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Tag: Reddit

  • Reddit CEO Calls TikTok ‘Fundamentally Parasitic’

    Reddit CEO Calls TikTok ‘Fundamentally Parasitic’

    Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman had some choice words about popular Chinese social media app TikTok at the Social 2030 conference.

    Social 2030 is a one-day conference held by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Facebook VP of Product Sam Lessin’s VC firm Slow Ventures. According to TechCrunch, when asked if Silicon Valley startups could learn from the app, Huffman didn’t mince any words.

    “Maybe I’m going to regret this, but I can’t even get to that level of thinking with them,” Huffman said. “Because I look at that app as so fundamentally parasitic, that it’s always listening, the fingerprinting technology they use is truly terrifying, and I could not bring myself to install an app like that on my phone.”

    “I actively tell people, ‘Don’t install that spyware on your phone,’” he added later.

    TikTok has been under fire with allegations it poses security risks. The Pentagon issued guidance banning the app from the phones of military personnel, and TSA recently banned employees from using the app to post videos on behalf of the agency. The company behind TikTok is also being sued for allegedly recording and uploading videos to China without permission.

    If Huffman’s strong words are any indication, it seems public perception may finally be turning against the app.

  • Twitter Tackles Deceptive Information and Manipulated Media

    Twitter Tackles Deceptive Information and Manipulated Media

    Following Facebook and Reddit, Twitter has unveiled new rules governing how it will handle deceptive information and manipulated media.

    Social media platforms are increasingly under pressure to moderate misleading information on their platforms. With an upcoming election the pressure is even greater, as a single well-timed, misleading post could have profound repercussions. Following similar announcements from Facebook and Reddit, Twitter has announced its own policy to tackle the issue.

    The company detailed the new rule in a blog post:

    “You may not deceptively share synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm. In addition, we may label Tweets containing synthetic and manipulated media to help people understand the media’s authenticity and to provide additional context.”

    In a chart the company uses, there are three prime factors that will determine how Twitter responds: media that is significantly and deceptively altered or fabricated; media that’s shared in a deceptive manner; and whether the media will cause serious harm or impact public safety.

    The company admits they may make mistakes as the policy starts being enforced on March 5, 2020.

    “This will be a challenge and we will make errors along the way — we appreciate the patience. However, we’re committed to doing this right. Updating our rules in public and with democratic participation will continue to be core to our approach.

    We’re working to serve the public conversation, and doing our work openly and with the people who use our service.”

  • Reddit One-Ups Facebook With Its Deepfake Policy

    Reddit One-Ups Facebook With Its Deepfake Policy

    On the heels of Facebook’s announcement it would ban AI-driven deepfakes, but not traditionally created shallow fakes, Reddit has announced a broader and more nuanced policy that demonstrates far more common sense.

    Facebook’s policy has already been criticized for not doing enough to combat deepfakes, where images or videos of a person can be manipulated or even superimposed in an effort to show them saying or doing something they are not. While AI-enabled deepfakes are the most convincing, and almost impossible to detect, traditionally generated shallow fakes can be almost as convincing. Facebook’s failure to address the latter leaves the social media platform open to further manipulation.

    Reddit, on the other hand, is focusing more on intent than a legalistic “do this, don’t do that” approach. A post on the site laid out their approach:

    “ Do not impersonate an individual or entity in a misleading or deceptive manner.

    “Reddit does not allow content that impersonates individuals or entities in a misleading or deceptive manner. This not only includes using a Reddit account to impersonate someone, but also encompasses things such as domains that mimic others, as well as deepfakes or other manipulated content presented to mislead, or falsely attributed to an individual or entity. While we permit satire and parody, we will always take into account the context of any particular content.”

    As the above statement indicates, satire and parody are safe. Another part of the post makes that even clearer: “This doesn’t apply to all deepfake or manipulated content– just that which is actually misleading in a malicious way. Because believe you me, we like seeing Nic Cage in unexpected places just as much as you do.”

    Reddit’s approach, especially compared to Facebook, is a refreshing, common sense approach the other social media platforms would do well to follow.

  • Reddit Announces New Rules to Fight Bullying and Harassment

    Reddit Announces New Rules to Fight Bullying and Harassment

    Shortly after Twitter announced new measures to protect users from online abuse, Reddit has unveiled new rules designed to help moderators combat bullying and abuse on their platform.

    Reddit moderator landoflobsters, explained the new policy in a post to /r/announcements. In the post, landoflobsters detailed how the previous policy required bad behavior to be “continued” or “systematic” before moderators had authority to take action. Similarly, the threshold for someone who feared for their safety due to harassment was set too high, nor was it clear whether the same rules applied to individuals and groups. The end result was that Reddit quickly became a haven for trolls.

    With the site’s new rules, moderators will be able to act much faster to protect users. In particular, the new rules take a “big picture” approach to moderating.

    “The changes we’re making today are trying to better address that, as well as to give some meta-context about the spirit of this rule: chiefly, Reddit is a place for conversation,” said landoflobsters. “Thus, behavior whose core effect is to shut people out of that conversation through intimidation or abuse has no place on our platform.”

    Reddit will also accept reports of abuse from bystanders, rather than requiring the individual being harassed to report it. The goal is to reduce any additional burden on someone who may already be suffering distress.

    The announcement also goes on to explain that Reddit will be using more machine learning tools to sort and prioritize human reports. While humans will still make the decisions about whether behavior rises to the level requiring banning, machine learning will make it easier for human moderators to deal with the volume.

    Towards the end of the announcement, landoflobsters cautions that “as with any rule change, this will take some time to fully enforce. Our response times have improved significantly since the start of the year, but we’re always striving to move faster. In the meantime, we encourage moderators to take this opportunity to examine their community rules and make sure that they are not creating an environment where bullying or harassment are tolerated or encouraged.”

  • New Funding Round Values Reddit at an Astounding $3 Billion

    New Funding Round Values Reddit at an Astounding $3 Billion

    Reddit announced a new $300 funding round valuing the company at an astounding $3 billion. The valuation is amazing considering that Reddit has been around for quite a while and is presumably past its high growth phase. Reddit was founded in 2005, a year after Facebook and a year before Twitter.

    Half of that investment is coming from China video game producer Tencent, raising concerns from some about censorship possibilities. Reddit is currently banned in China.

    Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit, discusses the new funding round in an interview on CNBC:

    We are reinventing the ads business both on the technology side and our ability to sell it and to create a friendly home for users and brands alike. We’ve made steady progress on all of these fronts over the last year. We feel pretty proud of where we are. As a result, we’re seeing a lot of attention from both brands and investors.

    When we’re talking about competing for ad dollars, of course, we’re talking about Facebook and Google who take up the vast majority of ad spend. But when we think about our competitors, I half-jokingly but truthfully say, we’re competing with anywhere people spend their free time.

    They (Tencent) are investing in lots of videogame companies and video games are one of many categories that are really popular on Reddit. But the fact of the matter is we are the only company at our scale that’s still a private company. We’ve had a lot of investor intention in the last year. So we find ourselves in a good position to kind of get something done right now.


  • Zeus Living CEO on How the Startup is Reimagining Housing

    Zeus Living CEO on How the Startup is Reimagining Housing

    The Zeus Living online platform is a new take on the $12 billion corporate housing industry, leasing unfurnished, privately-owned homes and convert them into ‘expertly appointed, convenient, and full-service corporate housing units’ for extended stay travelers. It feels like an Airbnb for extended stays, whether it’s for business relocation or simply a new ‘lighter’ way to live.

    Zeus describes it this way:

    There’s a better way to live and own. We’re using technology, data, and a human touch to build a new light-living experience for residents and homeowners everywhere.

    The service is currently in 3 cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. Zeus is funded by Initalized Capital, a venture capital fund co-founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

    Kulveer Taggar of Zeus Living discussed the startup on CNBC:

    Focusing on Digital Native Millennials

    We are noticing digital native millennials, they want to be a bit more asset light, they want more flexibility, and they want more mobility. So we are providing them a rental solution where they don’t have to sign up for a 12-month lease, they don’t have to sign up for an unfurnished place, and everything is tech-enabled and conveniently set up for them.

    There are two facets to our business. The way we get our homes is we are positioned as a property manager for homeowners. The idea is we provide managed ownership. You get all of the benefits of owning a home without the headaches of managing a property. We will sign a two-year lease, then we will furnish the home and then market them to other people to live in. The homes come pretty beautifully designed so the expectation is that you probably don’t want to do a ton of redecorating.

    Zeus is an Alternative to Extended Stay Hotels

    Since we have actually started the business the rental market has softened by about 15 percent in the San Francisco Bay area, which is where we started. What we found is that as prices actually come down the amount we pay to the homeowners reduces as well. It’s on us to do the math as to what we think the market is going to do and then in the price that we are offering homeowners we factor all of those things in. We have a lot of people and businesses that use us for relocations and we are actually a lot more affordable than hotels, extended stay hotels, or traditional corporate housing.

  • Reddit Co-Founder: Every Businesses is Going to Have to Be a Software Business

    Reddit Co-Founder: Every Businesses is Going to Have to Be a Software Business

    The co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, says that every business is going to have to be a software business. “Our beliefs still remains that every business is going to have to be a software business in some way, shape, or form,” Ohanian told CNBC. “For us to be able to make these investments on bright engineers building software solutions still feels like the right long-term play. We noticed the turning point in the last couple of years where the C-Suite all got on Instagram.”

    “What I mean by that is they got exposed to it and there’s now a broad use of world-class software for really trivial stuff,” said Ohanian. “Once enough execs have spent time looking at selfies on Instagram, of their kids or their grandkids, they come back to work they sit at their desk and they look at the software that they’re using and that their companies are using and they can’t believe how antiquated is by comparison.”

    “So we’re seeing this new trend in startups that are selling direct to the enterprise level from jump,” explained the Reddit co-founder. “They’re people who left that world, see the problems, and are saying I can build a better solution and I’m just going to sell it back to my old buddies and then hopefully the rest of the industry. Whereas ten years ago, if you were starting Dropbox as Drew was, you’d be trying to sell the basic $10 a month package to some little startup.”

    Ohanian says that today, companies realize this existential need and startups are now able to sell to enterprise direct.

    About Alexis Ohanian:

    Alexis Ohanian was the co-founder of Reddit, one of the first social media companies in the world. He is also a bestselling author and he is currently co-founder & managing partner of Initialized Capital that focuses on very early stage VC ($22B in market value so far).

  • How to Use Reddit to Get More Traffic to Your Website and Boost Your Sales

    How to Use Reddit to Get More Traffic to Your Website and Boost Your Sales

    If you aren’t familiar with Reddit, your first visit to the website may feel a bit intimidating. Not only does it have the appearance of an old-school forum dating back from the early 2000s, but it also has a reputation for having users who don’t take kindly to blatant self-promoters. But dismissing Reddit as a vialble traffic source would be a mistake. For one, the site is not as intimidating as it looks, and it also boasts a massive online community with more than 330 million monthly active users. And according to Alexa.com, Reddit ranks as the #20 most-visited website in 2018. That’s a lot of eyeballs and potential traffic for your site.

    The site also has countless subcategories called “subreddits.” Whatever your business niche is, chances are it’s on Reddit. As such, Reddit can be a powerful source for driving traffic to your website once you understand how the site works and how to use it without provoking the ire of staunch Redditors.

    What is Reddit?

    Reddit is a social news website and discussion forum wherein content is curated and promoted by the site members themselves. It’s a place to explore, share, and discuss literally anything and everything. There are forums for eCommerce, marketing, small business, and even more mundane topics like trout fishing and board games.

    The site is comprised of millions of communities called “subreddits.” Each subreddit starts with /r/. For example, /r/boardgames is a community of people who love and discuss board games.

    Reddit - Subreddit page layout

    The front page or homepage shows the different trending posts taken from the subreddits. A button on the upper left sorts the posts by category, whether they’re hot, controversial, or new. There’s also a search bar at the top where you can find the subreddits and posts for a specific topic.

    Anyone with a Reddit profile can create a subreddit as long as it follows the site’s ground rules. Every post has up and down arrows, and users click on them to upvote or downvote. The number of votes determines the post’s visibility.

    The site is ruled by administrators and managed by moderators. Both have the power to edit subreddits, monitor and remove posts, or ban users.

    3 Ways to Use Reddit to Get More Sales and Traffic

    The important thing to remember about Reddit is that it’s a community, and its members hate blatant attempts at advertising. But there are ways to access this huge community to generate more traffic and boost your sales.

    1. Strive for Transparency.

    One of the main reasons people go to Reddit is to ask questions and get information. Companies can use Redditors’ need for answers by asking questions that will help you understand your target demographic. If you run a startup or small business, you could ask Redditors their opinion on how to further market your product. The answers you receive could give you vital information regarding prospective customers and also gave you new marketing ideas. Meanwhile, Reddit users will become more aware of your product.

    2. Engage Other Redditors in Conversation.

    Interaction is important on Reddit. It’s considered bad form if you just post a question or comment and then ignore the ensuing comments. A better strategy would be to stick around, thank members for their answers and engage in a conversation. This give and take will generate a lot of attention for your account.

    3. Make Posts Entertaining.

    Another reason people go to Reddit is to be entertained. Posting an amusing or entertaining ad or comment can build brand awareness, improve your image, and build customer loyalty. IKEA made history with its ad for a free crib for babies born nine months from Valentine’s Day. The company technically wasn’t selling any product but the post received two million views and had more than a thousand comments.

    Reddit’s marketing potential is unmatched, as long as you know how to tap this market. Subtlety is the keyword when dealing with this site. Companies should avoid blatantly advertising their product and instead use Redditors’ desire for information and entertainment to their advantage.

  • Reddit Hits 1 Billion Monthly Video Views, Offers New Opportunities for Advertisers

    Reddit Hits 1 Billion Monthly Video Views, Offers New Opportunities for Advertisers

    Reddit made some big changes last year, with a redesign of its website and the launch of a native video feature optimized exclusively for the site’s new look. Now their risky move is paying off, as the company is reportedly getting an average of a billion video views a month. Reddit is now hoping the impressive number of views will get the platform on more marketers’ radars.

    While the company allows creators to share videos from services like Youtube, the extraordinary milestone pertains solely to Reddit’s proprietary player, which now accounts for the majority of video views on the platform.

    According to Reddit data, users have uploaded or posted a grand total of 996,000 native videos in September. The company also claims a 38 percent growth in native videos since January and that 20 percent of its 330 million active monthly users upload or watch videos regularly. There are also more than 400,000 hours of native hosted videos being served daily while 13 million hours of video are watched per month.

    Advertisers should count this rise in video views as a positive thing, even though Reddit has not been actively monetizing their videos with in-stream ads yet. But Reddit has been dispersing their autoplay video ads in their subreddits and feeds.

    Reddit’s ad revenue has tripled since 2015 and Christine Cassis, the company’s senior communications manager, confirmed on Reddit’s official blog that their video ads are now enjoying 2.3 times more conversions than static ads. Some campaigns have even garnered 3.5 times higher engagement levels. As a matter of fact, the view rates of Reddit’s video ads are on par with that of Facebook.

    The company’s beta video marketers have also noticed a significant boost in key metrics, like purchase intent and brand favorability. A recent Milward Brown study even indicated that Reddit’s videos are performing better than the industry’s average with regards to digital ads.

    There’s so much potential for video ads on Reddit. Consider this – about 10,000 active communities on the platform are using native videos, and 20 percent of all users regularly watch or post videos. According to the company’s VP of Product, Alex Le, this increased usage of video has all been organic.

    “We have seen over time more and more people incorporating videos into the way they are having conversation on Reddit,” Le said.

    Despite its impressive performance, Reddit still has a long way to go. The company is still a text-heavy platform and to successfully integrate video on its threads requires a massive change in Redditors’ mentality. It also means the company has to step up and ensure that their video hosting system is better than other platforms.

    [Featured image via Twitter]

  • Facebook is Now Testing a Reddit-Like ‘Downvote’ Feature

    Facebook is Now Testing a Reddit-Like ‘Downvote’ Feature

    Facebook has plans to broaden your options on how to react to posts on its platform. Adding to its popular “Like” button, it is now experimenting with another button that allows you to express your displeasure of a post.

    Facebook is finally giving in to users’ long-running request for a way to show their disapproval of a post. Being tested by a small group of users is a new “downvote” button which, according to the company, is a way to “give us feedback about comments on public page posts.”

    At the moment, the testing is currently running for only five percent of U.S.-based Android users. It’s also still unclear whether the feature being tested will be rolled out to the rest of the social media platform’s users.

    Facebook insists that the new feature is not just another name for the long-rumored “Dislike” button. Apparently, it works similarly to the Reddit feature that also allows users to downvote comments on public posts.

    The similarities to the Reddit format did not go unnoticed by the platform’s co-founder Alexis Ohanian Sr., who tweeted in response: “Sincerest form of flattery! Wish I’d trademarked it and ‘upvote’ when I came up with it.”

    However, a Facebook spokesperson told Engadget that the feature will not work the same way as Reddit’s similarly named feature. For instance, users won’t be able to see just how many downvotes a comment receives. And, unlike Reddit, comments with a lot of downvotes won’t be buried in a thread. The spokesperson also pointed out that users can still express their disapproval of a post by making use of one of its various emojis.

    Ever since the “Like” button was introduced, Facebook users have been longing for its exact opposite – a “Dislike” button that will let them vent how they feel about a particular post. However, the company has been reluctant to give users what they want due to fears that the introduction of such button might have negative consequences. For instance, people can abuse it by simply using the button to anything they don’t agree with regardless of whether or not a comment or post is inappropriate or misleading.

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • When Fake News is Real News and Real News is Fake News

    When Fake News is Real News and Real News is Fake News

    All of this talk about fake news is starting to take root into the mainstream news bubble as if it were true, which it isn’t in any discernible or meaningful way. We are already seeing social media and left leaning groups circling the wagons to make the fake news about fake news turn into censorship of real news that they politically disagree with.

    After all, it’s tempting for the left to want to shut up the right because they correctly see in Trump’s victory that the right can now effectively bypass the left’s long-term news filter and take their political arguments directly to their base and to voters in general.

    Facebook, Google, Reddit, Twitter and the mainstream media had better be very correct when censoring so-called “fake news” or they will risk a huge backlash from the conservative majority in this country. That means that censoring obvious fake news that can be proven might be okay with most people (not me), but censoring news about pay to play deals in the Clinton Foundation or disagreement on the existence and causes of global warming or quietly deleting social posts that discuss things the liberal media doesn’t think are true is simply not acceptable.

    The big internet media companies and the mainstream press should realize that if only one side of the political spectrum is censored then just maybe new laws are needed to stop them from doing this.

    Wikileaks has proven as real news that CNN, NBC, NYT and many others were colluding with the Democrats in order to help them get elected. That was fake news that was proven to be real news. Yet, they hardly covered it, so that unless a CNN viewer saw it on social media or a conservative news outlet they would probably rightly think it was fake news.

    If you only watched CNN or a few other left leaning news sources you would probably think it was real news that Breitbart News is a racist white nationalist news site. That’s actually fake news, totally disproven by the lack of evidence presented by it’s mainstream news libelists and even some honorable liberals.

    Even Fox News now says its is the policy of their network that global warming is real and is caused by humans. There are thousands of scientists who disagree with this mainstream consensus, none of Al Gore’s scientific predictions have came true and it’s a fact that data has been adjusted on multiple occasions to fit the narrative of warming and the majority of American’s think it is a non-issue.

    Will opposing man caused global warming be considered fake news by the social media giants and the mainstream news organizations? If you look at the lefts censorship patterns it certainly will.

    For instance, the LA Times banned disagreement with this “settled science”. If media leaves no room for disagreement on a scientific argument is it no longer science and instead simply faith? If the warmests are eventually shown to be wrong does their real news then become fake news?

    In other words, there is often less than 100% chance that your real news might be my fake news and visa-versa. All I’m saying is be careful big social and big media, because in general… censorship is usually not a good idea.

    Donald Trump suggested the idea that millions voted illegally for Clinton and he was chided by the media as a pusher of fake news. How do they know that? Well, they just do… no evidence is needed to say with 100% certainty that millions didn’t vote illegally. Maybe they are right, but what if they aren’t?

    The media acts as if this is totally outlandish and so-called fake news while ignoring the evidence that says it could be true. Project Veritas released several hidden 60 Minutes style undercover videos that show that Democrat operatives are encouraging and aiding in illegal voting.

    The State of California is run by liberal Democrats who have given every illegal resident a drivers license and allows registration at their DMV and does not allow asking anybody who votes for ID or about their legal status. Why wouldn’t conservatives like Trump believe that there are millions of illegal voters in California who likely voted for Clinton?

    These reasons are why 60% of Republicands believe that there are substantial numbers of illegal immigrants voting and therefore canceling out their legal votes.

    There are in fact studies and surveys that show that illegal immigrants do vote and possibly as many as 3 million. True or not, who knows, but it certainly shouldn’t be considered fake news since there is at least some evidence to support the accusation. Fake news should not be a political opinion or simply an opinion of the majority.

    Unless it’s calling a dog a cat, then publications should let the people debate it, share it on social and practice their First Amendment right to make their case.

  • Reddit for iPhone and Reddit for Android Get Official Launch

    Reddit for iPhone and Reddit for Android Get Official Launch

    Reddit finally announced the launch of official mobile apps for iPhone and Android, which are available in the App Store and Google Play Store respectively. Earlier this year, Reddit announced the apps, but users can now go download them.

    The plan was to build an Android app and revamp the Alien Blue iPhone app, but they ended up just building the iPhone app from scratch too. The apps are now officially called Reddit for Android and Reddit for iPhone. Simpler and less confusing for those who don’t necessarily keep up.

    The apps feature inline images, a night theme, compact and card views, and simpler navigation. Alex Le, who joined Reddit five months ago as the VP of Consumer Products (he assures users he’s been a user for 8 years), announced the news.

    “This is the beginning of our journey with you, our app users,” he says. “For everyone joining us on this ride, you can expect a lot of updates and new features that we’ll be rolling out to mobile first. Our first feature releases are getting prepared now and we’ll be updating at least once a month. Of course, if you already have an app you like, you’re free to continue enjoying it. We will continue to support our free public api.”

    He’s taking feedback and questions in this thread, so if you have something to say, don’t hesitate.

    The apps are available in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

    Image via Google Play

  • Reddit Announces Android App Beta, New iOS App to Follow

    Reddit Announces Android App Beta, New iOS App to Follow

    Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced on the site today that the company is putting out an Android app (in beta) today with a new iOS app to follow.

    The announcement is just casually noted in a longer post about Reddit in 2016. It talks about issues the site has faced and continues to face. From the post (via TechCrunch):

    Spam and abuse threaten Reddit’s communities. We created a Trust and Safety team to focus on abuse at scale, which has the added benefit of freeing up our Community team to focus on the positive aspects of our communities. We are still in transition, but you should feel the impact of the change more as we progress. We know we have a lot to do here.

    I believe we have positioned ourselves to have a strong 2016. A phrase we will be using a lot around here is “Look Forward.” Reddit has a long history, and it’s important to focus on the future to ensure we live up to our potential. Whether you access it from your desktop, a mobile browser, or a native app, we will work to make the Reddit product more engaging. Mobile in particular continues to be a priority for us. Our new Android app is going into beta today, and our new iOS app should follow it out soon.

    This isn’t great news for all of the unofficial Reddit-reading apps out there that have been filling the void, but for many users, it is long overdue.

    The app doesn’t appear to be in the Google Play store yet, but presumably it will be soon.

    Image via reddit (Facebook)

  • Serena Williams Is Dating Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian, Apparently

    Serena Williams Is Dating Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian, Apparently

    Serena Williams and Drake? Nah. Apparently, the tennis superstar has found love in a much more unlikely place – reddit.

    We turn to US Weekly for the exclusive report. According to the gossip mag, Serena Williams is now dating reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

    Let’s dive in:

    Although Williams, 34, was recently linked to Drake, a second source says it was simply a “flirty friendship.” Now, the tennis pro is making love part of her routine, bringing her new guy, 32, to her workout at the Los Angeles School of Gymnastics on Saturday, Oct. 24. Says an onlooker, “He called her babe and they held hands.”

    Ohanian has even been getting into her sport of choice. Says the source, “He said he’d never been into tennis until they started dating!”

    Well, they must’ve been dating for some time, US Weekly. Here’s Ohanian singing Serena Williams’ praises back in May.

    What to believe, what to believe?

  • Russia Bans Wikipedia Over Drug Article, Promptly Reverses Course After Edits

    Russia Bans Wikipedia Over Drug Article, Promptly Reverses Course After Edits

    Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (basically its internet watchdog) has been in the news quite a bit lately. The regulatory body seems to be scouring the web, looking to block certain sites of content it deems harmful – which as of late has all related to drugs.

    Now, over the past couple of days, the Russian agency directed Internet Service Providers to block a certain Wikipedia page, ISPs responded by doing what they could do (which was block all of Wikipedia for a brief time), and Roskomnadzor then lifted the ban after significant editing to the specific article.

    Roskomnadzor was upset over a Wikipedia article about hashish. On Monday, it sent out a decree instructing ISPs to block access to the article. To comply with the order, ISPs were forced to block the entirety of Wikipedia because its “secure communication protocol doesn’t allow the blocking of individual articles,” according to Roskomnadzor.

    But after edits to the article of which Roskomnadzor found satisfactory, the ban was lifted.

    “Unexpectedly, confirmation has arrived from Roskomnadzor that the entry on Charas has been excluded from the register of banned sites,” Wikimedia Russia executive director Stas Kozlovsky said.

    This isn’t the first time in recent memory the Russian watchdog has blocked access to major sites over drug content.

    Roskomnadzor sent out the order to block reddit on August 12th. The government was upset over a post about the “cultivation of narcotic plants” – more specifically mushrooms. Officials said they had been trying to get in touch with reddit about removing the offending thread – but didn’t hear back. So they blocked reddit.

    But reddit soon complied with the request to block the “offending” post and Russia authorities unblocked the site. This led to the revelation that reddit will, in practice, block content in certain countries to “preserve the existence of reddit in those regions.”

  • Reddit Will Block Content in Certain Countries, Has Already Done So in Germany and Russia

    Reddit Will Block Content in Certain Countries, Has Already Done So in Germany and Russia

    Reddit has confirmed that it will locally block content if it receives a “valid request from and authorized entity.”

    The policy confirmation comes after the company blocked a specific thread about growing psychoactive mushrooms in Russia. The country’s Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, Roskomnadzor, temporarily banned reddit earlier in the week. Blocking the specific post was required of reddit in order to get the entire site unblocked.

    Reddit also revealed that it has blocked the entire r/WatchPeopleDie subreddit in Germany.

    According to the company, it censored the specific content in Germany and Russia in order to “preserve the existence of reddit in those regions.”

    It’s clear that in reddit’s mind, having most of the site available is better than taking a stand and winding up having no reddit in some countries.

    Here’s the full statement from reddit:

    This week, Reddit received valid legal requests from Germany and Russia requesting the takedown of content that violated local law. As a result, /r/watchpeopledie was blocked from German IPs, and a post in /r/rudrugs was blocked from Russian IP’s in order to preserve the existence of reddit in those regions. We want to ensure our services are available to users everywhere, but if we receive a valid request from an authorized entity, we reserve the right to restrict content in a particular country. We will work to find ways to make this process more transparent and streamlined as Reddit continues to grow globally.

    Of course, reddit is far from the only tech company than institutes regional bans on content. Google does it. Twitter does it. Facebook does it. But that doesn’t mean reddit users are going to be happy about this. When it comes to any form of censorship – no matter the circumstance – you can expect a pretty loud pushback from at least some of the site’s population.

  • Russia Unblocks Reddit After Dustup over Shroom Post

    Russia Unblocks Reddit After Dustup over Shroom Post

    On Wednesday afternoon, Russia added reddit to its registry of blocked sites.

    And as of early Thursday morning, reddit has been removed from the blocked sites list.

    After warning that it was considering it, Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, sent out the order to block reddit on August 12th. The government was upset over a post about the “cultivation of narcotic plants” – more specifically mushrooms. Officials said they had been trying to get in touch with reddit about removing the offending thread – but didn’t hear back. So they blocked reddit.

    Apparently, reddit complied with the request to block the “offending” post and Russia authorities have unblocked the site. Unless you’re in Russia, you can check out the specific post here. It’s two years old.

    Here’s what Roskomnadzor had to say on Russian social network VKontakte:

    We thank all who by their activity on the Web has prompted administrators to listen to reddit Roskomnadzor. Aug. 13 on the administration of the resource on the “hot line” of the Federal Service received a letter, which reported on the termination of access to the territory of Russia to the forbidden information. The requirement Roskomnadzor validated inspection. In connection with this page removed from the Register of illegal information. Given that this illegal article two years ago to notify Roskomnadzor has removed one of the pages on reddit, and then appeared on the other hand, we expect that the administration of resources will continue to listen to the demands of regulatory authorities Russia in the interests of large Russian audience.

    According to redditors on the r/russia subreddit, reddit it fully accessible in Russia – except for the page in question.

    The user responsible for the mushroom-tutorial recently posted in reddit’s popular r/TIFU (Today I Fucked Up) subreddit, saying TIFU by getting Reddit banned in Russia.

    “In Russia, there is a law which allow Roskomnadzor, Russian censorship agency, to block any website without court rulling. Two years ago I tested how RKN react to abuse on popular websites/crazy abuses. On of that websites was Reddit,” they say.

    “One thing I learned is that RKN doesn’t want to block popular websites. They respond me that this content is illegal and they blocked it, but they weren’t. It was on 05/21/2013. On 10st Aug 2015 they posted a call to help them contact Reddit administration to official VK page. Funny thing, but they called Psilocybe a plant. Several hours ago they reported that Reddit is blocked in Russia. Seems like things changed.”

  • Reddit Is Now Banned in Russia

    Reddit Is Now Banned in Russia

    Well, it looks like they weren’t lying.

    After warning that it was considering it, Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, has sent out the order to block reddit.

    Apparently, the government is upset over a post about the “cultivation of narcotic plants.”

    Officials said they had been trying to get in touch with reddit about removing the offending thread – but didn’t hear back.

    Now, according to a tweet from Roskomnadzor, the site is banned:

    From a redditor on r/russia, here’s what they see when they attempt to access reddit via ISP Seven Sky:

    Screen Shot 2015-08-12 at 4.17.43 PM

    Here’s what Roskomnadzor’s original complaint said, via Google translate:

    At the request of Federal Drug Control Service is ready to make the registry page of the site reddit, which posted an article on the cultivation of narcotic plants. Notifications to the requirement to remove the information sent to multiple addresses resource, but no response is still not forthcoming, although earlier treatment from us in the administration treated full. We assume that during the August holidays someone is too relaxed, but this should not be a reason to venture readership. Those who have contacts with the administration – ask them to check your mail for letters from Roskomnadzor otherwise due the technical features of a number of operators may block the entire site.

    it was assumed that the Russian regulatory agency was referring to a post about pot, but Meduza reports that the thread was actually titled “Minimal and Reliable Methods for Growing Psilocybe [Mushrooms].”

  • Infographic Explores What The Reddit AMA Can Teach Us About Marketing

    Infographic Explores What The Reddit AMA Can Teach Us About Marketing

    The reddit AMA has proven to be a great marketing vehicle for people trying to promote projects they’re involved in, at least for those who are associated with interesting projects (past or present), but what can this Q&A format teach you about marketing in general?

    A new infographic from Udemy seeks to answer just that.

    “Online marketing strategies can include traditional outbound marketing tactics as well as more modern inbound approaches, but regardless of how you handle online promotion, it’s important to keep adapting and improving your approach to maintain effective communication with your audience. Sometimes the best way of broadening your marketing approach is to examine how successful marketing is accomplished in less conventional places,” the firm says. “Reddit’s popular Ask Me Anything subreddit (r/iAMA) is the perfect example of how ‘brands’ (in this case, personal brands) can productively interact with their audiences and experience promotional benefits while also providing the value readers are looking for. We analyzed some of the most popular recent AMAs to determine what makes them so engaging and what marketers overall can learn from the exchange.”

    There are some pretty interesting takeaways here:

    Despite some recent turmoil over on reddit, even specifically related to r/iAMA, the subreddit is still home to plenty of Q&As on a regular basis. You might want to stop in and peruse what others have done to get some ideas.

    Image via Udemy

  • Here, Let a Drunk Redditor Explain the Google / Alphabet Thing

    Here, Let a Drunk Redditor Explain the Google / Alphabet Thing

    You may have heard that Google did some restructuring and is now a part of of a larger company called Alphabet.

    You may also be a bit confused about the whole thing.

    Long story short, Larry Page is now the CEO of Alphabet, which now controls Google – but also Nest, Calico, Fiber, and all the other companies that used to be under “Google”. Sundar Pichai has been named the new CEO of Google, which still operates the core businesses like Android, YouTube, Maps, search, and ads.

    Nevermind. Just read this description from a drunk person.

    From reddit user lililililiililililil:

    Let’s say I’m a dad of like, let’s say, 3 kids. And they’ve all got some pretty solid skills with some instruments. You’ve got Johnny on the guitar, Samantha on the drums, and Lisa slapping up the bass. So they get the idea of making a little band, and what do you know? It’s pretty damn good. Everyone’s playing together well and they’ve got a good harmony going on. They decide to call their little band Google and I start inviting over some neighborhood parents to the living room to see them play once a week.

    Everything is going well and I say, fuck it, time for another kid. So I just go out and buy another kid or something because that’s how the world works in this story. So little Brian joins the family and guess what? He’s fucking good at the guitar too. He’s got a bit of a different sound but it works with the band and all of the parents who come over that week are impressed.

    I say, fuck it, time for another kid and go back to the kid store and get another one. So little Girthantheklops (fuck you, it’s my kid. I’ll name it what I want.) She doesn’t really like instruments that much, but she likes slapping together some shit and she’s into being in the band. So we get her some wood blocks and she meshes pretty well in the band with some well-timed clickity-clacks here and there. Parents that week are stil impressed, but a little unsure if wood blocks is starting to get a bit away from the rest of the band. But they’re still digging it and Girthantheklops really is doing some good work on the clackers.

    Fuck it, kid store, get new kid. Fucking name it BootsShoes. Welcome to the family, BootShoes. Well he doesn’t like any instruments. Can’t even keep a beat. But he wants in the band somehow. Turns out BootShoes is super into culinary crafts. So parents come over that week and we’ve got Johnny on guitar, Samantha on drums, Lisa slapping bass, and Brian on rhythm guitar just rocking away. Girthantheklops is hitting all the right marks but it still seems a bit off in this kind of band. And then we’ve got BootsShoes up in front towards the left wearing an apron and chopping fucking onions.

    Parents are getting a bit confused here. And their attention is being divided. On one hand you’ve got a kickass band rocking out, and then you’ve got a kid chopping onions and tomatoes and shit like a fucking pro. The band is better than ever, but the parents can’t help but to feel like something is a bit off here and they’re wondering if they’re going to keep coming.

    So I buy a nice, new big house at the house store and move the whole family in. I keep the original band in the living room during our odd weekly showings that for some reason other parents are actually consistently coming to and move Brian into the den where he gets his own, new band with a different sound up and running. I put Girthantheklops in the dining room and set her up with a nice smooth sounding orchestra. I put BootsShoes into the fucking kitchen, because Jesus Christ kid, you can’t be in a band. You chop fucking onions. That’s not an instrument, that’s fucking breakfast. And only one part of it. But goddamn can you cut onions, son. I’m proud of you.

    So now the parents just walk to whatever room they’re most interested in and it looks like we’ve got some nice organization and direction under one roof. Just had to create a little distance between all of these talented (onions?! Fuck man.) kids.

    Get it?

  • Russia Threatens to Block Reddit over Drug Post

    Russia Threatens to Block Reddit over Drug Post

    Russia, which has a history of threatening to block access to certain sites over seemingly ridiculous reasons, is now considering a ban on reddit.

    The news comes from Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, which posted an update on Russian social media site VKontakte.

    Apparently, the government is upset over a post about the “cultivation of narcotic plants.”

    Officials have apparently been trying to get in touch with reddit about removing the offending thread – but have yet to hear back.

    If we’re just talking about a thread on growing pot, it’s unlikely reddit will take any action to remove it.

    Here’s the post, translated by Google:

    At the request of Federal Drug Control Service is ready to make the registry page of the site reddit, which posted an article on the cultivation of narcotic plants. Notifications to the requirement to remove the information sent to multiple addresses resource, but no response is still not forthcoming, although earlier treatment from us in the administration treated full. We assume that during the August holidays someone is too relaxed, but this should not be a reason to venture readership. Those who have contacts with the administration – ask them to check your mail for letters from Roskomnadzor otherwise due the technical features of a number of operators may block the entire site.

    Last month, a Russian senator kicked off an investigation into Facebook and its allowance of “gay emoji.”