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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
On the [[social news site]] [[Reddit]], some communities (known as ''[[subreddits]]'' or ''subs'') are centred around [[Sexually explicit content|explicit]], [[Graphic violence|violent]], [[Propaganda|propagandist]], or [[Online hate speech|hateful]] material. Many such subreddits have been the topic of controversy, at times receiving significant media coverage. [[Journalist]]s, [[Attorney at law|attorney]]s, [[Media studies|media researcher]]s, and others have commented that such communities shape and promote [[bias]]ed views of [[International relations|international politics]], the veracity of [[evidence-based medicine]], [[Misogyny|misogynistic]] rhetoric, and other
Contrary to popular opinion as well as previous staff practices and statements, the founders of Reddit have stated they did not intend the platform to be a "bastion of [[free speech]]", where
Eventually, Reddit administrators instituted usage rules to allow for the banning of groups and members who stole or [[
Critics argue that while concerned Redditors and moderators often report these subs, they often remain open until a specific incident, or the actions of an individual, forces them to come under more intense scrutiny and requires administrators to decide between allowing distasteful content or suppressing dangerous or destructive communities. Critics have also charged that the site has been inconsistent in what it bans. Some banned users and communities have created or moved to other platforms, with some even saving a duplicate of their subreddit in order to preserve it elsewhere, in the event it gets banned.
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In 2012, the subreddit {{proper name|r/Creepshots}} received major backlash for sharing suggestive or revealing photos of women taken without their awareness or [[consent]]. [[Adrian Chen]] wrote a ''[[Gawker]]'' exposé of one of the subreddit's moderators and identified the person behind the account, starting discussion in the media about the [[ethics]] of [[anonymity]] and outing on the [[Internet]].<ref name="Gawkerexpose">{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Adrian |date=October 12, 2012 |title=Unmasking Reddit's Violentacrez, The Biggest Troll on the Web |newspaper=Gawker |url=http://gawker.com/5950981/unmasking-reddits-violentacrez-the-biggest-troll-on-the-web |url-status=dead |access-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012213707/http://gawker.com/5950981/unmasking-reddits-violentacrez-the-biggest-troll-on-the-web |archive-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref>
In 2020, administrators banned the subreddit [[r/The_Donald]] for harassment, having previously instructed moderators to take down content in violation of site policies as well as imposing a quarantine to reduce the subreddit's visibility.<ref>{{cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/26/18759967/reddit-quarantines-the-donald-trump-subreddit-misbehavior-violence-police-oregon |title=Reddit quarantines Trump subreddit r/The_Donald for violent comments |publisher=[[The Verge]] |date=June 26, 2019 |access-date=April 20, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626195922/https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/26/18759967/reddit-quarantines-the-donald-trump-subreddit-misbehavior-violence-police-oregon |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref
== Quarantining ==
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==Drug use==
Some subreddits are dedicated to discussing unapproved or [[Drug prohibition|illegal drugs]], including [[Methamphetamine|meth]]
==Snark subreddits==
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=== Braincels ===
After [[#Incels|r/Incels]] was banned in November of 2017 (see below), {{proper name|r/Braincels}} took its place as the most popular subreddit for [[incel]]s, or "involuntary celibates". Within five months 16,900 users had joined the sub, which promoted [[rape]] and [[suicide]]. It was banned in 2019 for violating Reddit's content policy with respect to [[bullying]] and [[harassment]].<ref name="Binder 2019">{{cite web |last1=Binder |first1=Matt |title=Reddit changes its harassment policy and bans major incel community |url=https://mashable.com/article/reddit-harassment-braincels/ |website=Mashable |date=September 30, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Basu 2020"
=== ChapoTrapHouse ===
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=== The "Chimpire" ===
The term "Chimpire" refers to a collection of subreddits and affiliated websites that promoted anti-[[Black people|black]] [[racism]] and frequently used [[racial slurs]].<ref>{{
In June 2013, Reddit banned the subreddit {{proper name|r/niggers}} for engaging in vote manipulation, [[Incitement|inciting violence]], and disrupting other communities by posting racist content. Reddit general manager Erik Martin noted that the sub was given multiple chances to comply with site rules: "users can tell from the amount of warnings we extended to a subreddit as clearly awful as r/[[Nigger|niggers]] that we go into the decision to ban subreddits with a lot of scrutiny".<ref>{{cite news |last=Todd |first=Bridget |date=July 16, 2013 |title=Does Anything Go? The Rise and Fall of a Racist Corner of Reddit |work=[[The Atlantic]] |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/07/does-anything-go-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-racist-corner-of-reddit/277585/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423154121/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/07/does-anything-go-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-racist-corner-of-reddit/277585/ |archive-date=April 23, 2017}}</ref>
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=== Chodi ===
{{proper name|r/Chodi}},
=== ChongLangTV ===
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{{See also|Doxing|Internet privacy}}
''Gawker's'' outing of Brutsch as u/violentacrez led to contentious discussion about [[Internet privacy|privacy]] and [[anonymity on the internet]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |title=Why The Internet Cool Kids Think Gawker Outing Reddit's Violentacrez Is The 'Best Story About The Web' This Year |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/10/15/why-the-internet-cool-kids-think-gawker-outing-reddits-violentacrez-is-the-best-story-about-the-web-this-year/ |access-date=October 31, 2012 |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=October 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102130649/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/10/15/why-the-internet-cool-kids-think-gawker-outing-reddits-violentacrez-is-the-best-story-about-the-web-this-year/ |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Some argued
Writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[Jude Doyle]] (then known as Sady Doyle) argued that certain doxings may be justified, comparing ''Gawker's'' article to the outing of [[Suicide of Amanda Todd|Amanda Todd]]'s alleged [[Blackmail|blackmailer]]. On the other hand, he argued that by engaging in "[[sensationalism]]" at the expense of cultural reform, doxing may unduly focus attention on individuals without confronting the underlying problems.<ref>{{cite news |last=Doyle |first=Sady |title=Outing online sexual predators is a sensationalist stopgap |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/17/outing-online-sexual-predators-gawker-anonymous |access-date=October 31, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=October 17, 2012 |___location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031140544/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/17/outing-online-sexual-predators-gawker-anonymous |archive-date=October 31, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> In ''[[PC Magazine]]'', Damon Poeter stated that while he had defended protecting anonymity on the Internet, he supported Brutsch being outed and felt the doxing was justifiable, as he thought the various subreddits that u/violentacrez contributed to were serious [[Invasion of privacy|invasions of privacy]] regardless of legality.<ref name=NoTears />
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=== CringeAnarchy ===
{{See also|Cringe culture}}
{{proper name|r/CringeAnarchy}} was a subreddit themed around "[[
Following the 2019 [[Christchurch mosque shootings]], anti-Muslim posts on r/CringeAnarchy increased.<ref name="MJNZ">{{cite web |last1=Breland |first1=Ali |title=Anti-Muslim hate has been rampant on Reddit since the New Zealand shooting |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/03/reddit-new-zealand-shooting-islamophobia/ |website=Mother Jones |access-date=April 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420135756/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/03/reddit-new-zealand-shooting-islamophobia/ |archive-date=April 20, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The sub was banned on April 25, 2019, for violating Reddit's content policy regarding violent content.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tiffany |first=Kaitlyn |title=How Did We Get So 'Cringe'?|access-date=5 March 2022 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/01/cringe-culture-everywhere/621272/ |date=15 January 2022 |website=The Atlantic|quote=Banned users made a spin-off forum called r/CringeAnarchy, which later became a far-right cesspool and then was kicked off Reddit for encouraging violence.}}</ref>
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{{proper name|r/European}} was a [[Far-right politics|far-right]] [[White nationalism|white nationalist]] subreddit focused on news relating to [[Europe]]. It was founded in 2013 after {{proper name|r/europe}} banned [[hate speech]]. Its users often promoted anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and racist content, and an informal survey showed that 17% of the sub's users openly identified as [[Nazi]]s.<ref name="vice-subs"/><ref name="fivethreeeight">{{cite web|last=Martin |first=Trevor |title=Dissecting Trump's Most Rabid Online Following |website=FiveThirtyEight |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/dissecting-trumps-most-rabid-online-following/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824195602/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/dissecting-trumps-most-rabid-online-following/ |archive-date=August 24, 2022|date=March 23, 2017 |access-date=September 4, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="vox-european">{{cite web|last=Romano |first=Aja |title=Reddit's biggest Trump community is fracturing over right-wing extremism |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/5/21/11701482/donald-trump-subreddit-drama-europeans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920062137/https://www.vox.com/2016/5/21/11701482/donald-trump-subreddit-drama-europeans |website=Vox |archive-date=September 20, 2021 |date=May 21, 2016 |access-date= September 4, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> The sub was set to private by its moderators, and in 2016 it was quarantined by the sitewide administrative staff in response to a post where a user bragged about [[assault]]ing a Muslim [[refugee]]. The users subsequently migrated to r/The_Donald, and then to {{proper name|r/Mr_Trump}} following a dispute with r/The_Donald's moderators.<ref name="vox-european"/> Reddit banned {{proper name|r/European}} on March 12, 2018, for violating its content policies.<ref name="albawaba">{{cite web|title=Reddit Bans Racist and Islamophobic Subreddits |website=[[Al Bawaba]] |url=https://www.albawaba.com/loop/reddit-bans-racist-and-islamophobic-subreddits-1101936 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004165458/https://www.albawaba.com/loop/reddit-bans-racist-and-islamophobic-subreddits-1101936 |archive-date=October 4, 2019 |date=March 13, 2018 |access-date= September 4, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
r/Efilism was a subreddit centered around the philosophy of '''EFILism''' (life spelled backwards), a radical extension of antinatalism that views all life as inherently harmful due to the suffering embedded in biological existence. Members discussed topics such as the ethics of reproduction, ecological extinction, and pessimistic takes on consciousness, often citing the ideas of controversial online figures such as Inmendham. The subreddit was ultimately banned on May 18, 2025 after being found in violation of Reddit's self-harm polices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-19 |title=Reddit bans an anti-natalist group after Palm Springs explosion |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/reddit-bans-anti-natalists-palm-springs-explosion-rcna207677 |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-19 |title=Was ‘efilism’ the extreme ideology behind the Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palm-springs-fertility-clinic-bombing-efilism-b2753937.html |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>
=== FatPeopleHate ===
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{{Further|Reddit and Antisemitism}}
{{proper name|r/
=== GenderCritical ===
{{Further|Gender-critical feminism}}
The subreddit {{proper name|r/GenderCritical}}, which had 64,400 users, described itself as "Reddit's most active [[Feminism|feminist]] community" for "women-centred, [[Radical feminism|radical feminists]]" to discuss "gender from a [[gender-critical]] perspective". Described by [[Jillian York]] of the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] as "a subreddit where [[Transphobia|transphobic]] commentary has thrived",<ref>{{cite news |title=Reddit banned a pro-Trump subreddit. Here's what that means for hate speech. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/reddit-banned-pro-trump-subreddit-here-s-what-means-hate-ncna1232797 |access-date=August 14, 2020 |work=NBC News |last=York |first=Jillian}}</ref> the subreddit frequently hosted posts asserting that [[Trans woman|transgender women]] are not women.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dilkes |first=Jane |date=2024-01-01 |title=Rule 1: Remember the human. A socio-cognitive discourse study of a Reddit forum banned for promoting hate based on identity |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/09579265231190344 |journal=Discourse & Society |language=EN |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=48–65 |doi=10.1177/09579265231190344 |issn=0957-9265 |quote=An r/GenderCritical topic relating to the specific gender critical concern of ''gender_identity'' was found to contain the metonymic acronyms ''tim'' (trans-identifying male), and ''tif'' (trans-identifying female), that represent the specific gender critical stance that trans women are still men, and trans men are still women, where metonymic language, and acronyms, may typically be used to stereotype, and denigrate, an outgroup.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> On June 29, 2020, the subreddit was "banned for violating Reddit's rule against promoting hate".<ref>{{cite news |title=Reddit just banned its viciously transphobic 'gender critical' page amid vigorous crackdown on hate speech |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/06/29/reddit-bann-transphobia-gender-critical-page-hate-speech-donald-trump-steve-huffman/ |access-date=August 14, 2020 |work=PinkNews |date=June 29, 2020
=== GunsForSale ===
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In the summer of 2017, a [[petition]] on [[Change.org]] called for {{proper name|r/Incels}} to be banned for inciting [[violence against women]].{{r|Hauser 2017}} Following the October implementation of a new Reddit policy that prohibited the [[incitement]] of violence, the subreddit was banned on November 7, 2017.<ref name="Fingas Nov 2017">{{Cite news |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/08/reddit-bans-misogynist-community-in-anti-violence-crackdown/ |title=Reddit bans misogynist community as part of anti-violence crackdown |last=Fingas |first=Jon |date=November 8, 2017 |work=Engadget |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109020239/https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/08/reddit-bans-misogynist-community-in-anti-violence-crackdown/ |archive-date=November 9, 2017 |url-status=}}</ref> At that time, {{proper name|r/incels}} had around 40,000 subscribers.<ref name="Solon Nov 2017" />
{{proper name|r/Braincels}} subsequently became the most popular subreddit for incels, gaining 16,900 followers by April 2018. After the [[2018 Toronto van attack]], posts appeared on this subreddit praising the actions of Alek Minassian, the alleged perpetrator. Later, the subreddit's leaders disavowed the attack and deleted some of the posts that praised Minassian.<ref name="Lamoureaux, Mack">{{cite magazine |author=Lamoureaux, Mack |date=April 24, 2018 |title=A Brief History of 'Incel,' the Misogynistic Group Allegedly Cited By Toronto Van Attacker |url=https://www.vice.com/
=== {{anchor|r/jailbait}} Jailbait ===
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Reddit's staff was initially opposed to the addition of obscene material to the site, but they eventually became more lenient when prolific moderators, such as a user named u/violentacrez, proved capable of identifying and removing illegal content at a time when Reddit had insufficient paid staff to do so.<ref name="Gawkerexpose" />
Communities devoted to explicit material saw rising popularity, and in a 2008 "Best of Reddit" user poll, users chose r/Jailbait (a sub featuring provocative photos of [[Age of consent|underage teenagers]]) as "subreddit of the year".<ref name="Gawkerexpose" /> At one point, "jailbait" was the second most common search term on Reddit.<ref name="Gawkerexpose" /> Erik Martin, Reddit's general manager, defended r/Jailbait, arguing that such controversial pages were a consequence of allowing free speech on the site.<ref name="
{{proper name|r/Jailbait}} came to wider attention outside Reddit when [[Anderson Cooper]] of [[CNN]] devoted a segment of [[Anderson Cooper 360°|his program]] to condemning the subreddit and criticizing Reddit for hosting it.<ref>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Kevin |title=Anderson Cooper boosts visibility of teen-girl pics |url=http://www.dailydot.com/society/anderson-cooper-reddit-jailbait-traffic/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195251/http://www.dailydot.com/society/anderson-cooper-reddit-jailbait-traffic/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Daily Dot]] |date=October 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Tufekci |first=Zeynep |title=Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2017 |pages=164–169}}</ref> Initially, this caused a spike in [[Internet traffic]] to the subreddit, causing the page to peak at 1.73 million views on the day of the report.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/TheoryOfReddit/comments/kzlga/traffic_statistics_for_rjailbait/ |title=r/TheoryOfReddit – Traffic statistics for /r/jailbait |website=reddit |date=October 3, 2011 |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121164749/https://www.reddit.com/r/TheoryOfReddit/comments/kzlga/traffic_statistics_for_rjailbait/ |archive-date=November 21, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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=== {{anchor|r/jakolandia}} Jakolandia ===
In January 2019, a [[Philippines|Philippine]]-based subreddit, {{proper name|r/Jakolandia}}, was accused of "distributing" posts with photos of women (including celebrities) that were apparently taken without their consent. "A number" of secret [[Facebook]] groups had been taking similar actions, engaging in illegal activity by [[Sexual objectification|sharing "obscene" photos of women]] and possibly [[child pornography]].<ref name="Sy Cua 2019">{{Cite web |last=Sy Cua |first=Aric John |url=https://www.manilatimes.net/netizens-slam-disturbing-photos-on-ph-subsite-on-reddit/496547/ |title=Netizens slam 'disturbing' photos of PH subsite on Reddit |work=The Manila Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116045925/https://www.manilatimes.net/netizens-slam-disturbing-photos-on-ph-subsite-on-reddit/496547/ |archive-date=January 16, 2019 |url-status=live |date=January 14, 2019}}</ref> {{proper name|r/jakolandia}} was later banned as a result.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madarang |first=Catalina Ricci S. |date=January 16, 2019 |title=Reddit forum closed over inappropriate content against women |url=https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2019/01/16/142340/reddit-forum-closed-over-inappropriate-content-against-women/ |access-date=October 20, 2020 |website=Interaksyon}}</ref>
=== MGTOW ===
{{Further|Men Going Their Own Way}}
{{proper name|r/MGTOW}} was a subreddit for [[Men Going Their Own Way]], an [[anti-feminist]], [[Misogyny|misogynistic]], mostly [[online community]] advocating for men to [[Male separatism|separate]] themselves from women. It also advocates separation from society, which they believe feminism has corrupted.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wright |first1=Scott |last2=Trott |first2=Verity |last3=Jones |first3=Callum |date=2020 |title='The pussy ain't worth it, bro': assessing the discourse and structure of MGTOW |journal=[[Information, Communication & Society]] |volume=23 |issue=6 |pages=908–925 |doi=10.1080/1369118X.2020.1751867 |s2cid=219023052 |issn=1369-118X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lin |first=Jie Liang |title=Digital Environments: Ethnographic Perspectives Across Global Online and Offline Spaces |publisher=Transcript Verlag |year=2017 |isbn=978-3-8376-3497-6 |editor-last=Frömming |editor-first=Urte Undine |series=Edition Medienwissenschaft |pages=77–96 |chapter=Antifeminism Online: MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) |jstor=j.ctv1xxrxw.9 |jstor-access=free |editor-last2=Köhn |editor-first2=Steffen |editor-last3=Fox |editor-first3=Samantha |editor-last4=Terry |editor-first4=Mike}}</ref> In January 2020, a group of researchers published a [[preprint]] of an analysis of the [[manosphere]], which listed {{proper name|r/MGTOW}} among a group of growing online communities involved in "online harassment and real-world violence".<ref name="Ribeiro 2021">{{Cite conference |last1=Ribeiro |first1=Manoel Horta |last2=Blackburn |last3=Bradlyn |first3=Barry |first2=Jeremy |last4=De Cristofaro |first4=Emiliano |last5=Stringhini |first5=Gianluca |last6=Long |first6=Summer |last7=Greenberg |first7=Stephanie |last8=Zannettou |first8=Savvas |display-authors=3 |title=The Evolution of the Manosphere Across the Web |book-title=Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media |date=2021 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=196–207 |isbn=978-1-57735-869-5 |url=https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php/ICWSM/article/view/18053/17856 |doi=10.1609/icwsm.v15i1.18053 |doi-access=free |issn=2334-0770 |publisher=Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence |___location=Palo Alto, Calif. |arxiv=2001.07600v5}}</ref> Reddit quarantined the subreddit shortly afterward.<ref name="Basu 2020">{{cite web |last=Basu |first=Tanya |title=The 'manosphere' is getting more toxic as angry men join the incels |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/07/349052/the-manosphere-is-getting-more-toxic-as-angry-men-join-the-incels/ |website=[[MIT Technology Review]] |date=February 7, 2020 |url-access=limited}}</ref> In August 2021, Reddit banned the subreddit for violating its policies prohibiting content that "incites violence or promotes hate based on identity or vulnerability".<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Thalen |first=Mikael |date=August 3, 2021 |title=Reddit bans notorious anti-feminist subreddit 'Men Going Their Own Way' |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/mgtow-subreddit-banned/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 4, 2021 |website=[[The Daily Dot]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803211133/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/mgtow-subreddit-banned/ |archive-date=August 3, 2021 }}</ref>
=== MillionDollarExtreme ===
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=== NoNewNormal ===
{{proper name|r/NoNewNormal}} was a subreddit critical of the responses to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. It propagated [[COVID-19 misinformation|various conspiracies about the pandemic]] and measures to control it, including lockdowns, masking, [[Vaccine hesitancy|vaccines]], and the implementation of a "[[new normal]]". It was quarantined for misinformation on August 12, 2021, when it had accumulated over 112,000 subscribers. Subreddits {{proper name|r/rejectnewnormal}} and {{proper name|r/refusenewnormal}} were subsequently banned for trying to circumvent the quarantine, and {{proper name|r/PandemicHoax}} and {{proper name|r/truthseekers}}, which hosted similar content, set themselves to private.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Samantha |title=Reddit Quarantines AntiMask Antivax Subreddit |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article
In a thread on {{proper name|r/vaxxhappened}}, a community opposing [[vaccine misinformation]], a Redditor called upon administrators to ban subreddits that primarily spread medical misinformation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haroun |first1=Azmi |title=Popular pro-vaccine Reddit page calls on founders to do more to combat COVID-19 disinformation |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-page-calls-on-site-to-combat-covid-19-disinformation-2021-8?r=US&IR=T |website=Business Insider}}</ref> Admins responded that Reddit is a platform for free speech and discussion, and would continue to allow subreddits that challenge the consensus views on the pandemic.<ref>{{cite web |first=Igor |last=Bonifacic|title=Reddit CEO rejects call for a crackdown on coronavirus misinformation |url=https://www.engadget.com/reddit-211856313.html |website=Engadget|date=August 26, 2021 |access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref> In protest of Reddit's response, the moderators of 135 subreddits (including {{Not a typo|r/flor|ida}}, {{proper name|r/futurology}}, {{proper name|r/pokemongo}}, {{proper name|r/startrek}}, and {{proper name|r/tifu}}) made their subreddits private.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlitz |first=Heather |date=September 1, 2021 |title=135 subreddits are 'going dark' to protest Reddit's refusal to ban COVID disinformation |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/135-subreddits-go-dark-to-protest-inaction-on-covid-disinformation-2021-9 |url-status=live |access-date=September 6, 2021 |website=Business Insider|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901162137/https://www.businessinsider.com/135-subreddits-go-dark-to-protest-inaction-on-covid-disinformation-2021-9 |archive-date=September 1, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Goforth |first1=Claire |title=After Reddit refuses demands for crackdown, dozens of subreddits go dark to protest COVID disinformation |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/subreddits-private-protest-covid-disinformation-reddit/ |website=The Daily Dot |date=August 30, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kan |first1=Michael |title=Pokémon Go Forum Goes Dark to Protest Reddit's COVID-19 Misinformation Problem |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/pokemon-go-forum-goes-dark-to-protest-reddits-covid-19-misinformation-problem |website=PCMAG|date=August 30, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=u/Femilip |title=Subs going dark |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/N8theGr8/comments/pelle1/subs_going_dark/ |website=Reddit |department=r/N8theGr8 |date=August 30, 2021 |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref>
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=== Physical_Removal ===
Members of {{proper name|r/Physical_Removal}} advocated for the forced [[deportation]] or physical removal of political [[leftists]] from the United States. Its name references a quote by [[Anarcho-capitalism|right-wing libertarian]] [[Philosophy|philosopher]] [[Hans-Hermann Hoppe]], who wrote: "There can be no [[Toleration|tolerance]] toward [[democracy|democrats]] and [[Communism|communists]] in a [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] [[social order]]. They will have to be physically [[Ostracism|separated and removed from society]]".
The sub was controversial for its promotion of violence against leftists and other groups. For instance, users would refer to [[Death flights|throwing people from helicopters]], an [[Extrajudicial killing|extrajudicial execution method]] used by [[Chile|Chilean]] [[dictator]] [[Augusto Pinochet]]. After the 2017 [[Unite the Right rally]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], r/Physical_Removal drew criticism after mocking the [[Charlottesville car attack|death of Heather Heyer]], who was struck and killed by a car driven by a far-right [[Domestic terrorism in the United States|terrorist]] at the rally.<ref name=":6">[http://www.thedailybeast.com/reddit-bans-forum-inciting-physical-removal-of-democrats-from-society Reddit Bans Forum Inciting 'Physical Removal' of Democrats From Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816043040/http://www.thedailybeast.com/reddit-bans-forum-inciting-physical-removal-of-democrats-from-society |date=August 16, 2017}}, ''The Daily Beast'', August 15, 2017</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-alex-fields-jr-charlottesville-car-attack-appeared-fond-adolf-hitler/ |title=What we know about accused Charlottesville driver James Alex Fields Jr |website=cbsnews.com |date=August 14, 2017 |access-date=November 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121103823/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-alex-fields-jr-charlottesville-car-attack-appeared-fond-adolf-hitler/ |archive-date=November 21, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The subreddit was banned on August 15th, 2017 for violating its policy against the incitement of violence.<ref name=":6" />
=== Pizzagate ===
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{{Further|Sanctioned Suicide}}
{{proper name|r/SanctionedSuicide}} was a subreddit that approached the topic of [[suicide]] from a [[Right to die|pro-choice]] perspective. It included discussions surrounding the ethics of suicide as well as posts containing rants from Reddit users.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Jennings |title=The Strange Legacy Of The First Sanctioned Suicide Forum |url=http://www.vocativ.com/372267/suicide-forums/index.html |access-date=March 18, 2018 |work=Vocativ |date=December 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319151358/http://www.vocativ.com/372267/suicide-forums/index.html |archive-date=March 19, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Reddit banned the subreddit on March 14, 2018, for violating its guidelines;
=== SonyGOP ===
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{{main|r/antiwork}}
The subreddit {{proper name|r/antiwork}} was established in 2013.<ref name=Codrea-Rado>{{cite web|last=Codrea-Rado|first=Anna|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article
In 2019, the number of subscribers was 13,000,<ref name=Codrea-Rado/> which increased to 100,000 in early 2020.<ref name=DaroAntiwork/> The subreddit's popularity rose after people began posting text messages of employees giving notice to their employers that they no longer wanted their jobs.<ref name=Codrea-Rado/> In November 2021, the subscriber number exceeded one million.<ref name=DaroAntiwork/> By December 2021, that number had grown to 1.4 million,<ref name=Codrea-Rado/> and in January 2022, it had reached over 1.7 million. On 26 January, {{proper name|r/antiwork}} was the subreddit with the highest increase of traffic that was not one of Reddit's "default" front page subreddits.<ref name=OConnellFlynnAntiwork>{{cite web|last1=O'Connell|first1=Oliver|last2=Flynn|first2=Sheila|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/anti-work-reddit-abolishwork-fired-b2002606.html|title=Moderator fired from anti-work subreddit after disastrous Fox News interview|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=2022-01-28|access-date=2022-01-28}}</ref>
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=== BlackPeopleTwitter ===
On April 1, 2019, {{proper name|r/BlackPeopleTwitter}} began requiring users to prove they were [[Black people|Black]]—by sending a photo with their forearm and their Reddit username—before allowing them to post comments. The moderators described this action as an [[April Fools' Day]] prank, albeit one with a "very real reason".<ref name="BlackPeopleTwitter">{{cite web |date=April 3, 2019 |title=/r/BlackPeopleTwitter is open to everyone again |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleTwitter/comments/b93w1j/rblackpeopletwitter_is_open_to_everyone_again/ |access-date=May 7, 2021 |website=/r/BlackPeopleTwitter}}</ref><!-- Reddit used as primary source for moderators' statement --> The April Fools' prank lasted only a few days, but the moderators now limit some contentious threads to a "[[country club]]" consisting of verified [[Person of color|people of color]] and [[white people]] who complete an application process that includes writing "about what [[white privilege]] means to them". Additionally, verified Black commenters (but not other people of color) receive a check mark next to their username.<ref name="Harmon Oct 2019">{{Cite news |last=Harmon |first=Amy |date=October 8, 2019 |title=Discussing Blackness on Reddit? Photograph Your Forearm First |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/us/reddit-race-black-people-twitter.html |access-date=May 8, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="Harmon Nov 2019">{{cite news |title=Prove You're Not White: For an Article About Race-Verification on Reddit, I Had an Unusual Request |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/reader-center/08insider-reddit-race-black-people-twitter-reporting.html |work=The New York Times |last1=Harmon |first1=Amy |date=November 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009014624/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/reader-center/08insider-reddit-race-black-people-twitter-reporting.html |archive-date=October 9, 2019 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}</ref> Like its sister subreddit, r/WhitePeopleTwitter, it mainly sources their posts from a specific racial group, which unlike its sister subreddit, r/WhitePeopleTwitter, involves specifically black people's posts.
=== FemaleDatingStrategy ===
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The group has a strict [[Social hierarchies|hierarchy]], with moderators called "Ruthless Strategists" on top. Community is prioritized over the individual, and members are advised against speaking with journalists, practices which have been described as [[cult]]-like.<ref name="Holden 2020">{{cite web |date=December 9, 2020 |last=Holden |first=Madeleine |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/female-dating-strategy-reddit |url-status=live |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209164418/https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/female-dating-strategy-reddit |archive-date=December 9, 2020 |title=In Reddit's 'Female Dating Strategy', Women level up and make men the prey |work=[[MEL (magazine)|MEL]] |language=en }}</ref> The subreddit advises against dating men with [[Mental disorder|mental illnesses]], and has banned members for believing men can be victims of sexual assault. The members oppose [[liberal feminism]], or "libfems",<ref name="Holden 2020" /><ref name=":0" /> and endorse [[TERF]]-like views; transgender women are prohibited from posting. The sub has also been criticized for contradictory advice, such as encouraging independence from men while expecting them to pay for dates and be the primary breadwinners.<ref name="Sisley 2021" />
Critics have compared {{proper name|r/FemaleDatingStrategy}} to the manosphere subreddits it was created to oppose.<ref name="Sisley 2021">{{cite web |date=March 10, 2021 |last=Sisley |first=Dominique |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article
The subreddit historically made extensive use of female-incel ("[[Incel#Female incels|femcel]]") language, but when the femcel jargon interfered with the recruitment of new members, users gradually adopted new terminology. It includes terms like "scrotes" for men and "pickmeisha" for women, who FDS claims degrade themselves for men. "Pickmeisha" has been used to label members that criticize the moderators or claim to enjoy banned behavior such as casual sex,<ref name="Holden 2020" /> and it has been targeted at women in other subreddits for issues such as seeking advice on their partner's erectile dysfunction.<ref name="Taylor 2020" />
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=== GenZedong ===
''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' identified r/Gen[[Mao Zedong|Zedong]], a self-described "[[Deng Xiaoping Theory|Dengist]]" subreddit focused on China, as a haven for
In 2022, the hacker group [[Anonymous (hacker group)|Anonymous]] hacked a server hosting [[Internet in China|Chinese government websites]]. The group uploaded a meme mocking r/GenZedong on a government site promoting [[tourism in China]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Everington |first=Keoni |title=Round 3 of Anonymous hack of China site uses image of Taiwan president|access-date=April 3, 2022 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4305341 |date=October 4, 2021 |website=[[Taiwan News]]|quote=Another meme pokes fun at the Marxist-Leninist subreddit Genzedong and the vexed reaction of members to the hack. }}</ref>
The subreddit was quarantined on 23 March 2022 for [[Disinformation in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|spreading disinformation]] about the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]]. At the time of its quarantine, the subreddit had over 57,000 subscribers.<ref name="time20220304" />
=== HermanCainAward ===
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=== KotakuInAction ===
{{proper name|r/KotakuInAction}} was one of the main online hubs for participants in the misogynistic harassment campaign known as [[Gamergate (harassment campaign)|Gamergate]].<ref name="Peckford">{{cite journal |last=Peckford |first=Ashley |title=Right Wing Extremism in a Video Game Community? A Qualitative Content Analysis Exploring the Discourse of the Reddit GamerGate Community r/KotakuInAction. |journal=A Closer Look in Unusual Times: Criminological Perspectives from Crim 862 |date=2020 |pages=65–81 |url=https://www.sfu.ca/~palys/ACloserLookInUnusualTimes-2020-HR.pdf#page=71}}</ref><ref name="Binder 2018">{{cite web |last1=Binder |first1=Matt |title=It's Reddit's turn: The 'front page of the internet' should be next to face Congress |url=https://mashable.com/article/reddit-case-for-congressional-hearings/ |website=Mashable |date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312232538/https://mashable.com/article/reddit-case-for-congressional-hearings/ |archive-date=March 12, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Massanari 2018">{{cite journal |first1=Adrienne L. |last1=Massanari |first2=Shira |last2=Chess |title=Attack of the 50-foot social justice warrior: the discursive construction of SJW memes as the monstrous feminine |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1447333 |journal=Feminist Media Studies |date=July 4, 2018 |issn=1468-0777 |pages=525–542 |volume=18 |issue=4 |doi=10.1080/14680777.2018.1447333 |s2cid=149070172|url-access=subscription }}</ref> When
''[[BuzzFeed News|BuzzFeed]]''{{'}}s Joseph Bernstein reported that many of r/KotakuInAction's moderators also moderate other subreddits "devoted to either the physical and emotional degradation and humiliation of women, or in subreddits devoted to mocking and delegitimizing the arguments and appearances of feminists and '[[social justice warrior]]s{{'"}}.<ref name="Bernstein 2014">{{cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Joseph |title=The Disturbing Misogynist History Of GamerGate's Goodwill Ambassadors |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/the-disturbing-misogynist-history-of-gamergates-g |work=Buzzfeed News |date=October 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920120618/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/the-disturbing-misogynist-history-of-gamergates-g |archive-date=September 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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In 2016, three scholars from the [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] wrote an academic paper analyzing r/KotakuInAction and "the border between controversial speech and harassment".<ref name="Jhaver 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Jhaver |first1=Shagun |last2=Chan |first2=Larry |last3=Bruckman |first3=Amy |title=The view from the other side: The border between controversial speech and harassment on Kotaku in Action |journal=First Monday |volume=23 |issue=2 |doi=10.5210/fm.v23i2.8232 |date=February 5, 2018 |arxiv=1712.05851 |s2cid=3653593 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
On July 12, 2018, r/KotakuInAction's creator and head moderator removed all of the sub's other moderators and set the forum to private, alleging that the sub had become "infested with racism and sexism". A Reddit employee restored the forum and its moderators an hour later.<ref name="Knoop 2018">{{cite web |last=Knoop |first=Joseph |title=Reddit brought back a Gamergate forum after its creator tried to destroy it |url=https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/reddit-kotakuinaction/ |work=The Daily Dot |date=July 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180714184646/https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/reddit-kotakuinaction/ |archive-date=July 14, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cole 2018">{{cite web |last=Cole |first=Samantha |title=The Creator of the Largest Gamergate Subreddit Rage Quits, Says it's 'Infested With Racism and Sexism' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article
A 2020 review analyzing ten discussion boards on r/KotakuInAction suggested a connection between Gamergate and [[Far-right politics|right-wing extremism]] (RWE). According to the review, the three main themes in these discussion boards were "RWE bigotry", "always anti-left" and "hate speech is free speech".<ref name="
=== MensRights ===
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=== Piracy and PiratedGames ===
In 2019, Reddit threatened to ban {{proper name|r/piracy}} after receiving dozens of [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act|DMCA]] takedown notices. The moderators responded that Reddit did not investigate the infringement claims to find if they actually [[Copyright infringement|infringed copyright law]]. Often, they argued, users had actually been sharing [[URL]]s for [[Streaming media|streaming]] sites, asking if such sites were working, and posting guides about installing programs. Ultimately r/Piracy's users voted to delete all content older than six months, as it was not feasible to investigate all past content.<ref name="Kobie 2019">{{cite news |last=Kobie |first=Nicole |date=14 April 2019 |title=First it was football streams, now Reddit is going after r/piracy |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/reddit-piracy-streams |access-date=July 22, 2021 |magazine=Wired UK}}</ref><ref name="Gault 2019">{{cite news |last=Gault |first=Matthew |date=8 April 2019 |title=Reddit's Piracy Subreddit Is Purging a Decade of Posts |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article
On August 17, 2022, Reddit banned {{proper name|r/PiratedGames}}, which focused specifically on [[Online piracy|pirated video games]] and was among the largest piracy-related subreddits with over 300,000 subscribers. Though the subreddit explicitly prohibited sharing pirated content, it was banned for excessive DMCA claims. Following an appeal from the moderators, it was restored the next day.<ref name="TorrentFreak">{{cite news |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |date=18 August 2022 |title=Reddit Bans '/r/PiratedGames' for Excessive Copyright Claims (Updated) |url=https://torrentfreak.com/reddit-bans-r-piratedgames-for-excessive-copyright-claims-220818/ |access-date=23 August 2022 |work=TorrentFreak}}</ref> In several articles, ''[[TorrentFreak]]'' said the ban was part of Reddit's increasing crackdown on copyright infringement, noting that the year prior around 2,625 subreddits had been banned for similar reasons, and that DMCA takedowns on Reddit had increased by over 15,000% in the past five years.<ref name="TorrentFreak"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |date=23 February 2022 |title=Reddit Banned 2,625 Subreddits For Excessive Copyright Infringement in 2021 |url=https://torrentfreak.com/reddit-banned-2625-subreddits-for-excessive-copyright-infringement-in-2021-220223/ |access-date=23 August 2022 |work=TorrentFreak}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |date=21 August 2022 |title=Reddit's DMCA Removals Surged 15,000% in Five Years |url=https://torrentfreak.com/reddits-dmca-removals-surged-15000-in-five-years-220821/ |access-date=23 August 2022 |work=TorrentFreak}}</ref>
▲=== Portugueses ===
=== Russia ===
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=== WhitePeopleTwitter ===
{{proper name|r/WhitePeopleTwitter}} is a
==== Temporary ban ====
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On February 3, 2025, r/WhitePeopleTwitter was temporarily banned for 72 hours by site administrators. A Reddit spokesperson stated that the ban was due to "a prevalence of violent content", adding that "Inciting and glorifying violence or doxing are against Reddit’s platform-wide Rules."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Karissa |date=2025-02-04 |title=Reddit temporarily bans r/WhitePeopleTwitter after Elon Musk claimed it had 'broken the law' |url=https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-temporarily-bans-rwhitepeopletwitter-after-elon-musk-claimed-it-had-broken-the-law-212131945.html |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=[[Engadget]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Gerken |first=Tom |date=2025-02-05 |title=Reddit community banned as user spat with Musk intensifies |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrlep5xpmzo |url-status=live |work=[[BBC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206013108/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrlep5xpmzo|archive-date=2025-02-06}}</ref>
The ban came about after an X user, @RedditLies, posted a screenshot of comments on the subreddit about the [[Department of Government Efficiency|Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)]] and its leader
== Free speech rationale ==
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