BBC calls our Reddit

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > General Bullshit > BBC calls our Reddit

Hollis Brownsound: Apr 2, 2009; by Lowtax

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-33288367

quote:

Reddit is arguably the mainstream social network most devoted to freedom of speech. It has continued to uphold that idea even in the face of criticism - for instance a controversy over a user who posted extreme content including a thread devoted to pictures of underage girls. The site didn't ban the user Violentacrez, but he did lose his job after his real identity was exposed by the website Gawker.
But the site's anti-censorship stance (or rather, its mostly anti-censorship stance - and more about that later) came under fire this week after reports surfaced of posts expressing support for the man charged with murdering nine worshipers in a black church in Charleston.
The posts were made under a thread or "subreddit" called Coontown - which, as the offensive name suggests, is a corner of Reddit made up mostly of virulently racist and white supremacist posts. One commenter called the shooter "one of us". In another popular post, a moderator said "we don't advocate violence here", but went on say the life of a black person "has no more value than the life of a flea or a tick" (most of the rest of the post, which contains at least 15 racial slurs, is unpublishable on this website).
Despite the extreme and often shocking nature of the comments, they're perfectly legal under American law - and legally Reddit is by and large an American company - according to Eugene Volokh, a law professor and the man behind a Washington Post blog on legal issues, the Volokh Conspiracy.
"American law protects people's ability to express all sorts of views, including views in support of crime or violence, without fear of government restriction," Volokh says. "But a private institution like Reddit is also free to say we don't want our facilities to be used as a means of disseminating this information."
Reddit did just that earlier this month when it banned five subreddits, including racist and anti-gay threads and a mocking forum called "Fat People Hate". In a statement, the company said it was "banning behaviour, not ideas" and that the offending threads were specifically targeting and harassing individuals.
"We want as little involvement as possible in managing these [online] interactions but will be involved when needed to protect privacy and free expression, and to prevent harassment," the statement read. "While we do not always agree with the content and views expressed on the site, we do protect the right of people to express their views."
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Reddit has found itself at the centre of a debate about hate speech and what should be censored on social media
But the ban opened the site up for criticism. Some users hurled "Nazi" and other insults at Reddit CEO Ellen Pao, while others questioned why other offensive threads weren't also taken down and said the company hadn't gone far enough.
Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Centre, a non-profit organisation based in Alabama which tracks US hate speech, says the site has attracted people who previously hid out on other sites dedicated to extremist ideology.
"More and more people in the white supremacist world are moving out of organised groups and into more public spaces. Reddit really has become a home for some incredible websites," he says, citing not only a string of racist subreddits but a thread that actively encourages the rape of women.
The SPLC recently issued a report on Reddit's racist content: "The world of online hate, long dominated by website forums like Stormfront and its smaller neo-Nazi rival Vanguard News Network, has found a new - and wildly popular - home on the Internet."
"There's a lot of hypocrisy in Reddit banning a particular subreddit that mocks people for being fat while they allow other extreme content to trundle along just fine," Potok says. While he acknowledged that Reddit is within its rights to allow racist comments, he suggested that the site and other social networks could act more like traditional publishers who exercise editorial control over what does or doesn't go into their publications.
But Jillian Yorke of the Electronic Frontier Foundation questioned whether private companies are best placed to make decisions about censorship. She referred to controversies over breastfeeding pictures on social media and noted that the biggest social networks ban nudity, which might not be offensive to all or even most users.
"Legally these companies have the right to ban whatever they want, but when it comes down to it the rules are skewed and the enforcement of them is as well," she says. Yorke says that the biggest social networks should become more pro-active in thinking of ways to implement community policing - for instance Twitter's recent announcement about shared "block" lists which will make it easier for users to block multiple accounts.
Reddit turned down requests for an interview about this story, but in a statement told BBC Trending that it continues to be "committed to promoting free expression."
"There are some subreddits with very little viewership that get highlighted repeatedly for their content, but those are a tiny fraction of the content on the site," the company said.

Will this make Reddit less of a poo poo pile?

No

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:06

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 14:43

gnarlyhotep: Sep 30, 2008; by Lowtax; Oven Wrangler

"committed to promoting free expression."

aka echo chambers for all

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:10

Hell Yeah: Dec 25, 2012

here at something awful we have freedom. we have the freedom to express how fat we are, and to eat a lot of food and be really fat. and then to go on the forums and talk about how much we hate fat people.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:12

CISMALES DID 9-11: Jun 5, 2002; chaotic good STEM major; INTJ

entirely too much text op,

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:13

Business Gorillas: Mar 11, 2009

CISMALES DID 9-11 posted:

entirely too much text op,

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:14

pr0k: Jan 16, 2001; "Well if it's gonna be
that kind of party..."

calls our reddit what

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:17

Hollis Brownsound: Apr 2, 2009; by Lowtax

pr0k posted:

calls our reddit what

faggots

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:18

Happy Bear Suit: Jul 21, 2004

reddit should ban /r's that are obviously racist hate portals

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:19

Sponge Baathist: Jan 30, 2010; by FactsAreUseless

Hell Yeah posted:

here at something awful we have freedom. we have the freedom to express how fat we are, and to eat a lot of food and be really fat. and then to go on the forums and talk about how much we hate fat people.

yeah, but we can't say 'The N-word' without fear of probation. I can make you think the word but I can't say it. buncha fuckin 'N-word's

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:19

CISMALES DID 9-11: Jun 5, 2002; chaotic good STEM major; INTJ

amityville anus posted:

yeah, but we can't say 'The N-word' without fear of probation. I can make you think the word but I can't say it

why are you a mind raper

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:20

GuyDudeBroMan: Jun 3, 2013; by Ralp

Wow, this BBC thing is so big they even made a sub-reddit just to worship it: http://www.reddit.com/r/bbcwhorship/

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:21

Thunder Moose: Mar 7, 2015; S.J.C.

for all all all all

edit: reddit turned down requests for an interview? on BBC? OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME WASTED?

ugh.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:21

Sponge Baathist: Jan 30, 2010; by FactsAreUseless

if the mods were more niggardly dispensing probations for bad words this forum wouldn't be dead

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:22

Jeffrey of YOSPOS: Dec 22, 2005; GET LOSE, YOU CAN'T COMPARE WITH MY POWERS

wish I could downvote this thread

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:22

GuyDudeBroMan: Jun 3, 2013; by Ralp

amityville anus posted:

if the mods were more niggardly dispensing probations for bad words this forum wouldn't be dead

Eh, they don't even ban for downloading "artistic non-sexualized" nudes of children anymore. I'm sure this new policy will attract a lot of new and interesting users. The communism threads will get lots of activity.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:23

The Anime Liker: Aug 8, 2009; by VideoGames

Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:

wish I could downvote this thread

good news, poindexter

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:28

Hell Yeah: Dec 25, 2012

amityville anus posted:

yeah, but we can't say 'The N-word' without fear of probation. I can make you think the word but I can't say it. buncha fuckin 'N-word's

*sticks fingers in ears* lalalala laaa i'm not listening

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:29

Bondage: Jun 9, 2008; by Ralp

if SA started banning pedos, who'd be left to post in the Communism thread?

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:31

gnarlyhotep: Sep 30, 2008; by Lowtax; Oven Wrangler

There's a communism thread?

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:33

Sponge Baathist: Jan 30, 2010; by FactsAreUseless

Hell Yeah posted:

*sticks fingers in ears* lalalala laaa i'm not listening

Good thing your ears have no bearing on reading what I posted.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:33

gnarlyhotep: Sep 30, 2008; by Lowtax; Oven Wrangler

amityville anus posted:

Good thing your ears have no bearing on reading what I posted.

I read it Francis

If you want a ban or something you can have one

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:34

Lufiron: Nov 24, 2005

most people have a child like mental capacity and an insular world view that needs constant reinforcement. reddit provides that to everyone.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:35

mind the walrus: Sep 22, 2006

Lufiron posted:

most people have a child like mental capacity and an insular world view that needs constant reinforcement. reddit provides that to everyone.

this fits my insular worldview and child-like mental capacity, so I'm glad you said it

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:36

Horniest Manticore: Nov 23, 2013; Hello, you!; Lipstick Apathy

gnarlyhotep posted:

"committed to promoting free expression."

aka echo chambers for all

especially enthusiasts of pictures of underage girls

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:38

dsriggs: May 28, 2012; MONEY FALLS...

...FROM THE SKY...

...WHENEVER HE POSTS!

amityville anus posted:

yeah, but we can't say 'The N-word' without fear of probation. I can make you think the word but I can't say it. buncha fuckin 'N-word's

Please stop triggering me, thank you.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:43

Jeffrey of YOSPOS: Dec 22, 2005; GET LOSE, YOU CAN'T COMPARE WITH MY POWERS

unlike reddit, GBS is truly the marketplace of ideas

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:44

Bondage: Jun 9, 2008; by Ralp

Horniest Manticore posted:

especially enthusiasts of pictures of underage girls

Leave Zeitgueist out of this ok.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:44

Jose Oquendo: Jun 20, 2004; Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a boring movie

Bondage posted:

Leave Zeitgueist out of this ok.

He's into underage girls? I thought he was into treating black women like slaves?

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:45

Cliff Racer: Mar 24, 2007; by Lowtax

Jose Oquendo posted:

He's into underage girls? I thought he was into treating black women like slaves?

I hope he's never gone into underage girls. However its always a possibility.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:48

Constant Hamprince: Oct 24, 2010; by exmarx; College Slice

Bondage posted:

Leave Zeitgueist out of this ok.

I thought that was Fire, Zeitgeist is the one who writes furry self-insert fan-fiction about murdering republicans alongside his forums buddies.

Sedan Chair forums roleplays as a black man. My Internet GF roleplays as Rahm Emanuel. Cillapinnus roleplays as Mussolini. This is the extent of my D&D lore.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 02:55

fuck the ROW: Aug 29, 2008; by zen death robot

zeitgeist also beats his black girlfriend and believes that pepper spray can travel through the blood and induce miscarriages

# ? Jun 30, 2015 03:00

gnarlyhotep: Sep 30, 2008; by Lowtax; Oven Wrangler

gently caress the ROW posted:

believes that pepper spray can travel through the blood and induce miscarriages

maybe if you spray it in the right place idk I'm no gynecologist

# ? Jun 30, 2015 03:05

Constant Hamprince: Oct 24, 2010; by exmarx; College Slice

gnarlyhotep posted:

maybe if you spray it in the right place idk I'm no gynecologist

maybe Zeitgeist was speaking from experience

# ? Jun 30, 2015 03:10

GuyDudeBroMan: Jun 3, 2013; by Ralp

Jose Oquendo posted:

He's into underage girls? I thought he was into treating black women like slaves?

He only looks at them for artistic purposes guys. They are NON-SEXUALIZED photos of naked children. This is not illegal. So what if he has uploaded several gigs of these photos online. It's not really a big deal.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 03:10

Jose Oquendo: Jun 20, 2004; Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a boring movie

GuyDudeBroMan posted:

He only looks at them for artistic purposes guys. They are NON-SEXUALIZED photos of naked children. This is not illegal. So what if he has uploaded several gigs of these photos online. It's not really a big deal.

That's a relief. Thanks for clarifying that.

# ? Jun 30, 2015 03:15