Reddit — Policy Change
Executive Summary
Under CEO Ellen Pao, Reddit banned five subreddits for fostering harassment, including r/FatPeopleHate (150,000+ subscribers), r/hamplanethatred, r/neofag, r/transfags, and r/shitniggerssay. This marked the first time Reddit enforced a harassment-based content policy at scale. The action triggered massive user backlash, with Pao herself becoming a target of harassment and a change.org petition demanding her resignation.
What Happened
In June 2015, Reddit banned five subreddits including r/FatPeopleHate, which had over 150,000 subscribers, along with r/hamplanethatred, r/neofag, r/transfags, and r/shitniggerssay for fostering harassment. This represented the first time Reddit enforced a harassment-based content policy at this scale under CEO Ellen Pao. The action triggered significant user backlash, with a change.org petition demanding Pao's resignation and Pao herself becoming a target of harassment.
Who Is Affected
The ban directly affected members and moderators of the five banned subreddits, particularly the 150,000+ subscribers of r/FatPeopleHate. Ellen Pao became a target of harassment following the policy enforcement. The broader Reddit user base was affected by the introduction of harassment-based content moderation at scale.
Why It Matters
This event marked the first large-scale enforcement of harassment policies on Reddit, setting a precedent for content moderation on the platform. The controversy highlighted tensions between free speech expectations and content policies on user-driven platforms. The backlash against Pao sparked broader debates about the treatment of women in technology and the need for transparency in companies relying on volunteer communities.
AI-Assisted
Event summaries are generated by Claude AI from verified sources and reviewed by humans before publication.
Sources