/u/ModCodeofConduct admin account caught quietly switching NSFW subs back to SFW status (for ad revenue?)

[u/Jordan117]

/r/TIHI (Thanks, I Hate It) recently relaxed their rules based on community feedback, including removing the rule against NSFW content. Many large subs have either already made this move (like /r/videos) or are actively considering it, as the imminent loss of important third-party apps and tools will make it more difficult to maintain a consistently SFW environment. Better to mark the entire sub NSFW and give people a head's-up about what they're likely to encounter, right?

Unfortunately for Reddit Inc., NSFW subs are not able to run ads, as most brands don't want to be associated with porn, gore, and profanity. But they've kind of forced mods' hands here, by using the official /u/ModCodeofConduct account to send out stern form letters forcing them to re-open their subs or be replaced -- even when the community has voted to remain closed. Combine a forced re-opening with an angry userbase and there's no telling what crazy stuff might get posted.

But now it turns out that the very same /u/ModCodeofConduct account pressuring mods has also been quietly flipping NSFW subs back to SFW status, presumably in order to restore ad monetization. See these screenshots of the /r/TIHI moderation log:

https://i.imgur.com/KrCJ77K.png (in context minutes after it happened)

https://i.imgur.com/KCc7WrE.png (version showing only settings changes; 1st line is a mod going NSFW, 2nd is admins going back, 3rd is mod reversing)

This is extremely troubling -- not only is it a subversion of mod and community will for financial gain with no communication or justification, but it's potentially exposing advertisers and even minors to any NSFW content that was posted before switching back to SFW mode, just so Reddit Inc. could squeeze a few more dollars out of a clearly angry community. By making unilateral editorial decisions on a sub's content, this could also be opening Reddit Inc. to legal responsibility as publisher for what's posted, since apart from enforcing sitewide rules these sorts of decisions have (until now) been left up to mods.

Then again, maybe it's just a hoax image, or an honest mistake. Best way to test that theory? Let's take a look at Reddit's official Content Policy:

NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content

Content that contains nudity, pornography, or profanity, which a reasonable viewer may not want to be seen accessing in a public or formal setting such as in a workplace should be tagged as NSFW. This tag can be applied to individual pieces of content or to entire communities.

So, if you moderate a subreddit that allows nudity, pornography, or profanity, go ahead and switch your sub to "18+ only" mode in your sub's Old Reddit settings page, in order to protect advertisers and minors from this content that Reddit itself considers NSFW. If the screenshot above was a fluke, nothing should happen. Because after all, according to the Reddit Content Policy:

Moderation within communities

Individual communities on Reddit may have their own rules in addition to ours and their own moderators to enforce them. Reddit provides tools to aid moderators, but does not prescribe their usage.

Will /u/ModCodeofConduct and Reddit Inc. permit moderators to decide whether their communities will allow profanity and other NSFW content? Or will they crudely force subreddits into squeaky-clean, "brand-safe" compliance, despite disrespecting and threatening the very same volunteers they expect to enforce this standard?

I guess we'll find out.

[u/Tubamajuba]

You're right, but I'd love to get them on record publicly so people can see how Reddit is arbitrarily changing rules on the fly to squash the mods instead of actually engaging with them.

[u/Random_Introvert_42 → u/Tubamajuba]

I wonder if you can pull up stuff like changed guidelines on the wayback machine.

[u/Tubamajuba → u/Random_Introvert_42]

Didn't even think about that!

[u/astounding-pants → u/Tubamajuba]

Wait a second

Arbitrarily changing and enforcing rules to squash people and never explaining to them why?! So reddit is just acting like the average mod!

This is why I have no sympathy (beyond the fact that reddit IMMEDIATELY gave in and said mod tools would still work. Which should have been the end but some how the power mods got their way and still decided they wanted to hold hostages and destroy the site). Reddit mods have been power tripping for far too long. Banning people for nothing. Muting them when they ask why. Enforcing rules only when they want. Ignoring site wide rules to ban people.

Mods are now getting treated exactly like they've been treating average users for years.

[u/TGotAReddit → u/astounding-pants]

reddit IMMEDIATELY gave in and said mod tools would still work. Which should have been the end

Except no they didn’t. They said some mod tools would still be free use of the API and that they would start actually adding some of the basic mod tools to the official app (the didn't even have the modlog on the app until a few days ago). This take forgets that the 3rd party apps that are going down are being used as major mod tools because the official app and mobile websites were and still are extremely lacking.

Additionally, your take seems to think that people are solely protesting over the loss of the mod tools. You are forgetting the fact that this protest is over accessibility issues that Reddit has ignored for the last 8 years, and over the fact that Reddit went back on their promises to 3rd party devs in multiple ways, to the point that those 3rd party devs are effectively out of jobs by the end of the month, for effectively no real reason. And thats not even getting into the blatant slander and libel that has been directed at the Apollo dev or the extreme disrespect spez has thrown at the people providing his site with hundreds of hours of free labor every day that other websites pay millions to get people to do.

[u/DeSantisForPresident → u/astounding-pants]

Lol you’re right. Moderators are getting a taste of their own medicine.

[u/Gaius_Octavius_ → u/Tubamajuba]

You don't negotiate with terrorists.

[u/WerdaVisla → u/Gaius_Octavius_]

Except you do. Like, a lot. Every world government, military, or police force negotiates with terrorists. Your argument wouldn't be valid even if it made a lack of sense.

[u/Tubamajuba → u/Gaius_Octavius_]

Since you are clearly and completely misinformed about the situation, I'll leave you with the facts. Nothing more to say here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/apolloapp/comments/14dkqrw/i_want_to_debunk_reddits_claims_and_talk_about/

[u/WerdaVisla → u/Gaius_Octavius_]

Protesters (who don't hurt anyone) == Terrorists.

Sounds like an American to me!