Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Reddit has revised its policies to make cracking down on abuse easier. An administrator posted the new rules earlier today, saying that the “narrowness” of the earlier policy had reduced its effectiveness. These new changes broaden the definition of threats, harassment, and bullying, and they allow bystanders (not just victims) to report violations of the rules. Like previous changes, this gives Reddit greater leeway to police its platform, but it also creates confusion for users of the large and sometimes chaotic forum.
As administrator Landoflobsters lays out, Reddit previously defined harassment as “systematic and/or continued” behavior that made people fear for their “real life” safety. Now, Reddit proscribes “anything that works to…