Reddit removes protesting volunteer mods over new fees.

Reddit Mods Protest New Pricing Policy

Reddit, a platform that attracts over 1 billion unique visitors per month, relies on unpaid volunteers to run smaller platforms known as subreddits.

However, the moderators are not happy. More than 9,000 subreddit mods have joined a protest against Reddit’s new pricing policy. Originally planned to last 48 hours, the protest has continued beyond that timeframe.

In response, Reddit’s top officials have taken action by removing moderator teams from subreddits that switched their communities to Not Safe For Work (NSFW) status, where ads are prohibited.

This escalated protest has resulted in nudity appearing on typically mild subreddits like r/pokemongo and r/Formula1. As a result, Reddit initially removed the entire moderator team from r/mildlyinteresting, a subreddit with 11 million members. However, they later reinstated the team, as reported by The Verge.

According to Reddit spokesman Tim Rathschmidt, “Moderators incorrectly marking a community as NSFW is a violation of both our Content Policy and Moderator Code of Conduct.”

Reddit has also stated, “It’s not OK to show people NSFW content when they don’t want to see it. In line with our Moderator Code of Conduct, we’ll remove moderators and restrict communities where moderators are engaging in malicious conduct.”

The moderators of these subreddits are objecting to a change in Reddit’s application programming interface (API), which affects third-party apps like Apollo. These apps provide a superior user experience compared to the official Reddit app and display content with ads.

Christian Selig, the developer of Apollo, estimates that adhering to the new API policy would cost $20 million per year to keep the app running. This has led to concerns that Apollo and other third-party apps like Reddit is Fun and ReddPlanet may be forced to shut down.

The moderators have shared a note they received from Reddit management after making their communities private. The note emphasizes the importance of active communities and the role of moderators as stewards of these spaces.

Despite this, the battle between Reddit and its moderators continues. Some moderators have already announced their departure, citing dissatisfaction with Reddit’s handling of the API changes and the behavior of certain administrators.

As more moderators consider leaving, the reliance on unpaid volunteers to moderate subreddits, which ultimately generates revenue for Reddit, is becoming a concern.

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

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