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Reddit continues to protect racist language in favor of free speech </h1>
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<figure id="gmail-attachment_1316788" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-alignnone gmail-is-above-byline"><img src="https://icdn6.digitaltrends.com/image/reddit-12-720x720.jpg" class="gmail-size-large gmail-wp-image-1316788 gmail-dt-lazy-loaded" alt="Reddit App"><figcaption class="gmail-wp-caption-text"><span></span> <span class="gmail-credit">Christian de Looper/Digital Trends</span></figcaption></figure>
<p class="gmail-is-above-byline">Reddit’s steadfast commitment to free speech is landing the company in hot water once again. A <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/reddit-to-get-new-ui-soon/">Reddit</a>
user questioned the site’s policies on whether posts containing racism
and racial slurs violate Reddit’s terms, and CEO Steve Huffman revealed
that said speech are permissible on the site, according to <a href="https://gizmodo.com/reddit-ceo-confirms-racial-slurs-are-just-fine-on-his-s-1825181021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gizmodo</a>.</p>
<p>“On Reddit, the way in which we think about speech is to separate
behavior from beliefs,” Huffman clarified. “This means on Reddit there
will be people with beliefs different from your own, sometimes extremely
so.”</p>
<p>It’s unclear if Huffman’s comments are representative of Reddit’s
company policy, but protection of hate speech can — and do — lead to
online harassment and <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/troll-insurance-protects-against-cyberbullying/">cyberbullying</a>. A recent study from Pew revealed that as many as <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/pew-research-online-harassment/">40 percent of Americans</a> have experienced some form of harassment online.</p>
<p>And even if hate speech may still be protected content on Reddit,
Huffman was quick to point out that any threat of violence is not
tolerated on the site. “When users actions conflict with our own content
policies, we take action,” he said. This distinction is consistent with
Reddit’s prior policies for enforcement. Previously, Reddit was under
fire when neo-Nazis used the site to incite violence. This prompted
Reddit to ban affected community pages and clarify its terms to prohibit
violence late last year.</p>
<p>“Going forward, we will take action against any content that
encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm
against an individual or a group of people; likewise we will also take
action against content that glorifies or encourages the abuse of
animals,” the updated terms read, noting that “context is key.”</p><div class="gmail-l-stardust-post--break-full gmail-dtads-hub"><div class="gmail-dtads-slot gmail-dtads-desktop gmail-dtads-slot-hub" id="gmail-dtads-1523543472622-2p8o"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/5611/dt.dgt.www_2__container__" style="border:0pt none;display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px"></div></div></div>
<p>At the time, spokeswoman Anna Soellner told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/us/reddit-violence-policy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>
that Reddit strives “to be a welcoming, open platform for all by
trusting our users to maintain an environment that cultivates genuine
conversation.</p>
<p>Reddit’s position on free speech — and its refusal to commit to an outright ban of hate speech — makes it one of the lone <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/what-is-reddit/">online communities</a>
in the digital age. Many of its peers, including Apple, Facebook,
Google, Instagram, YouTube, Microsoft, Twitch, Playstation, Xbox Live,
Steam, and Amazon — all have some policies prohibiting hate speech.
Outside of hate speech, Reddit has had to make recent changes to adapt
and grow with the internet, including removing communities that focus on
drug use, <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/craigslist-reddit-buckle-down-fosta-censorship/">sex work</a>, and <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/reddit-bans-illegal-communities/">illegal activities</a>.</p>
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<br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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