Reddit CEO apologizes for editing users' comments
He also introduced stricter moderation rules and announced that the website has enabled /r/all filtering.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has publicly apologized for editing comments cursing him out. If you'll recall the CEO edited posts that contained "fuck Spez" and replaced his Reddit username with those of The_Donald's (a pro-Trump subreddit) moderators. All the vitriol directed at him was a result of Redding banning a subreddit called Pizzagate, which is dedicated to a conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton and a DC pizza parlor that's reportedly part of a pedophile ring.
Huffman wrote:
"I am sorry: I am sorry for compromising the trust you all have in Reddit, and I am sorry to those that I created work and stress for, particularly over the holidays. It is heartbreaking to think that my actions distracted people from their family over the holiday; instigated harassment of our moderators; and may have harmed Reddit itself, which I love more than just about anything."
He promised to limit his own access to Reddit posts going forward so as not to repeat the same thing. However, Reddit has also introduced stricter moderation rules to make sure users "show enough respect to others." In the same post, the CEO has revealed that his team already identified "the most toxic users" on the website and are already taking action against them by handing out warnings and both temporary and permanent bans. The website will also strip subreddits of privileges if they cross the line repeatedly and will even ban them completely in worst case scenarios.
Finally, you can now opt out of seeing communities you don't want to see on /r/all. Simply filter out specific communities through the new option right on your homepage. If you don't see the option yet, check again in the near future -- the team enabled it for everyone. You'll have to access Reddit on a desktop to see the feature, but any changes you make will apply to your Android or iOS app, as well.
