The gigantic comments section that is Reddit.com has a longstanding problem with harassment and abuse, thanks in large to its anything goes attitude to free speech.
Now the company is taking active steps to do more about it without smacking the censorship button on the nose.
The firm is rolling out a new Block User button that will hide content from offending parties without letting them know they’ve been blocked.
Previously, the company had only offered the feature within private messages. The expansion of the blocking capabilities was explained by a Reddit engineer on Wednesday (via The Verge).
The engineer with the username KeyserSosa wrote: “You can now block users that reply to you in comment replies as well. Simply click the “Block User” button while viewing the reply in your inbox.
“You will no longer be alerted if they message you further. As before, the block is completely silent to the blocked user. Blocks can be viewed or removed on your preferences page here.”
Previously: Reddit introduces anti-bullying policies
Reddit says the changes are designed to help users decide what their own boundaries are, and what they choose to be exposed to on the site.
The company says this is only one of the ‘first steps towards improving the experience of using Reddit,’ with many more to be announced.
In reaction to the post, one commenter jibed: “But if I block users replying to me, how am I going to win all of these online arguments?”
Quite.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.