After Reddit announced that it would be banning harassing subreddits last week, upset users are turning to Voat.co, a Swiss-based clone of Reddit that prides itself on allowing users to have their say.
Reddit is often touted as the front-page of the Internet and hosts thousands of active and prominent online communities. Promoting expression and cultivating discussion is of the utmost importance to Reddit, and a recent survey of over 15,000 Reddit users indicates that negative comments made by other users have made users too uncomfortable to participate in the community or even recommend Reddit to others. In order to promote ideas and protect people, Reddit interim CEO Ellen Pao announced a change in policy where harassing subreddits, such as fatpeoplehate, which has over 150,000 subscribers, will be banned.
Users have not responded well to this announcement. Former CEO of Reddit Yisan Wong said months ago that Reddit would not ban distasteful subreddits, and though Reddit aims to protect privacy and free expression, users are claiming that this new policy flies in the face of that.
Currently, five subreddits have been banned for harassment, and some users are claiming there is a double standard, as other subreddits such as skinnypeoplehate still remain active. Markus Persson, known as Notch, an Internet celebrity and the creator of Minecraft, has expressed his negative feelings towards this change as well:
I m overweight and was frequently offended by FPH on Reddit, so I blocked it. It being banned is ridiculous.
Voat.co has seen a great influx of users that are fleeing Reddit. Voat uses the same layout, format, and ranking system that Reddit is known for, and some of the prominent subreddits, such as nottheonion, have been recreated in Voat. Voat prides itself for being the place where you can have your say and states that there will be no censorship. Voat has been under numerous DDos attacks this past week, but thanks to donations from users, Voat says it will be able to switch to a new, more stable website infrastructure.
Though this announcement has caused great uproar in the the online community, Reddit seemingly continues unabated, where users are discussing this week s E3 announcements, such as Fallout 4, and AMAs from celebrities such as fun. s Nate Reuss and Hillary Duff.
At top: Reddit screenshot
