Reddit's new restrictions limit subreddits’ ability to protest

Last year, public subreddits went private to protest Reddit's policies, new policy now mandates prior approval.

Reddit has introduced a new policy restricting moderators' ability to change the privacy settings of their subreddits without first obtaining approval from Reddit administrators.

Moderators will now need to request approval to change their subreddit from public to private.

Last year, thousands of subreddits went private during protests.

This change, effective immediately, limits moderators' power to switch a community from public to private, a tactic that had previously been used by many subreddits as a form of protest.

The new policy also applies to changing a subreddit’s content rating from safe for work (SFW) to not safe for work (NSFW).

This shift follows the large-scale protests that occurred last year, when thousands of subreddits went private to oppose Reddit’s new API pricing changes.

By making subreddits private, moderators prevented users and visitors from accessing content, disrupting normal activity on the platform.

It was an effective way for communities to make their voices heard, but it also made parts of Reddit less usable for the average visitor and affected features like search engine visibility.

Under the new rules, moderators will now need to submit a formal request to Reddit’s admin team before making any changes to the community type settings, such as switching a subreddit to private or NSFW.

These requests will be reviewed within 24 hours.

Smaller or newer communities, with fewer than 5,000 members or that are less than 30 days old, will have their requests approved automatically.

Reddit’s Vice President of Community, Laura Nestler, explained the rationale behind the change in a post on r/modnews, saying that allowing moderators to instantly change their community settings had been used to "break the platform" and violate Reddit’s rules.

"We have a responsibility to protect Reddit and ensure its long-term health, and we cannot allow actions that deliberately cause harm," she wrote.

During last year’s protests, Reddit took a firm stance by warning moderators that if they did not reopen their subreddits, they would be removed from their posts.

The platform also criticized the practice of switching subreddits to NSFW to protest, stating that it was not an acceptable method for expressing dissatisfaction.

Despite the new restrictions, Laura Nestler assured moderators that Reddit still values their feedback and encourages protests, as long as they don’t harm the platform or its users.

"We want to hear from you when you think Reddit is making decisions that are not in your community's best interest," she said.

"But if a protest crosses the line into harming Redditors and Reddit, we’ll step in," she added.

To help moderators manage sudden surges in traffic or take a break, Reddit is also introducing a new feature called “temporary events,” allowing moderators to restrict posts or comments for up to seven days without needing admin approval.

In an interview, Laura Nestler mentioned that Reddit had worked with its moderation council before rolling out this change.

While some moderators were understanding of the need for the new rule, others expressed concerns that it would be perceived as a punitive measure following the API pricing protests.

Laura Nestler acknowledged that this feedback was important but confirmed that Reddit would move forward with the policy.

"We believe it’s needed to keep communities accessible," she said, adding that the protests accelerated Reddit's decision to implement this change.

She emphasized that Reddit’s goal is to ensure the platform’s stability and protect it from actions that could cause large-scale disruption.

While the company remains open to community input, it made the decision to limit the ability to go private in order to safeguard Reddit’s long-term health and accessibility.

Content Moderation Challenges for Reddit

Earlier this year, Reddit faced increased pressure to invest heavily in content moderation, especially as it transitioned to being a public company.

In its initial public offering (IPO) paperwork, Reddit acknowledged that its unique approach, which relied on volunteers, had previously led to disruptions.

In 2023, for example, several moderators protested against the platform’s decision to charge third-party app developers for access to its data, highlighting the risks of their existing model.

Analysts, including Julian Klymochko, CEO of Accelerate Financial Technologies, noted that depending on volunteers was unsustainable, particularly with increased regulatory scrutiny.

Klymochko emphasized that Reddit’s volunteer model was akin to "unpaid labor," given the company's significant revenue, which reached $804 million in 2023.

As a result, Reddit was expected to make substantial investments in trust and safety, which could lead to a significant rise in expenses.

Former economist at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Josh White, also echoed these concerns, stating that Reddit needed to increase spending on anti-misinformation efforts, especially in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election.

Despite these concerns, Reddit maintained that its current approach was scalable and that it continued to invest in safety tools and policies to support its moderation teams.