7 ms·

Deleted my reddit account. They can take their $150 million, but freedom of speech and more specifically being able to criticize the state is more important th

Deleted my reddit account. They can take their $150 million, but freedom of speech and more specifically being able to criticize the state is more important than your daily dose of catpics.

skilled 8y ago
Hah! Maybe this is how I should look at my account being suspended for no reason a little less than two weeks ago. The email associated with this 6-year-old account does not exist on Gmail but cannot be registered again either. Such a bummer since I had good karma and a fairly organized feed. After explaining this to the admins -- I was still denied access back to my account. Actually, it's starting to grind my gears how stupid this admin guy was for implying that I might be some mysterious perpetrator trying to take over a shitty Reddit account. Even my browsing history (which they have logs for) matches the usual tango; figures. Whatever!
- thewhitetulip 8y ago
  Exactly. My acc was suspended for saying "violent thing" All I said was quote VD Savarkar's statement on Cows. Now note that I've been threatened on reddit and much worse but I do not see them getting any bans or things like that. Stupidity.
  - stronglikedan 8y ago
    I was constantly banned from subreddits only recently (past 2 years or so). When I would ask them to show me the rule I broke, the mods would just say something along the lines of, "you don't have to break a rule since bans are at mod discretion, yada, yada, yada." Basically, I was only offending their delicate sensibilities that they didn't care to share. I finally threw my hands up and haven't been back in months. Guess I should formally wrap it up by finally deleting my decade old account.
    - amanaplanacanal 8y ago
      Mods for individual subreddits can do whatever they want with their own subreddits. That is completely different issue from the reddit admins that run the whole site.
      - stronglikedan 8y ago
        Correct, and most of the mods I've encountered are very user-hostile. I miss the times when the admins would smack them down for that kind of crap. Oh well, the times they are a changin'!
- mzybert 8y ago
  FYI: You don't need an email address to create a Reddit account. They made it look like you do, but you can just press 'Next' in the modal.
sodosopa 8y ago
it's a private company, there's no freedom of speech involved. You want a baker to create a cake that says an offensive message, the baker doesn't' have to comply.
- satvikpendem 8y ago
  Actually, in some cases, they do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece_Cakeshop_v._Colorado_Civil_Rights_Commission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece_Cakeshop_v._Colora...
- rplst8 8y ago
  Internet companies have protection under the law that they can't be held liable for what their users say. IMHO that protection brings with it a duty to allow people to speak freely on their platform. They can't eat their cake and have it too.
  - stevehawk 8y ago
    That law is already being eroded in this country in the name of child porn and sex trafficking.
- renlo 8y ago
  What if the telephone company doesn't want to carry your offensive message to your friend? It's a private company, the telephone company doesn't have to comply. In other words, I don't think your analogy entirely fits here, as Reddit is more of a platform for communication, they're not paying an artist (baker) to create some art. Jus' sayin'
  - atomicUpdate 8y ago
    The telephone company actually does have to carry your message, because they are a common carrier and regulated by the FCC. In other words, you argument is a bit ignorant. Reddit is a private forum that’s allowed to what they want as long as they don’t discriminate against protected classes.
boron1006 8y ago
What is the evidence that reddit is taking the 150 million for censorship? There was a post here that said that reddit was being valued at like $3 billion. Relative to that, 150 million is a tiny amount. Also, Tencent isn't equivalent to the Chinese government. Although the Chinese government certainly has more say in what it's companies can or cannot do, it's not right to say they're the same thing.
- learc83 8y ago
  If the government wants to use them to pressure Reddit, they can and will. In this instance, Tencent and the government are functionally equivalent.
  - boron1006 8y ago
    Using that logic, the CIA and almost every company in existence is functionally equivalent. This is just sloppy thinking. You have to show evidence for your opinions. In this particular instance, do you have any specific evidence?
    - telchar 8y ago
      You're completely ignoring historical context and engaging in whataboutism as well.
    - dinkudunk 8y ago
      Did someone say United Fruit Company?
    - linkmotif 8y ago
      China isn’t the United States. If you think they’re the same...
    - learc83 8y ago
      I don't generally feel the need provide decades of historical context in a 2 line forum post. If you lack that context, feel free to ignore my comment and do some research.
radiator 8y ago
I am surprised you thought there was previously freedom of speech on Reddit.

Deleted my reddit account. They can take their $150 million, but freedom of speech and more specifically being able to criticize the state is more important than your daily dose of catpics.

skilled 8y ago

Hah! Maybe this is how I should look at my account being suspended for no reason a little less than two weeks ago. The email associated with this 6-year-old account does not exist on Gmail but cannot be registered again either. Such a bummer since I had good karma and a fairly organized feed. After explaining this to the admins -- I was still denied access back to my account. Actually, it's starting to grind my gears how stupid this admin guy was for implying that I might be some mysterious perpetrator trying to take over a shitty Reddit account. Even my browsing history (which they have logs for) matches the usual tango; figures. Whatever!

thewhitetulip 8y ago
Exactly. My acc was suspended for saying "violent thing" All I said was quote VD Savarkar's statement on Cows. Now note that I've been threatened on reddit and much worse but I do not see them getting any bans or things like that. Stupidity.
- stronglikedan 8y ago
  I was constantly banned from subreddits only recently (past 2 years or so). When I would ask them to show me the rule I broke, the mods would just say something along the lines of, "you don't have to break a rule since bans are at mod discretion, yada, yada, yada." Basically, I was only offending their delicate sensibilities that they didn't care to share. I finally threw my hands up and haven't been back in months. Guess I should formally wrap it up by finally deleting my decade old account.
  - amanaplanacanal 8y ago
    Mods for individual subreddits can do whatever they want with their own subreddits. That is completely different issue from the reddit admins that run the whole site.
    - stronglikedan 8y ago
      Correct, and most of the mods I've encountered are very user-hostile. I miss the times when the admins would smack them down for that kind of crap. Oh well, the times they are a changin'!
mzybert 8y ago
FYI: You don't need an email address to create a Reddit account. They made it look like you do, but you can just press 'Next' in the modal.

sodosopa 8y ago

it's a private company, there's no freedom of speech involved. You want a baker to create a cake that says an offensive message, the baker doesn't' have to comply.

satvikpendem 8y ago
Actually, in some cases, they do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece_Cakeshop_v._Colorado_Civil_Rights_Commission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece_Cakeshop_v._Colora...
rplst8 8y ago
Internet companies have protection under the law that they can't be held liable for what their users say. IMHO that protection brings with it a duty to allow people to speak freely on their platform. They can't eat their cake and have it too.
- stevehawk 8y ago
  That law is already being eroded in this country in the name of child porn and sex trafficking.
renlo 8y ago
What if the telephone company doesn't want to carry your offensive message to your friend? It's a private company, the telephone company doesn't have to comply. In other words, I don't think your analogy entirely fits here, as Reddit is more of a platform for communication, they're not paying an artist (baker) to create some art. Jus' sayin'
- atomicUpdate 8y ago
  The telephone company actually does have to carry your message, because they are a common carrier and regulated by the FCC. In other words, you argument is a bit ignorant. Reddit is a private forum that’s allowed to what they want as long as they don’t discriminate against protected classes.

boron1006 8y ago

What is the evidence that reddit is taking the 150 million for censorship? There was a post here that said that reddit was being valued at like $3 billion. Relative to that, 150 million is a tiny amount. Also, Tencent isn't equivalent to the Chinese government. Although the Chinese government certainly has more say in what it's companies can or cannot do, it's not right to say they're the same thing.

learc83 8y ago
If the government wants to use them to pressure Reddit, they can and will. In this instance, Tencent and the government are functionally equivalent.
- boron1006 8y ago
  Using that logic, the CIA and almost every company in existence is functionally equivalent. This is just sloppy thinking. You have to show evidence for your opinions. In this particular instance, do you have any specific evidence?
  - telchar 8y ago
    You're completely ignoring historical context and engaging in whataboutism as well.
  - dinkudunk 8y ago
    Did someone say United Fruit Company?
  - linkmotif 8y ago
    China isn’t the United States. If you think they’re the same...
  - learc83 8y ago
    I don't generally feel the need provide decades of historical context in a 2 line forum post. If you lack that context, feel free to ignore my comment and do some research.

radiator 8y ago

I am surprised you thought there was previously freedom of speech on Reddit.