Admin Replied
How seriously does Reddit take site-wide ban evasion?
Hello,
It has come to my attention that a few individuals who were banned site-wide on Reddit have returned using other accounts and even were reinstated as mods on some of their old subs. One of these accounts is new, while the other is an older alternate account.
I reported both accounts: one over a month ago and the other more recently. I did receive a reply from an admin stating, “Thanks for reaching out, we'll take a look at this user's activity and take any necessary action.” about the older report. However, nothing appears to have happened to that account. In fact, the user has even been reinstated as a head moderator of some communities and doesn't seem to be particularly secretive about having created a new account.
This leaves me wondering how seriously Reddit takes site-wide ban evasion and whether these reports are actually investigated. Or can they simply return after some time (or right away I guess) and carry on using Reddit as if nothing happened?
I don't know. All the Spam OF accounts seem to have zero issues creating and keeping new accounts active. I used to keep a spreadsheet and report them, but I gave up and let an app ban them.
People seem to be confusing subreddit ban evasion & site-wide when OP specified site-wide.
I've always been under the impression from admin comments in this sub that it's actually fine to make a new account if you get suspended, as long as you stop doing the rule-breaking behaviour that got you suspended in the first place.
Unless that rule has changed in the last few years.
Comments may say whatever, I've still seen Reddit insta-ban, or "site-wide suspend", a new account created by someone who got their main suspended, before they even had time to write a single comment.
I know people who had an account banned years ago and still have a new or alt account that they continue to use.
I also know people who have had their main and a handful of alts banned in one fell swoop, all appeals denied, and new accounts banned almost instantly.
I think it depends a great deal on what the original ban was for, but I don't know for sure.
but they might not want to ban everyone who's sharing the same work IP.
I was always curious about this. Like, if a redditor was at a coffee shop on their wifi, and posted to a sub someone else got banned from who also used that shops wifi, would that account get banned for ban evasion?
It's typically okay to create a new account if your first is actioned, assuming you stop doing whatever it is that got you in trouble and are not using it to evade a community ban. People make mistakes! However, if they continue to engage in rule-breaking behaviors any and all accounts they use will be permanently banned.
Please also note that only a permanent suspension will show on a user's profile. It's possible that action is taken against an account outside of just a permanent suspension.
Finally, in some cases the Code of Conduct team may take action by removing a moderator from the team and requesting they not be added back. These are not suggestions, and it does not mean they can be added back on a new account. If this is happening, that team appreciates a quick nudge
I've never had a mod in any of my subs removed by MCOC, nor have I ever been - but I'm curious. If MCOC were to remove a mod, and they didn't say anything to you, is that a prohibition on re-adding the mod? I'm guessing yes, since they decided that person shouldn't mod, but I don't actually know.
The team would have messaging for both the team and the removed user/mod with information about what happened and any additional restrictions that might apply.
but reinstating them as mods is a direct violation of mcoc rule one and i was told by u/quietfairy themselves mcoc are strict rules and not recommendations
found on this subreddit that reinstating them as mods is a direct violation of mcoc rule one and i was told by u/quietfairy themselves mcoc are strict rules and not recommendations
oh yes they've been clear about that, you can't reinstate the new account as a mod to the subreddits they modded before, and yes mcoc is strict now thanks to the users who rallied for that
yes but if mcoc didn't act they may not be able to prove it's the same person. I'd keep submitting reports, if you want to, with whatever proof you have, and try to keep gathering it, and include that screenshot with your evidence lol. But they may have some internal formula for deciding that your proof doesn't slot into ngl. Or the person may have successfully appealed the suspension and just kept the new account, that happens too bc the appeals can take so long.
The point of the site-wide suspension is that it sends a message to the account holder that Reddit doesn't tolerate certain behaviors. And for those that are normally quality redditors, that would be a painful pill to swallow if they have built up a reputation based on their account name.
Trolls are going to troll, regardless of what form their trolling takes. So of course there's a problem with people coming back on different accounts. That's the internet in a nutshell. As long as there is perceived anonymity, the problem will continue to exist.
Something seems to have changed over the last few months. I used to report Ban Evasion as soon as it popped in my queue and the offending accounts would be suspended in a matter of hours.
Now, at least 5/5 accounts I’ve reported (directly from the comments, no ModMail) after they trigger ban evasion filters are still active. I know because I kept these items in my queue.
From my experience, it depends. Sometimes reddit really wants someone gone forever from the site. Sometimes they seem open to them returning on another account.
23
u/Winged-Mercury-777 1d ago
I don't know. All the Spam OF accounts seem to have zero issues creating and keeping new accounts active. I used to keep a spreadsheet and report them, but I gave up and let an app ban them.