One of the main features of fake internet point collection depot Reddit was that anything users posted, replied to, or interacted with was visible to… everyone. That’s going away.
Instead, users of one of the busiest websites on the internet will have the option to curate their profiles, concealing some activity from view. This doesn’t mean users can conceal a single boneheaded comment, but it does mean that their participation in any particular subreddit can be hidden away. There are also a handful of similar changes elsewhere, detailed below.
Me? On Reddit? Prove it
It’s not the first major change proposed for the platform, which recently found itself being used as an unknowing test-bed for AI that could change users’ minds on subjects. It was, however, implemented outright, much to the dismay of its users. Turns out, being able to snoop on the guy posting snide comments in reply to your enlightened analysis is something users really, really want. The dude probably posts on r/feet (and can therefore be disregarded and shamed), but getting proof might be more difficult going forward.
Reddit users will have the ability to keep their whole posting and interaction history public, which is the default option. If you don’t change it, it’s business as usual. Alternatively, users can take their entire post history private or block activity by individual subreddit.
There are obvious benefits to doing this for Reddit users but there are also drawbacks. Users who interact with family on the platform might want to conceal activity (sourcing ideas for a surprise party, for example), whether it’s banal or of a more sensitive nature. But the move also gives trolls much more freedom to move, while removing the ability of Reddit’s ‘free-thinking, high-IQ’ sleuths to properly ‘gotcha!’ them in the comments section. Purely for karma, of course. Mods will also find their background checks a little constrained, but not entirely.
“If you post, comment, send modmail, request to be an approved poster, or request to join a private subreddit, that mod team will have access to your full profile content history for 28 days after the interaction – regardless of your settings,” said the company.
Post visibility can be controlled via a new Content and activity section in Reddit’s profile settings area (in a new section called Curate your profile), while toggles to display or hide follower count or interaction with NSFW content and communities (this is a blanket setting) can also be found there.
