Reddit

One thing I've always wondered about Reddit:

Why is it so easy to get permanently banned, sometimes even taking multiple accounts with it?

My account was over 3 years old. I would occasionally comment on relevant posts and mention that I had built a web app that might help. I wasn't blasting links everywhere, I wasn't copy-pasting the same message, and I wasn't even naming the app most of the time. These opportunities were rare enough that I might do it once a week, maybe twice at most.

Then one day: permanent ban.

Not just that account, but another account that was over 2 years old got caught in it as well.

Maybe Reddit's systems detected it as self-promotion. Maybe there was another reason I don't know about. But from a user's perspective, it feels surprisingly harsh when years of account history can disappear so quickly.

What surprises me most is that they seem comfortable making these decisions knowing how frustrating it can be for legitimate users. Losing years of participation, conversations, and reputation in an instant is enough to make anyone pretty upset.

Has anyone else experienced something similar, or am I missing something about how Reddit approaches enforcement?

I was banned from a fishing sub. Someone posted some photos of all the trash people leave at their local lake. I commented that people that do that should have their license permanently suspended. I said that they do not respect nature. I also suggested that people should bring a garbage bag and to pick up any litter they see. Banned for "toxicity"

I messaged OP and they were also banned for toxicity and the post was removed.

Messaged the mods asking how my comment was toxic. They claimed I was shaming people. I said, yes, they should be ashamed. Leaving trash is disrespectful and shameful. They said, exactly, that type of rhetoric is not allowed. I then asked them if they leave trash at the lakes were they fish. Site wide permanent account ban for harassment. I filed an appeal and it was denied.

Reddit has become a shadow of it's former self.

That's how I found the fediverse.

This one is slightly more deserved but equally infuriating.

I used to lurk in some right wing spaces on reddit. I had been there for years, just watching. Taking the temperature of the groups so to speak.

I spoke up one time, To correct something I found truly egregious.

Suddenly I was shadow banned in like a dozen left-wing spaces. Spaces that I thought were about discussion.

And then I was shadow banned in the right-wing spaces the next day.

It was definitely something.

I also got banned from the pro-choice debate sub once because I asked for clarification on a bad faith argument the pro-lifers always use.

I was told it wasnt the community's job to educate me...um...yeah it kinda is because this is a DEBATE sub and I would like to know how to answer this bad faith argument when my aunt uses it at Thanksgiving.

FYI, shadow banning is done by the admins, not mods and isn’t the same as being banned/muted from a sub

I want to remind people that Lemmy is not immune to this

I just had the opposite problem on Lemmy. I told a mod they were wrong so they promoted me to mod and said “you do it” lol.

Went to r/whatisthisworth to try to get helpo on defining what type of a lamp I have and how much I can sell it for.

Made a post. Message says "All posts are manually approved" and shortly after "We have deleted your post due to rule #whatever"

Rule states: Items must be truly unique. Posts with items that are easily to find in google or with google lens will be deleted.

Lamp in question

Lamp has no stickers, no documents, no writings on any part of it except 2 numbers: 1812-1916. If to be googled, you find similar style lamps of all other types except exactly this type. There is no brand page, nor is there any info about how much it could cost. The closest looking lamp is sold on a site that sells refurbished antique lamps. Others are facebook makretplace and vintage item listings that are dead for years. Any description anywhere says: Vintage lamp for sale. Nothing about brand, model, production year, style. NOTHING. Even LLMs have no idea and wont hallucinate an answer.

Deletion message says that I can contact any mods to ask a question regarding my deleted post. First mod does not accept private messages. Second mod does. Shooting a message that in short was:"Hey! You deleted my post stating that it is easily google-able/google-lens-able. Can you point me to where you found my item? Cause me googling it leads to a dead end." Week after waiting for a reply.

Checking this sub. Guy asks how much is this HiFi system worth. HiFi system in question has reputable brand name, model number, documents, everything. IT IS FUCKING GOOGLE-ABLE AS IT CAN GET. Post doesn't get deleted. People in comments suggest prices.

WHAT IN THE FUCK?

Not a joke, that person tried to take over a Colorado sub from my wife. We both saw exactly what he was doing and refused.

Went to reddit, made an account so I could chat in the World Cup match threads

Was told I was unable to participate because my account was too new

This message also had a link to message the mods

Click the link, message the mods, explain that I am a human and I'm just here to chat about the World Cup

Mod responds, says my account is brand new, has zero karma, and sees I've not once posted in any other subs

Explain to the mod that I don't really like reddit and that I literally just made my account specifically to talk about the world cup

Got a nasty message back about how the mods don't have time to answer my messages and that if I don't like reddit that's a me problem

I respond explaining that if they don't have time to answer my messages then why is there a link to message them in the alert about being unable to post?

Muted

Refresh reddit. Red banner. My Account has been temporarily banned on reddit for 3 days for harassment

I've had reddit accounts in the past, but I had deleted my last one months ago. Only signed back up because of the world cup. Took maybe 30 minutes to get a sitewide ban and I only got to make one comment that didn't even show up on the site

Anyway, that's how I found this place. Although, the World Cup doesn't seem that popular here :(

I once got banned from several subs because of a comment I made in a totally unrelated sub, that some moderator saw, and was offended by.

I don't remember what it was, but it wasn't particularly offensive, and it wasn't even directed at that person, and the mod didn't even moderate that sub. They just saw it, disagreed, and then banned me from a bunch of subs they modded.

Let's also not forget the very manipulative and toxic stuff people did to take over some of the more fringe political subs.

I cant remember the full story but I remember a few years ago reading a wall of text explaining how like 3 users took over a block of conspiracy subs by getting the original owner banned and claiming the subs were unmoderated.

Use to be agasint the rules to ban cross subs for any and all reasons. Even if the subs where releated. Bans HAD to stay on the singular sub they where issued and the admins actually enforced it a lot of the time. Was a pita to report but you could get people reamed for doing it.

Somewhere around 2022-2023ish they removed the rule and things went to absolute shit.

Lol, piss off one of the Lemmy tankies and see what happens 😆

I asked a question once and got muted for life. When I asked why I was told that my participation in another sub proves that I'm a seller. I've never sold anything via reddit.

I'm banned from a bunch of random subs on here for joking that Jack Ma got disappeared for re-education. Power tripping mods are everywhere.

"Reddit moderators should be treated like celebrities" - Ex r/LiveStreamFail mod

Reddit has become complete dog shit, and you barely can even comment, when you are a new user.