Reddit Transparency Report: Spam Battles & Limited Government Requests

Reddit's 2020 Transparency Report: A Detailed Overview

Reddit has released its transparency report for the year 2020, detailing key statistics concerning content removal, governmental requests, and various administrative procedures. The most substantial challenge, measured by sheer volume, remains spam, constituting a significant portion of all content that was taken down.

Key Findings from the Report

While requests for content removal and user data from legal authorities were comparatively fewer, they were nonetheless noteworthy in number. The complete report offers comprehensive reading, but the primary takeaways are summarized below.

From approximately 3.4 billion pieces of content generated on Reddit – encompassing posts, comments, and hosted images – a total of 233 million were removed. These figures represent a 20-30% increase compared to the numbers recorded in 2019.

Of the 233 million removals, 131 million were executed proactively by the AutoMod system. An additional 13.6 million were removed following reports submitted by moderators of individual subreddits.

Administered Content Removal

The remaining 85 million removals were carried out by Reddit administrators. An overwhelming 99.76% of these were categorized as either spam or “content manipulation,” including practices like brigading and astroturfing. Approximately 50,000 removals each were attributed to harassment, hate speech, and the sexualization of minors, with smaller numbers related to violent speech, doxing, and similar offenses.

The content removed by both AutoMod systems and human moderators is difficult to categorize in the same way. Initial assessments suggested comparability, but Reddit clarified this point, and the article has been adjusted accordingly.

Subreddit Removals and Policy Updates

A total of 82,858 subreddits were removed, marking a nearly fourfold increase from 2019. The primary reasons for these removals were a lack of moderation, followed by instances of hate speech, harassment, and ban evasion – such as the creation of successor subreddits after a ban.

When analyzing comment removals, hate speech, violence, and harassment were significantly more prevalent. Furthermore, 92% of the approximately 25,000 private messages removed were related to harassment.

It’s important to note that Reddit revised its policy regarding hateful content during a year marked by heightened instances of hate speech. Consequently, the figures presented in this report represent a new baseline and may not be directly comparable to those from previous years.

Ban Trends and Government Requests

For example, outside of spam and content manipulation, hate speech led to more account bans than any other violation. More accounts were permanently banned for hate speech in 2020 than for all reasons combined in 2019. (However, fewer bans were issued for content violations compared to spam and ban evasion.)

This represents an increase and a serious concern, but the shift in moderation practices also contributes to this trend.

Government requests for content removal were relatively limited. Reddit received a few hundred requests affecting around 5,000 pieces of content or subreddits. As an example, access to 753 subreddits was restricted for users in Pakistan due to local anti-obscenity laws.

Copyright and Law Enforcement Requests

Requests from individuals and companies for content removal numbered in the hundreds, while copyright takedown notices requested the removal of approximately half a million pieces of content (375,774 were removed), more than double the amount from 2019. Only a small number of DMCA counter-notices were submitted.

Law enforcement agencies contacted Reddit 611 times for user information, a 50% increase from the previous year. The company complied with 424 of these requests, which typically consisted of subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants.

Given Reddit’s nature as a platform where accounts can be anonymous or disposable, it’s challenging to determine the extent of disclosure represented by these requests. Emergency disclosure requests, numbering around 300, were largely honored – these pertain to situations where a Reddit account is involved in a life-or-death emergency.

Secret Requests and Overall Assessment

Reddit also received between 0 and 249 secret requests for data, targeting between 0 and 249 users, consistent with the previous year. Due to federal law, they are restricted from providing further details regarding FISA orders and National Security Letters.

In summary, the 2020 transparency report portrays Reddit as a growing community grappling with issues of spam and inauthentic activity, alongside a significant and increasing presence of hate speech, harassment, and other prohibited content. However, 2020 was an exceptional year for these issues.

Due to its limited access to personally identifiable information, Reddit is not a primary target for law enforcement and intelligence agencies. As alternatives to Reddit and other platforms emerge with a focus on “free speech,” it is likely that content previously removed from these platforms will find a new home elsewhere in 2021.

(This article has been updated to reflect the revised spam numbers based on the report’s data.)