Reddit community banned as user spat with Musk intensifies

Reddit has briefly banned certainly one of its communities – and eliminated one other – after X proprietor Elon Musk claimed feedback made by the location’s customers about his workers have been breaking the legislation.

The r/WhitePeopleTwitter subreddit, which generally invitations folks to share humorous posts from X, has been banned for 72 hours after some customers posted feedback calling for violence in opposition to members of the Musk-led Division of Authorities Effectivity (Doge).

They have been responding to reviews which steered some Doge workers have been granted access to sensitive personal information of thousands and thousands of People.

Musk – who incessantly champions his dedication to free speech – shared a publish on X containing the feedback, and said: “they’ve damaged the legislation”.

The subreddit was banned quickly afterwards.

Reddit declined to remark, however directed the BBC to a public publish it had made following the ban.

“Over the previous couple of days, we have seen a rise in content material in a number of communities that violate Reddit Guidelines,” the publish reads.

“Debate and dissent are welcome on Reddit – threats and doxing should not.”

Musk has beforehand criticised authorized motion being taken in opposition to folks for making feedback on-line.

In 2024, he responded to a video of an individual purportedly being arrested for offensive feedback on-line by asking “is that this Britain or the Soviet Union?”.

Imran Ahmed, head of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) mentioned there was “wealthy irony” in Musk’s feedback.

“It’s at all times one rule for Elon, one other rule for everybody else,” he mentioned.

“Oh, he is about freedom alright – the liberty to do no matter he needs, regardless of the associated fee to folks, their households, and the basics of democracy.”

Musk sued the CCDH in 2023 over claims it took “illegal” steps to entry knowledge from X after it claimed hate speech had risen on the platform.

A US choose dismissed the case in 2024.

Tensions have escalated between the billionaire and Reddit customers in current weeks, after more than 100 subreddits banned users from posting links to X in protest at Musk’s controversial arm gesture at a rally celebrating Donald Trump’s return to workplace.

The billionaire twice prolonged his arm out straight as he thanked the group for “making it occur” – critics, together with some historians, mentioned it was a Nazi salute, whereas Musk dismissed that, saying comparisons with Hitler have been “drained” and “soiled tips”.

The moderators of the r/WhitePeopleTwitter subreddit eliminated most of the offending feedback after they grew to become publicised, however this was not sufficient to stop a short lived ban.

Any try to entry the subreddit now shows a message studying that it has been “briefly banned as a result of a prevalence of violent content material”.

“Inciting and glorifying violence or doxing are in opposition to Reddit’s platform-wide guidelines,” it states, including the subreddit will reopen in 72 hours.

Reddit has additionally taken motion to challenge a subreddit entitled r/IsElonDeadYet – through which a consumer posted near-daily that Musk had not handed away – with a everlasting ban.

The posts got here in response to strikes being reportedly made by the Doge – which isn’t a authorities division, however a staff inside the administration.

The staff has been given the job of radically reducing regulation and federal authorities spending.

US media has reported the Trump administration gave Musk’s deputies entry to the federal funds system that controls the movement of trillions of {dollars} in authorities funds yearly.

It has led to backlash on-line with folks criticising the choice, and the names of the Doge workers concerned being shared publicly.

However the resolution to take away the subreddit could have been about greater than Reddit imposing its insurance policies.

On Monday, a prosecutor appointed by Trump mentioned the FBI was investigating the “concentrating on” of Doge workers.

“Our preliminary evaluate of the proof offered to us signifies that sure people and/or teams have dedicated acts that seem to violate the legislation in concentrating on Doge workers,” mentioned United States Legal professional for the District of Columbia Edward Martin.

In a letter to Musk he posted on X, Mr Martin mentioned he would “not tolerate threats in opposition to Doge staff or law-breaking by the disgruntled”.

“Any threats, confrontations, or different actions in any means that influence their work could break quite a few legal guidelines,” he wrote.

“We are going to pursue any and all authorized motion in opposition to anybody who impedes your work or threatens your folks.”