Reddit will now enable its customers to do one thing it by no means earlier than has permitted: to selectively “curate” their public-facing profiles a few of their posting and commenting exercise from different customers.
To date, Reddit has included customers’ full commenting and posting exercise in profiles. So whereas most customers are nameless, others may simply try their put up historical past and see what communities they’re energetic in. The characteristic, which many customers see as a key a part of Reddit’s openness, has helped Redditors ferret out trolling, mendacity and quite a few different forms of unhealthy (or ) habits on the platform.
With the replace, nonetheless, Reddit customers will be capable to “curate” their profile. The extra management will enable folks to cover all their public posts and feedback from their profile or cover public posts and feedback in particular subreddits from their profiles. There may be additionally a “NSFW” toggle, which might cover posts and feedback in NSFW subreddits. The setting will not cover a remark or put up within the subreddit the place it initially appeared, but it surely will not be seen on a consumer’s profile.
The corporate notes that there will probably be some carveouts to those settings for moderators, who could depend on customers’ previous exercise to suss out rule-breakers or determine who’s eligible to hitch their group. “In the event you put up, remark, ship modmail, request to be an accepted poster, or request to hitch a personal subreddit, that mod crew may have entry to your full profile content material historical past for 28 days after the interplay – no matter your settings,” Reddit says in an FAQ.
Regardless of that concession, many Redditors aren’t precisely joyful in regards to the adjustments, which may alter a number of the core dynamics of the platform. “This looks like it may result in unhealthy actors with the ability to extra simply cover their habits from the common consumer,” one of many most-upvoted on Reddit’s put up says. “Until you are a mod, you will not be capable to see that they are posting inflammatory misinformation throughout a dozen totally different subs, as an example.”
Others have famous the characteristic additionally implies that creating an alt or throwaway account is considerably much less essential, because it’s simpler to cover posts you do not need linked to your presence on the app. Whereas that could be an added comfort for some, it additionally raises questions in regards to the firm’s method to creating new accounts. Through the firm’s most up-to-date earnings name, CEO Steve Huffman that Reddit was contemplating methods to “evolve” its “traditionally permissive account creation” course of. Huffman did not elaborate on what that will appear to be, however stated adjustments could be essential to combat AI-powered “abuse or manipulation” of the platform.
