Last week, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman (u/spez) said that the site will not ban covid-19 misinformation because it values “dissent.”
Huffman, who once moderated a subreddit on cannibalism, said that while the site will encourage users to seek authoritative information on Covid-19 from the CDC, it would not stop people from posting content that runs counter to government guidelines.
“Dissent is a part of Reddit and the foundation of democracy. Reddit is a place for open and authentic discussion and debate,” Huffman wrote in a lengthy post.
Huffman’s note came in response to dozens of subreddits having gone ‘private’ protest the vaccine and mask-skeptic ‘r/NoNewNormal’ subreddit – vowing to stay locked until it was banned from the platform.
On Wednesday, Reddit did just that, banning NoNewNormal. Admin ‘worstnerd’ posted an even lengthier screed defending their about-face. In it, he accuses NoNewNormal users – without evidence – of ‘brigading’ other forums (invading them to cause trouble).
Hellbound and Down 