Reddit is seeing an increase in rule-breaking posts in “several communities” and has imposed a temporary ban on one in which users called for violence against people working for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE).
This community, r/WhitePeopleTwitter, was blocked for 72 hours on Tuesday. Screenshots posted on X show numerous examples of threatening posts. Musk later reposted the screenshots, claiming that the users had “broken the law.”
A note on the subreddit says it was banned “due to the prevalence of violent content” and that “incitement and glorification of violence or doxxing” violate Reddit’s rules. An unnamed Reddit administrator said the ban was meant to be a “cooling off period” for the community.
Reddit also imposed a full ban on a subreddit called r/IsElonDeadYet for violating its “anti-violent content” policy. An unnamed administrator said that Reddit was taking action “to ensure a safe environment for healthy discussion” in a post on r/RedditSafety.
“Reddit communities are places for civil discourse and one of the few places on the internet where people can share ideas and views,” the Reddit administrator wrote. “We want them to continue to be a place for healthy debate, regardless of the topic. Debate and dissent are welcome on Reddit, but threats and doxxing are not.”
When Reddit identifies communities with “an increasing amount of rule-breaking content,” the company says it contacts moderators, adds a pop-up to the subreddit reminding users of Reddit’s rules, and issues 72-hour bans when necessary.
Last month, many subreddits were banned for posting links to Company X, owned by Elon Musk. In this case, Reddit said that communities are free to implement these rules.
