Reddit may have just issued a final warning to moderators of subreddits that are still private. The company has reportedly given those moderators a deadline to confirm if they plan to reopen the communities. The deadline ends later today. The firm hasn’t revealed the next course of action for moderators who keep their Reddit communities closed beyond the deadline. But it has previously threatened to remove those who don’t comply with guidelines defined by the Moderator Code of Conduct.
“Per Rule 4 of the Moderator Code of Conduct, moderators are required to be active and engaged within their communities. Given this, we encourage you to reopen. Please let us know within the next 48 hours if you plan on re-opening,” part of the message moderators received from a Reddit admin reads. “This community remaining closed to its members cannot continue,” the admin added in a separate note to one of the biggest Reddit communities that is still private, The Verge reports.
“Wanting to take time to consider future moderation plans is fine, but that must be done in at least a ‘restricted’ setting. This community will not remain private beyond the timeframe we’ve allowed for confirmation of plans here,” the Reddit admin warned. Another moderator was told that continued violation of the rule “will result in further action.” It sure looks like a final warning. Today’s deadline is notable because several subreddits recently wrote an open letter to the company for a response to their demands and concerns by June 29, i.e., today.
The Reddit community wants third-party apps back
The said open letter asks Reddit to “commit to exploring ways by which third-party applications can make an affordable return,” among other things (via). Several popular Reddit apps are shutting down at the end of this month due to the company’s API updates that require them to pay a hefty fee (about $20 million a year for some) to continue their operations. The firm has so far shown little regard for public disappointment. CEO Steve Huffman has been critical of third-party developers as well as moderators protesting the changes.
More than 8,000 subreddits went dark or private in a mass protest that began on June 12. Most have since re-opened or at least switched from private to restricted. But some moderators are still fighting. Reddit has been pushing them to reopen, threatening to replace moderators who don’t comply. Some have given in under pressure, but the company wants all subreddits back to normal as if nothing happened. It remains to be seen what’s to come next. Reddit’s proposed API updates will go into effect on July 1, 2023.
2023-06-29 15:11:52