Reddit has officially taken a stance in regards to its problem of being an internet hub for white nationalism. On Wednesday night, the open-forum discussion website announced it would firmly crackdown on a subreddit for the "alt-right," a fringe right-wing movement that embraces authoritarianism, white nationalism and anti-feminism.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Reddit noted that the r/altright subreddit forum would be banned due to members posting the personal information of others with the intent of causing them harm. The practice is also referred to as doxxing.
"Reddit is the proud home to some of the most authentic conversations online. We strive to be a welcoming, open platform for all by trusting our users to maintain an environment that cultivates genuine conversation and adheres to our content policy," the statement read.
According to the Daily Beast, the altright subreddit allegedly had over 16,000 subscribers after President Donald Trump was sworn in.
In its statement, the company noted, "We are very clear in our site terms of service that posting of personal information can get users banned from Reddit and we ask our communities not to post content that harasses or invites harassment."
It adds, "We have banned r/altright due to repeated violations of the terms of our content policy. There is no single solution to these issues and we are actively engaging with the Reddit community to improve everyone's experience."
The Daily Beast spoke with a moderator for the altright subreddit just days before it was banned. The outlet asked whether the moderators thought Reddit's "politics would affect their space on the website."
Disbelieving that they could ever be banned, the moderator replied, "As a privately owned company, Reddit is free to operate as it pleases, and this is merely a continuation of what it's already been doing. Their policy hasn't changed. As such, we will continue to abide by it to the best of our abilities."
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