Reddit's Anti-Harassment Policies Protect Users, Ideas Still Fair Game

Reddit, the so-called 'front page of the Internet', has a bit of a bad rap. Most of that reputation is earned; trolls would take to Reddit to harass or belittle others, and it became a dumping ground for all kinds of unsavory content. Largely unregulated since inception, Reddit has announced some anti-harassment policies — their first official stance on behavior that kept so many users away for so long. Now, attacking a person via Reddit will land you in hot water.

Ideas, not so much.

Here's how Reddit defines harassment:

Systematic and/or continued actions to torment or demean someone in a way that would make a reasonable person (1) conclude that reddit is not a safe platform to express their ideas or participate in the conversation, or (2) fear for their safety or the safety of those around them.

Those who feel they're being harassed can email contact@reddit.com or use the Moderator mail feature.

That behavior has kept Reddit from flourishing. Citing a survey of over 15,000 redditors, Reddit claims "the number one reason redditors do not recommend the site—even though they use it themselves—is because they want to avoid exposing friends to hate and offensive content."

That doesn't mean you can say what you like via Reddit and avoid scrutiny. Reddit won't take action should two parties disagree; only when it become personally dangerous or concerning. You can still argue on the Internet, you just can't make that fight personal.

Source: Reddit