Reddit bans posting UnitedHealthcare shooter’s manifesto

1 month ago 19

Moderators of aggregate Reddit communities accidental the institution has banned posts that see the alleged manifesto of Luigi Mangione, who has been charged for execution successful the sidesplitting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In a station on Wednesday, a moderator of r/popculturechat wrote (emphasis theirs):

We wanted to scope retired to archer you each that we person officially been notified by Reddit that we indispensable adhere strictly to their site-wide rules regarding convulsive content. Specifically, Reddit has told america that we are not allowed to station Luigi Mangione’s manifesto, adjacent if it is reported neutrally.

The moderator says that if they bash not enforce the guidelines “to the letter,” determination could beryllium site-wide imperishable bans connected idiosyncratic accounts and “the imaginable shutdown of this subreddit.”

As a result, the moderator squad is doing the pursuing to adhere to Reddit’s rules:

• Any posts oregon comments that repost oregon promote the manifesto volition beryllium removed.

• Any posts oregon comments that amusement enactment for violence, including expressing affirmative feelings toward the decease of Brian Thompson oregon akin content, volition beryllium removed.

• We volition beryllium highly strict successful moderating these discussions to guarantee compliance with Reddit’s policies.

• If regularisation violations persist, we volition beryllium forced to instrumentality a “cool down” period, meaning we volition temporarily region immoderate posts astir Luigi Mangione for a play of clip to let the concern to settle.

It’s unclear if r/popculturechat is the lone subreddit to person received a circumstantial informing from Reddit. A station from moderators of a subreddit astir Mangione claims that “Reddit is prohibiting posting the manifesto” and that “the mods indispensable region if posted,” but doesn’t accidental wherever that accusation is from. A moderator of different subreddit, r/wineandcrimepodcast, posted a somewhat modified version of r/popculturechat’s connection but says that “they had gotten warnings that immoderate of america did not.”

Reddit appears to beryllium taking immoderate actions of its own: a idiosyncratic connected r/esist says that Reddit is deleting posts with excerpts from the manifesto, “including my past post,” and that their relationship has “a informing connected it for encouraging violence.”

But Reddit besides seems to beryllium inconsistently removing the manifesto, arsenic we were capable to find a nexus to the manifesto successful Reddit hunt without overmuch work. Reddit’s caller AI-powered Answers tool besides showed maine accusation astir the manifesto and wherever I could find it.

A screenshot of a effect   from Reddit Answers.

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

Reddit didn’t instantly reply to a petition for comment. The archetypal regularisation of Reddit’s contented policy states that:

Remember the human. Reddit is simply a spot for creating assemblage and belonging, not for attacking marginalized oregon susceptible groups of people. Everyone has a close to usage Reddit escaped of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence. Communities and users that incite unit oregon that beforehand hatred based on identity oregon vulnerability will beryllium banned.

In its contented policy, Reddit besides says that “we inquire that you abide by not conscionable the missive of these rules, but the tone arsenic well.”

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