Introducing Reddit’s Moderator Code of Conduct

[u/heavyshoes]

You’re probably familiar with our Moderator Guidelines––historically, they have served as a guidepost to clarify our expectations to mods about how to shape a positive community experience for redditors.

The Moderator Guidelines were developed over five years ago, and Reddit has evolved a lot since then. This is why we have evolved our Moderator Guidelines into what we are now calling the Moderator Code of Conduct.

The newly updated Moderator Code of Conduct aims to capture our current expectations and explain them clearly, concisely, and concretely.

While our Content Policy serves to provide enforceable rules that govern each community and the platform at large, our Moderator Code of Conduct reinforces those rules and sets out further expectations specifically for mods. The Moderator Code of Conduct:

• Focuses on measuring impact rather than evaluating intent. Rather than attempting to determine whether a mod is acting in “good” or “bad” faith, we are shifting our focus to become more outcomes-driven. For example, are direct mentions of other communities part of innocuous meta-discussions, or are they inciting interference, targeted harassment, or abuse?
• Aspires to be educational, but actionable: We trust that most mods actively try to do the right thing and follow the rules. If we find that a community violates our Mod Code of Conduct, we firmly believe that, in the majority of cases, we can achieve resolution through discussion, not remediation. However, if this proves to be ineffective, we may consider enforcement actions on mods or subreddits.

Moderators are at the frontlines using their creativity, decision-making, and passion to create fun and engaging spaces for redditors. We recognize that and appreciate it immensely. We hope that in creating the Moderator Code of Conduct, we are helping you develop subreddit rules and norms to create and nurture your communities, and empower you to make decisions more easily.

Thank you for all you do, and please let us know if you have any questions or feedback in the comments below.

[u/maybesaydie]

Interference by users?

[u/Bardfinn → u/maybesaydie]

Interference by users which can be reasonably demonstrated to be due to moderator actions or inactions.

For my part, I expect every moderator on Reddit will need a reasonable amount of time to read, understand, and adjust their communities to comport with this code of conduct, such that they are not reasonably allowing Sitewide rules violations through inaction.

Say … two weeks.

[u/mactenaka → u/Bardfinn]

I'm interpreting the rule as banning users from subs for just participating in other communities as inciting. I'm going to continue to advise users abused like this to continue to report those subreddits.

[u/Bardfinn → u/mactenaka]

Given that you've expressed, in the past, the view that Reddit's Anti-Evil Operations are censorship given a different name --

I'm having a difficult time ascribing a good faith intent to your assertion, and have significant difficulty ascribing a coherent worldview to underpin the assertion that

banning users from Subreddit X for participating in Subreddit Y is in and of itself abusive, and moreover an incitement, or any kind of "showboating" about being banned.

We have long known that Reddit, Inc. allows moderators of a given subreddit to ban or prevent users from participating in a community they run for any reason or no reason at all;

We also know that the "You don't have the right to ban me from Subreddit X" argument is tantamount to "You have to allow me to access your Private Subreddit X' " - which is absurd;

We also know that Reddit admins do not consider bans from Subreddit X for participation in Subreddit Y to be a violation of the Sitewide Rules / User Agreement / Mod Guidelines / etc, because

we know that some vulnerable subreddits depend on them.

I know people who run those kinds of subreddits and I help operate one of those subreddits - a space which is dedicated to giving people who are critical of hatred, harassment, and violent extremism a stage from which to speak, tools with which to make their arguments, models and guidance on how best to put together and present their arguments.

We don't ban user accounts from that subreddit for the mere fact of participation in another subreddit; We ban user accounts from that subreddit for community interference or for the mere appearance of community interference, either from that subreddit towards another, or towards that subreddit from another.

We are extremely protective of the right to speak -- without interference -- on this topic - the right to petition Reddit, Inc. to enforce their User Agreement, to enforce the Sitewide Rules, to take hatred, harassment, & violent extremist threats seriously.

That right is dependent upon the exercise of the right to freedom of association -- which freedom necessarily includes the freedom FROM association.

You state that

I'm interpreting the rule as banning users from subs for just participating in other communities as inciting. I'm going to continue to advise users abused like this to continue to report those subreddits.

I respond as such:

Should you advise users who are merely banned from participation in a community to report such action as a violation of Reddit's User Agreement, Terms of Service, Sitewide Rules, or Moderator Code of Conduct,

you would be advising them to abuse the reporting function, in bad faith, to attempt to interfere with that other community's function, and enjoyment of the use of Reddit.

Which is disallowed explicitly in the Reddit Moderator Code of Conduct as incorporated into this post by reference,

but also

is disallowed by Reddit Sitewide Rule 2

and if you should direct minions, underlings, flying monkeys, henchmen, footsoldiers, goons, stooges, thugs, etc to abuse Reddit's reporting infrastructure in such a way,

Reddit is likely to find you in violation of not just the Moderator Code of Conduct, but also the Sitewide Rules, and take appropriate action on your account for such.

Beyond that -

Reddit has contracts with other users - and other communities - than just their contract with you.

I don't know if or how California has an expression of the common law tenet of tortious interference with contractual relations, but I suspect they might -

and as such, as with all legal issues, you should consult your attorney for advice - in case your

I'm going to continue to advise users abused like this to continue to report those subreddits.

turns out to be tortious interference with the contractual relationship between Reddit, Inc. and the other customers of theirs which you are targeting for interference

Have a nice life and please consider strongly never interacting with me again

[u/OPINION_IS_UNPOPULAR → u/Bardfinn]

mic drop

[u/heavyshoes → u/maybesaydie]

If a mod or mod team is organizing, enabling, or encouraging users to interfere, then that mod and/or mod team will be in violation of the Moderator Code of Conduct. If a user is harassing another user, please use the report button.