
later	O
migrated	O
to	O
an	O
instance	O
of	O
Lemmy	O
,	O
a	O
Reddit	B-Application
alternative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
subreddit	O
r/niggers	O
was	O
banned	O
from	O
Reddit	B-Application
for	O
engaging	O
in	O
vote	O
manipulation	O
,	O
incitements	O
of	O
violence	O
,	O
and	O
using	O
racist	O
content	O
to	O
disrupt	O
other	O
communities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
general	O
manager	O
Erik	O
Martin	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
subforum	O
was	O
given	O
multiple	O
chances	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
site	O
rules	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
"	O
users	O
can	O
tell	O
from	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
warnings	O
we	O
extended	O
to	O
a	O
subreddit	O
as	O
clearly	O
awful	O
as	O
r/niggers	O
that	O
we	O
go	O
into	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
ban	O
subreddits	O
with	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
scrutiny	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
changes	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
content	O
policy	O
,	O
r/Coontown	O
was	O
banned	O
in	O
August	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
reports	O
that	O
users	O
used	O
intentional	O
misspellings	O
and	O
slang	O
to	O
circumvent	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
anti-hate	O
speech	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Quint	O
cited	O
the	O
subreddit	O
's	O
popularity	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
how	O
Reddit	B-Application
is	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
haven	O
for	O
hate	O
speech	O
in	O
India	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
March	O
23	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
for	O
promoting	O
hate	O
,	O
causing	O
its	O
users	O
to	O
move	O
to	O
Telegram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
participant	O
of	O
the	O
subreddit	O
told	O
Radio	O
Free	O
Asia	O
that	O
the	O
Reddit	B-Application
ban	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
Chinese	O
long-arm	O
internet	O
censorship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
wake	O
of	O
this	O
media	O
attention	O
,	O
u/violentacrez	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
r/CreepShots	O
as	O
a	O
moderator	O
;	O
reports	O
emerged	O
that	O
Gawker	O
reporter	O
Adrian	O
Chen	O
was	O
planning	O
an	O
exposé	O
that	O
would	O
reveal	O
the	O
real-life	O
identity	O
of	O
this	O
user	O
,	O
who	O
moderated	O
dozens	O
of	O
controversial	B-Application
subreddits	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
few	O
hundred	O
general-interest	O
communities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
major	O
subreddits	O
banned	O
links	O
to	O
Gawker	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
impending	O
exposé	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
account	O
u/violentacrez	O
was	O
deleted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moderators	O
defended	O
their	O
decisions	O
to	O
block	O
the	O
site	O
from	O
these	O
sections	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
on	O
the	O
basis	O
that	O
the	O
impending	O
report	O
was	O
"	O
doxing	B-Application
"	O
(	O
a	O
term	O
for	O
exposing	O
the	O
identity	O
of	O
a	O
pseudonymous	O
person	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
such	O
exposure	O
threatened	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
structural	O
integrity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Chen	O
informed	O
u/violentacrez	O
about	O
the	O
impending	O
exposé	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
pleaded	O
with	O
Chen	O
not	O
to	O
publish	O
it	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
was	O
concerned	O
about	O
the	O
potential	O
impact	O
on	O
his	O
employment	O
and	O
finances	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
his	O
wife	O
was	O
disabled	O
and	O
he	O
had	O
a	O
mortgage	O
to	O
pay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
u/violentacrez	O
'	O
s	O
offer	O
to	O
delete	O
his	O
postings	O
and	O
leave	O
Reddit	B-Application
,	O
Chen	O
insisted	O
he	O
would	O
still	O
publish	O
the	O
piece	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chen	O
published	O
the	O
piece	O
on	O
October	O
12	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
revealing	O
that	O
the	O
person	O
operating	O
the	O
u/violentacrez	O
account	O
was	O
a	O
middle-aged	O
programmer	O
from	O
Arlington	O
,	O
Texas	O
named	O
Michael	B-Application
Brutsch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
day	O
of	O
the	O
article	O
being	O
published	O
,	O
Brutsch	O
was	O
fired	O
by	O
his	O
employer	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
link	O
to	O
the	O
exposé	O
was	O
briefly	O
banned	O
from	O
Reddit	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
after	O
the	O
article	O
was	O
published	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
received	O
numerous	O
death	O
threats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
CEO	O
Yishan	O
Wong	O
defended	O
the	O
content	O
Brutsch	O
contributed	O
to	O
the	O
site	O
as	O
free	O
speech	O
,	O
and	O
criticized	O
efforts	O
to	O
ban	O
the	O
Gawker	O
link	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brutsch	O
later	O
briefly	O
returned	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
on	O
a	O
different	O
account	O
,	O
and	O
criticized	O
what	O
he	O
stated	O
were	O
numerous	O
factual	O
inaccuracies	O
in	O
the	O
Gawker	O
exposé	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
week	O
after	O
the	O
exposé	O
,	O
Brutsch	O
held	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
CNN	B-Architecture
that	O
aired	O
on	O
Anderson	O
Cooper	O
360°	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
interview	O
with	O
journalist	O
Drew	O
Griffin	O
,	O
Brutsch	O
was	O
apologetic	O
about	O
his	O
activity	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
explained	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
most	O
fond	O
of	O
the	O
appreciation	O
he	O
got	O
from	O
other	O
redditors	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Reddit	B-Application
helped	O
him	O
relieve	O
stress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
noted	O
that	O
the	O
award	O
was	O
for	O
winning	O
a	O
community	O
vote	O
for	O
"	O
Worst	O
Subreddit	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
regretted	O
sending	O
it	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
claiming	O
the	O
u/violentacrez	O
account	O
had	O
been	O
banned	O
on	O
several	O
occasions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brutsch	O
subsequently	O
noted	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
that	O
he	O
regretted	O
doing	O
the	O
interview	O
,	O
and	O
criticized	O
the	O
accuracy	O
of	O
the	O
statement	O
Reddit	B-Application
gave	O
to	O
CNN	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chris	O
Slowe	O
,	O
a	O
lead	O
programmer	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
until	O
2010	O
,	O
said	O
of	O
the	O
relationship	O
between	O
Brutsch	O
and	O
the	O
Reddit	B-Application
staff	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
just	O
stayed	O
out	O
of	O
there	O
and	O
let	O
him	O
do	O
his	O
thing	O
and	O
we	O
knew	O
at	O
least	O
he	O
was	O
getting	O
rid	O
of	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
stuff	O
that	O
was	O
n't	O
particularly	O
legal.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Gawker	O
's	O
outing	O
of	O
Brutsch	O
as	O
u/violentacrez	O
led	O
to	O
contentious	O
discussion	O
about	O
privacy	O
and	O
anonymity	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
discussions	O
included	O
claims	O
that	O
outing	O
,	O
or	O
"	O
doxing	B-Application
"	O
,	O
was	O
necessary	O
to	O
draw	O
attention	O
to	O
objectionable	O
content	O
so	O
it	O
could	O
be	O
removed	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
claimed	O
that	O
it	O
impeded	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
people	O
to	O
exercise	O
their	O
right	O
to	O
legal	O
free	O
speech	O
online	O
due	O
to	O
fear	O
of	O
public	O
retribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
PC	O
Magazine	O
,	O
Damon	O
Poeter	O
stated	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
he	O
has	O
defended	O
protecting	O
anonymity	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
he	O
still	O
supported	O
Brutsch	O
being	O
outed	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
various	O
subreddits	O
he	O
contributed	O
to	O
as	O
u/violentacrez	O
were	O
serious	O
invasions	O
of	O
privacy	O
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
legality	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
therefore	O
justifiable	O
to	O
reveal	O
his	O
personal	O
details	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
commentators	O
have	O
expressed	O
concern	O
that	O
the	O
public	O
shaming	O
of	O
Brutsch	O
to	O
serve	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
to	O
others	O
is	O
legitimizing	O
Internet	B-Application
vigilantism	I-Application
,	O
and	O
exposing	O
individuals	O
such	O
as	O
Brutsch	O
to	O
mass	O
retribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subreddit	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
April	O
25	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
for	O
violating	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
content	O
policy	O
regarding	O
violent	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
subreddit	O
was	O
given	O
notoriety	O
from	O
the	O
press	O
,	O
videos	O
from	O
the	O
subreddit	O
were	O
banned	O
from	O
Gfycat	O
and	O
Discord	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
10	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
banned	O
five	O
subreddits	O
,	O
citing	O
an	O
anti-harassment	O
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
largest	O
of	O
the	O
banned	B-Application
subreddits	I-Application
,	O
r/fatpeoplehate	O
,	O
had	O
an	O
estimated	O
151,000	O
subscribers	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
its	O
banning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Reddit	B-Application
admin	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
will	O
ban	O
subreddits	O
that	O
allow	O
their	O
communities	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
subreddit	O
as	O
a	O
platform	O
to	O
harass	O
individuals	O
when	O
moderators	O
do	O
n't	O
take	O
action	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
ban	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
users	O
flooded	O
the	O
site	O
with	O
pictures	O
of	O
overweight	O
people	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
photos	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
interim	O
CEO	O
Ellen	O
Pao	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
ban	O
these	O
subreddits	O
,	O
some	O
users	O
moved	O
to	O
Voat	B-Application
,	O
a	O
social	O
aggregation	O
website	O
similar	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
,	O
although	O
other	O
fat-shaming	O
forums	O
continued	O
to	O
exist	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
general	O
manager	O
Erik	O
Martin	O
later	O
issued	O
an	O
apology	O
for	O
this	O
behavior	O
,	O
criticizing	O
the	O
"	O
online	O
witch	O
hunts	O
and	O
dangerous	O
speculation	O
"	O
that	O
took	O
place	O
in	O
these	O
investigation-oriented	O
communities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
a	O
similar	O
subreddit	O
dedicated	O
to	O
finding	O
the	O
Navy	O
Yard	O
shooter(s )	O
was	O
banned	O
by	O
the	O
Reddit	B-Application
admins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subreddit	O
r/GenderCritical	O
had	O
64,400	O
users	O
,	O
self-described	O
as	O
"	O
reddit	B-Application
's	O
most	O
active	O
feminist	O
community	O
"	O
for	O
"	O
women-centred	O
,	O
radical	O
feminists	O
"	O
to	O
discuss	O
"	O
gender	O
from	O
a	O
gender-critical	O
perspective	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
29	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
subreddit	O
was	O
"	O
banned	O
for	O
violating	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
rule	O
against	O
promoting	O
hate	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
r/GenderCritical	O
was	O
banned	O
,	O
several	O
of	O
its	O
users	O
migrated	O
to	O
Ovarit	O
,	O
a	O
trans-exclusionary	O
radical	O
feminism-centered	O
website	O
similar	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
100	O
AR-15s	O
were	O
engraved	O
with	O
the	O
Reddit	B-Application
logo	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
licensing	O
deal	O
made	O
with	O
the	O
page	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
March	O
21	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
after	O
Reddit	B-Application
updated	O
its	O
content	O
policies	O
to	O
forbid	O
subreddits	O
facilitating	O
transactions	O
involving	O
certain	O
goods	O
and	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
petition	O
on	O
Change.org	B-Application
called	O
for	O
r/incels	O
to	O
be	O
banned	O
for	O
inciting	O
violence	O
against	O
women	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
October	O
implementation	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
Reddit	B-Application
policy	O
that	O
prohibited	O
the	O
incitement	O
of	O
violence	O
,	O
the	O
subreddit	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
November	O
7	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
staff	O
was	O
initially	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
obscene	O
material	O
to	O
the	O
site	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
eventually	O
became	O
more	O
lenient	O
when	O
prolific	O
moderators	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
user	O
named	O
u/violentacrez	O
,	O
proved	O
capable	O
of	O
identifying	O
and	O
removing	O
illegal	O
content	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
when	O
they	O
were	O
not	O
sufficiently	O
staffed	O
to	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
task	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Communities	O
devoted	O
to	O
explicit	O
material	O
saw	O
rising	O
popularity	O
,	O
and	O
r/jailbait	O
,	O
which	O
featured	O
provocative	O
shots	O
of	O
underage	O
teenagers	O
,	O
became	O
the	O
chosen	O
"	O
subreddit	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Best	O
of	O
reddit	B-Application
"	O
user	O
poll	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
,	O
making	O
"	O
jailbait	O
"	O
the	O
second	O
most	O
common	O
search	O
term	O
for	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Erik	O
Martin	O
,	O
general	O
manager	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
,	O
defended	O
the	O
subreddit	O
by	O
saying	O
that	O
such	O
controversial	O
pages	O
were	O
a	O
consequence	O
of	O
allowing	O
free	O
speech	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
r/jailbait	O
came	O
to	O
wider	O
attention	O
outside	O
Reddit	B-Application
when	O
Anderson	O
Cooper	O
of	O
CNN	B-Architecture
devoted	O
a	O
segment	O
of	O
his	O
program	O
to	O
condemning	O
the	O
subreddit	O
and	O
criticizing	O
Reddit	B-Application
for	O
hosting	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
wake	O
of	O
these	O
news	O
reports	O
,	O
a	O
Reddit	B-Application
user	O
posted	O
an	O
image	O
of	O
an	O
underage	O
girl	O
to	O
r/jailbait	O
,	O
subsequently	O
claiming	O
to	O
have	O
nude	O
images	O
of	O
her	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dozens	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
users	O
then	O
posted	O
requests	O
for	O
these	O
nude	O
photos	O
to	O
be	O
shared	O
to	O
them	O
via	O
private	O
message	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
Reddit	B-Application
users	O
drew	O
attention	O
to	O
this	O
discussion	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
r/jailbait	O
forum	O
was	O
subsequently	O
closed	O
by	O
Reddit	B-Application
administrators	O
on	O
October	O
11	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
r/jailbait	O
,	O
The	O
Daily	O
Dot	O
declared	O
the	O
community	O
's	O
creator	O
,	O
u/violentacrez	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
Most	O
Important	O
Person	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
in	O
2011	O
"	O
,	O
calling	O
the	O
r/jailbait	O
controversy	O
"	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
challenge	O
to	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
voluntary	O
doctrine	O
of	O
absolute	O
free	O
speech	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2019	O
,	O
a	O
Philippine-based	O
subreddit	O
,	O
r/jakolandia	O
,	O
was	O
accused	O
of	O
"	O
distributing	O
"	O
posts	O
of	O
photos	O
of	O
women	O
,	O
including	O
celebrities	O
,	O
apparently	O
without	O
their	O
consent	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
"	O
a	O
number	O
"	O
of	O
secret	O
Facebook	B-Application
groups	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
engaging	O
in	O
illegal	O
activity	O
of	O
sharing	O
"	O
obscene	O
"	O
photos	O
of	O
women	O
and	O
possibly	O
child	O
pornography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
quarantined	O
the	O
subreddit	O
shortly	O
afterward	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
banned	O
the	O
subreddit	O
for	O
violating	O
its	O
policies	O
prohibiting	O
content	O
that	O
"	O
incites	O
violence	O
or	O
promotes	O
hate	O
based	O
on	O
identity	O
or	O
vulnerability	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
September	O
10	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
for	O
violating	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
content	O
policy	O
regarding	O
violent	O
content	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
had	O
around	O
43,000	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Million	O
Dollar	O
Extreme	O
's	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
channel	I-General_Concept
and	O
Instagram	B-Application
account	O
were	O
already	O
terminated	O
earlier	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thread	O
posted	O
by	O
a	O
user	O
on	O
r/vaxxhappened	O
,	O
a	O
community	O
against	O
vaccine	O
misinformation	O
,	O
called	O
upon	O
Reddit	B-Application
admins	O
to	O
ban	O
subreddits	O
primarily	O
spreading	O
medical	O
misinformation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
admins	O
responded	O
by	O
saying	O
that	O
Reddit	B-Application
is	O
a	O
platform	O
for	O
free	O
speech	O
and	O
discussion	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
allow	O
subreddits	O
that	O
challenge	O
the	O
consensus	O
views	O
on	O
the	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
the	O
moderators	O
of	O
135	O
subreddits	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
,	O
r/futurology	O
,	O
r/pokemongo	O
,	O
r/startrek	O
,	O
r/tifu	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
,	O
made	O
their	O
subreddits	O
private	O
in	O
protest	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
response	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
banned	O
the	O
subreddit	O
for	O
brigading	O
subreddits	O
that	O
criticized	O
it	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
quarantining	O
54	O
other	O
subreddits	O
associated	O
with	O
COVID-19	O
denial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
subreddit	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
November	O
23	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
for	O
violating	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
policy	O
against	O
doxing	B-Application
,	O
as	O
users	O
would	O
post	O
the	O
personal	O
details	O
of	O
people	O
allegedly	O
connected	O
to	O
this	O
conspiracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
attracted	O
attention	O
from	O
mainstream	O
publications	O
in	O
2018	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
role	O
in	O
helping	O
spread	O
the	O
QAnon	O
conspiracy	O
theory	O
from	O
4chan	O
and	O
8chan	O
to	O
the	O
wider	O
internet	O
,	O
with	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
users	O
subscribing	O
to	O
various	O
subreddits	O
promoting	O
it	O
at	O
its	O
peak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
began	O
to	O
ban	O
these	O
subreddits	O
for	O
breaking	O
sitewide	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
bans	O
resulted	O
in	O
a	O
significant	O
decrease	O
in	O
QAnon-related	O
discussions	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
by	O
2020	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
remaining	O
ones	O
being	O
criticisms	O
against	O
the	O
conspiracy	O
theory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
included	O
both	O
discussions	O
surrounding	O
the	O
ethics	O
of	O
suicide	O
,	O
and	O
posts	O
containing	O
rants	O
from	O
Reddit	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
took	O
the	O
unusual	O
step	O
of	O
banning	O
a	O
subreddit	O
,	O
r/SonyGOP	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
being	O
used	O
to	O
distribute	O
hacked	O
Sony	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
March	O
21	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
violating	O
an	O
amendment	O
to	O
the	O
Reddit	B-Application
User	O
Agreement	O
added	O
that	O
same	O
day	O
which	O
states	O
:	O
"	O
Users	O
may	O
not	O
use	O
Reddit	B-Application
to	O
solicit	O
or	O
facilitate	O
any	O
transaction	O
or	O
gift	O
involving	O
certain	O
goods	O
and	O
services	O
,	O
including	O
:	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
harassment	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
administrators	O
and	O
manipulation	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
algorithms	O
to	O
push	O
content	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
front	O
page	O
using	O
the	O
"	O
sticky	O
"	O
feature	O
of	O
subreddits	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
banned	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
sub	O
's	O
users	O
who	O
were	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
toxic	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
occurred	O
after	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Huffman	O
(	O
known	O
as	O
u/spez	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
)	O
admitted	O
to	O
silently	O
editing	O
comments	O
attacking	O
him	O
made	O
by	O
the	O
community	O
's	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
modified	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
algorithms	O
to	O
specifically	O
prevent	O
the	O
sub	O
's	O
moderators	O
from	O
gaming	O
the	O
algorithms	O
to	O
artificially	O
push	O
the	O
sub	O
's	O
content	O
to	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
front	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
filtering	O
feature	O
which	O
allowed	O
individual	O
users	O
to	O
block	O
content	O
from	O
any	O
sub	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subreddit	O
was	O
quarantined	O
by	O
Reddit	B-Application
admins	O
in	O
June	O
2019	O
for	O
"	O
threats	O
of	O
violence	O
against	O
police	O
and	O
public	O
officials	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
29	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
banned	O
the	O
subreddit	O
for	O
frequent	O
rule-breaking	O
,	O
for	O
antagonizing	O
the	O
company	O
and	O
other	O
communities	O
and	O
for	O
failing	O
to	O
"	O
meet	O
our	O
most	O
basic	O
expectations	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2014	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
users	O
began	O
sharing	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
naked	O
pictures	O
of	O
celebrities	O
stolen	O
,	O
using	O
phishing	O
,	O
from	O
their	O
private	O
Apple	O
iCloud	B-Application
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subreddit	O
was	O
closed	O
by	O
Reddit	B-Application
administrators	O
in	O
September	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
banned	O
r/TruFemcels	O
,	O
a	O
subreddit	O
for	O
female	O
incels	O
(	O
"	O
femcels	O
"	O
)	O
for	O
promoting	O
hate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
2019	O
Christchurch	O
mosque	O
shootings	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
banned	O
the	O
subreddit	O
r/WatchPeopleDie	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
dedicated	O
to	O
uploading	O
media	O
depicting	O
real-life	O
deaths	O
of	O
people	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
workplace	O
accidents	O
,	O
vehicular	O
manslaughter	O
,	O
gun	O
violence	O
,	O
suicides	O
,	O
and	O
various	O
forms	O
of	O
homicide	O
,	O
after	O
it	O
disseminated	O
links	O
to	O
video	O
of	O
the	O
shooting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
previously	O
quarantined	O
for	O
over	O
half	O
a	O
year	O
,	O
the	O
subreddit	O
was	O
completely	O
banned	O
at	O
approximately	O
17:09	O
UTC	O
on	O
March	O
15	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
less	O
than	O
a	O
day	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
for	O
violating	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
content	O
policy	O
,	O
specifically	O
the	O
policy	O
against	O
"	O
glorifying	O
or	O
encouraging	O
violence.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
January	O
,	O
r/antiwork	O
was	O
the	O
subreddit	O
with	O
the	O
highest	O
increase	O
of	O
traffic	O
that	O
was	O
not	O
one	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
"	O
default	O
"	O
front	O
page	O
subreddits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
r/BlackPeopleTwitter	O
began	O
requiring	O
users	O
to	O
prove	O
they	O
were	O
black	O
—	O
by	O
sending	O
a	O
photo	O
with	O
their	O
forearm	O
and	O
their	O
Reddit	B-Application
username	O
—	O
before	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
post	O
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Le	O
Monde	O
,	O
"	O
In	O
its	O
early	O
days	O
,	O
HCA	O
was	O
primarily	O
fueled	O
by	O
articles	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
press	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
,	O
"	O
in	O
recent	O
months	O
,	O
the	O
examples	O
have	O
been	O
drawn	O
directly	O
from	O
a	O
Facebook	B-Application
page	O
of	O
COVID-19	O
victims	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Publication	O
after	O
publication	O
,	O
the	O
pattern	O
invariably	O
repeats	O
itself	O
:	O
one	O
person	O
(	O
anonymized	O
to	O
respect	O
Reddit	B-Application
rules	O
)	O
says	O
all	O
the	O
bad	O
things	O
they	O
think	O
about	O
vaccines	O
,	O
masks	O
,	O
or	O
sometimes	O
even	O
doubts	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
the	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Reddit	B-Application
employee	O
restored	O
the	O
forum	O
and	O
its	O
moderators	O
an	O
hour	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
subreddit	O
was	O
threatened	O
with	O
a	O
shutdown	O
by	O
Reddit	B-Application
admins	O
after	O
r/MensRights	O
subscribers	O
gathered	O
personal	O
information	O
on	O
a	O
supposed	O
blogger	O
of	O
feminist	O
issues	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
subreddit	O
's	O
moderators	O
advised	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
subreddit	O
on	O
how	O
to	O
proceed	O
with	O
this	O
'	O
doxing	B-Application
 '	O
without	O
running	O
afoul	O
of	O
site	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
the	O
reams	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
discussions	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
videos	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
'	O
fundamentally	O
misogynistic	O
rhetoric	O
 '	O
regularly	O
emerges	O
"	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
subreddit	O
idolizes	O
testosterone	O
and	O
inherently	O
masculine	O
qualities	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
NoFap	O
community	O
has	O
become	O
linked	O
to	O
wider	O
sexism	O
and	O
misogyny	O
,	O
reducing	O
women	O
to	O
sexual	O
objects	O
to	O
be	O
attained	O
or	O
abstained	O
from	O
,	O
and	O
shaming	O
sexually	O
active	O
women.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
moderators	O
said	O
that	O
Reddit	B-Application
did	O
not	O
investigate	O
the	O
infringement	O
claims	O
to	O
find	O
if	O
they	O
actually	O
infringed	O
copyright	O
law	O
;	O
often	O
they	O
related	O
to	O
content	O
like	O
sharing	O
the	O
URL	O
to	O
a	O
streaming	O
site	O
,	O
asking	O
if	O
such	O
sites	O
were	O
working	O
,	O
and	O
posting	O
guides	O
to	O
install	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TorrentFreak	O
in	O
separate	O
articles	O
said	O
the	O
ban	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
increasing	O
crackdown	O
on	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
year	O
prior	O
around	O
2,625	O
subreddits	O
had	O
been	O
banned	O
for	O
similar	O
reasons	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
DMCA	O
takedowns	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
had	O
increased	O
by	O
over	O
15,000	O
%	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
five	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
contains	O
racism	O
,	O
homophobia	O
,	O
sexism	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
Reddit-policy	O
violations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
Statesman	O
has	O
described	O
this	O
subreddit	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
misogynistic	O
subreddits	O
on	O
Reddit	B-Application
,	O
which	O
aims	O
to	O
radicalize	O
men	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
accordance	O
with	O
its	O
policies	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
on	O
free	O
speech	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
admins	O
stated	O
in	O
2013	O
that	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
ban	O
communities	O
solely	O
for	O
featuring	O
controversial	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
general	O
manager	O
Erik	O
Martin	O
noted	O
that	O
"	O
having	O
to	O
stomach	O
occasional	O
troll	O
[sub]reddits	O
like	O
r/picsofdeadkids	O
or	O
morally	O
questionable	O
[sub]reddits	O
like	O
r/jailbait	O
are	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
price	O
of	O
free	O
speech	O
on	O
a	O
site	O
like	O
this	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
place	O
to	O
censor	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
's	O
former	O
CEO	O
,	O
Yishan	O
Wong	O
,	O
stated	O
that	O
distasteful	O
subreddits	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
banned	O
because	O
Reddit	B-Application
as	O
a	O
platform	O
should	O
serve	O
the	O
ideals	O
of	O
free	O
speech	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
's	O
position	O
argued	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
not	O
been	O
consistent	O
in	O
following	O
its	O
free	O
speech	O
philosophy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2015	O
discussion	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
content	O
policy	O
,	O
founder	O
Steve	O
Huffman	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
neither	O
Alexis	O
 [ Ohanian ] 	O
nor	O
I	O
created	O
Reddit	B-Application
to	O
be	O
a	O
bastion	O
of	O
free	O
speech	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
banning	O
of	O
r/The	O
Donald	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
expanded	O
the	O
kinds	O
of	O
content	O
that	O
was	O
banned	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
,	O
implementing	O
new	O
rules	O
that	O
directly	O
prohibit	O
hate	O
speech	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
they	O
allowed	O
conversations	O
that	O
"	O
question	O
or	O
disagree	O
with	O
popular	O
consensus	O
"	O
regarding	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
dissent	O
is	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
Reddit	B-Application
and	O
the	O
foundation	O
of	O
democracy	O
"	O
despite	O
criticism	O
by	O
site	O
moderators	O
.	O
</s>
