15 ms·

Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

169 points by irthomasthomas 3y ago

fagnerbrack 3y ago
I hope we can keep this in the headlines. r/programming was the subreddit I mostly posted stuff from my reading list (one of the top submitters) to get feedback from comments and now I can't get in. Has the community from r/programming moved somewhere else? I'm posting here if anyone is interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/softwarecrafters/ https://www.reddit.com/r/softwarecrafters/
- BenLloydPearson 3y ago
  I've started contributing to programming.dev
zgluck 3y ago
Are you claiming that Reddit staff rather than r/programming mods did this? Why?
- irthomasthomas 3y ago
  It's modded by reddit staff. Hence post two predicting the sub would not join the protest.
  - zgluck 3y ago
    Yeah, it was essentially the first subreddit. > Hence post two predicting the sub would not join the protest. Sorry I don't understand. "post two"?
    - irthomasthomas 3y ago
      Yes, the no.2 post in the link.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
0x0000000 3y ago
This is an archive from four days ago? What's the news?
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- Cannabat 3y ago
  It appears someone is using a LLM to make pro-Reddit (ie anti-subreddit-blackout) posts on r/programming. The accounts are all under 30 days old and the posts have that classic milquetoast ChatGPT vibe to them - utterly bland, inoffensive, “safe” posts. If you’ve used ChatGPT you’ll immediately recognize the style.
  - throwbadubadu 3y ago
    Tinfoil hat on: spez himself, right into the backend again. v2 will be rolled out to all subreddits then :D
  - consumer451 3y ago
    > Sorry, I am not capable of generating inappropriate or offensive content. That’s a bit more red handed than just milk toast language. https://web.archive.org/web/20230612080526/https://i.imgur.com/4e9jO7P.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20230612080526/https://i.imgur.c...
uLogMicheal 3y ago
Most of the content/comments we see are either paid-promotion or bot-voted.
- Accujack 3y ago
  That sort of thing has been present on reddit since the start... it was how they started the site. I'd bet they've turned it up lately to try to nullify the effects of the blackout. Predictable and sad, really.
aaomidi 3y ago
Knew this was going to be happening. Insane honestly.
firstlink 3y ago
The link has pretty convincing evidence of astroturfing. What I don't understand is why take the sub private instead of deleting the post? That's crazy. Were they concerned deleting a post would create more backlash than taking the sub private? Basically the same calculus as a tyrant declaring martial law and expecting the backlash from that to be less than from allowing protests?
aspyct 3y ago
What's "astroturfing"?
- coufu 3y ago
  You can prob find a better explanation online, but basically faking a “grass roots” movement using bots or a brigade of users. It’s called such since astroturf is fake grass.
  - qamorgan 3y ago
    The term astroturfing predates bots/brigades. It’s used to describe any fake grassroots movement
  - ranguna 3y ago
    So organising a group of bots to influence a decision?
    - westmeal 3y ago
      Pretty much, it doesn't have to be bots it can also be real people astroturfing something to manipulate public opinion.
    - i_am_jl 3y ago
      Less about the technique and more about the optics. Astroturfing is about building the perception of popular support. Bots pretending to be people can be astroturfing, but so can people putting up signs, people writing legislators, writing to newspaper, etc. The idea is to make it look like support for/aversion to something is organic and popular (grassroots) when it's entirely artificial (astroturf)
      - _siis 3y ago
        In other words, its malign influence and deceit intended for some outcome or goal.
pulpfictional 3y ago
Is the archive link of the actual post working? Just a broken white page for me. Edit: works by clicking the comments button. Utterly pathetic move, so stupid. You'd think reddit of all services would know how to astroturf
rozab 3y ago
Link could be changed to https://web.archive.org/web/20230611210834/https://old.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/146wn9s/meta_who_is_astroturfing_rprogramming_and_why/ https://web.archive.org/web/20230611210834/https://old.reddi...
Macha 3y ago
Well, time to r/RedditRequest to remove spez as moderator per spez's own new policies

I hope we can keep this in the headlines. r/programming was the subreddit I mostly posted stuff from my reading list (one of the top submitters) to get feedback from comments and now I can't get in. Has the community from r/programming moved somewhere else? I'm posting here if anyone is interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/softwarecrafters/ https://www.reddit.com/r/softwarecrafters/

BenLloydPearson 3y ago
I've started contributing to programming.dev

zgluck 3y ago

Are you claiming that Reddit staff rather than r/programming mods did this? Why?

irthomasthomas 3y ago
It's modded by reddit staff. Hence post two predicting the sub would not join the protest.
- zgluck 3y ago
  Yeah, it was essentially the first subreddit. > Hence post two predicting the sub would not join the protest. Sorry I don't understand. "post two"?
  - irthomasthomas 3y ago
    Yes, the no.2 post in the link.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

0x0000000 3y ago

This is an archive from four days ago? What's the news?

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
Cannabat 3y ago
It appears someone is using a LLM to make pro-Reddit (ie anti-subreddit-blackout) posts on r/programming. The accounts are all under 30 days old and the posts have that classic milquetoast ChatGPT vibe to them - utterly bland, inoffensive, “safe” posts. If you’ve used ChatGPT you’ll immediately recognize the style.
- throwbadubadu 3y ago
  Tinfoil hat on: spez himself, right into the backend again. v2 will be rolled out to all subreddits then :D
- consumer451 3y ago
  > Sorry, I am not capable of generating inappropriate or offensive content. That’s a bit more red handed than just milk toast language. https://web.archive.org/web/20230612080526/https://i.imgur.com/4e9jO7P.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20230612080526/https://i.imgur.c...

uLogMicheal 3y ago

Most of the content/comments we see are either paid-promotion or bot-voted.

Accujack 3y ago
That sort of thing has been present on reddit since the start... it was how they started the site. I'd bet they've turned it up lately to try to nullify the effects of the blackout. Predictable and sad, really.

aaomidi 3y ago

Knew this was going to be happening. Insane honestly.

firstlink 3y ago

The link has pretty convincing evidence of astroturfing. What I don't understand is why take the sub private instead of deleting the post? That's crazy. Were they concerned deleting a post would create more backlash than taking the sub private? Basically the same calculus as a tyrant declaring martial law and expecting the backlash from that to be less than from allowing protests?

aspyct 3y ago

What's "astroturfing"?

coufu 3y ago
You can prob find a better explanation online, but basically faking a “grass roots” movement using bots or a brigade of users. It’s called such since astroturf is fake grass.
- qamorgan 3y ago
  The term astroturfing predates bots/brigades. It’s used to describe any fake grassroots movement
- ranguna 3y ago
  So organising a group of bots to influence a decision?
  - westmeal 3y ago
    Pretty much, it doesn't have to be bots it can also be real people astroturfing something to manipulate public opinion.
  - i_am_jl 3y ago
    Less about the technique and more about the optics. Astroturfing is about building the perception of popular support. Bots pretending to be people can be astroturfing, but so can people putting up signs, people writing legislators, writing to newspaper, etc. The idea is to make it look like support for/aversion to something is organic and popular (grassroots) when it's entirely artificial (astroturf)
    - _siis 3y ago
      In other words, its malign influence and deceit intended for some outcome or goal.

pulpfictional 3y ago

Is the archive link of the actual post working? Just a broken white page for me. Edit: works by clicking the comments button. Utterly pathetic move, so stupid. You'd think reddit of all services would know how to astroturf

rozab 3y ago

Link could be changed to https://web.archive.org/web/20230611210834/https://old.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/146wn9s/meta_who_is_astroturfing_rprogramming_and_why/ https://web.archive.org/web/20230611210834/https://old.reddi...

Macha 3y ago

Well, time to r/RedditRequest to remove spez as moderator per spez's own new policies