A year after Reddit updated its policy on sharing non-consensual intimate images (NCII) (this category includes anything from revenge porn to voyeurism to accidental nip slips), the social media platform , announced that it has significantly improved its ability to detect and remove this. type of content. Reddit has also launched a Transparency Center where users can more easily assess Reddit’s ongoing efforts to make the platform more secure.
Reddit removed far more NCII last year than it did in 2021, according to Reddit’s 2022 Transparency Report (which tracks various ongoing efforts to keep Reddit safe, healthy, and real). We suspended 244% of user accounts found violating our Community Guidelines by sharing non-consensual intimate media. Reddit previously labeled his NCII as “involuntary porn,” but the 2022 report still uses that label, reporting a total of 187,258 posts removed. This includes non-consensual AI-generated deepfakes, also known as “lookalike” porn.
“This increase may largely reflect updated policies and increased effectiveness in detecting and removing non-consensual intimate media from Reddit,” the transparency report said.
Despite banning revenge porn and other forms of NCII, Reddit has come under attack in recent years for NCII found on its platform. One of the most notable examples of revenge porn breaking the bank is Maryland Mayor Andrew Bradshaw’s copyright-infringing post in 2021. After Bradshaw pleaded guilty to using his Reddit account to post photos of his ex-girlfriend for two months, he was eventually indicted on 50 counts. . The AP reported on the distribution of revenge porn.
By March 2022, Reddit will update its policies, stating that the platform will “explain policy details to provide examples and clarify boundaries when sharing intimate or sexually explicit images on Reddit.” You have announced to the user that you have made edits and additions to the page.
While this seemed like a step in the right direction for Reddit, the BBC’s research reveals more work to be done. In August 2022, the BBC found “thousands” of images and videos, some of which were non-consensual intimate media, where women “faced threats and blackmail from mobs of anonymous strangers.” I have reported. At the time, a Reddit user told the BBC that sometimes Reddit removed the images immediately, and other times it took months before action was taken.
Reddit responded to the BBC’s report by citing 88,000 non-consensual sexual images removed in 2021. A Reddit spokesperson said the BBC’s report “does not indicate which images are in violation” and that “only 150 sexually explicit images were found.”
Amid heightened scrutiny, Reddit continued its efforts to block violating content this year. Earlier this month, Reddit joined StopNCII.org, an image hash database that automatically blocks the spread of reported NCII. This database is operated by the non-profit international charity SWGfL’s Revenge Porn Hotline. Meta helped launch the initiative in 2021, and Reddit’s participation this year is a seemingly more aggressive effort to join other major platforms in facilitating reporting and preventing the spread of NCII. is shown.
A Reddit spokesperson told Ars, “We have seen promising results from this tool and are confident that it will help us remove this content more quickly and accurately.” I’m here.
SWGfL did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for comment regarding Reddit’s recent partnership with the organization or its 2022 transparency report.
In addition to removing more NCII, Reddit reported in late 2022 that the platform removed and reported far more child sexual abuse material (CSAM) than before. Compared to 2021, Reddit removed 874% more CSAM between July and December 2022.
Reddit said this surge in content removals was due to “increasing staff dedicated to combating child sexual exploitation,” investing in tools and “proactive detection methods,” and “new ways to share media (such as chats and comments).” images, etc.) and then moderated more content.” ) on the platform.
A Reddit spokesperson told Ars, “We are taking steps required by U.S. law to report relevant users/content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and store relevant account data. I also teach,” he said.
Like StopNCII.org, NCMEC partnered with Meta to launch an image hash database to prevent teen sextortion last year called TakeItDown. Unlike Pornhub, OnlyFans, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, Reddit is not yet affiliated with the initiative. A Reddit spokesperson told Ars it would provide updates if there were any changes in the future. wants to spread awareness that TakeItDown can help block revenge porn on other platforms.
Some Reddit users have questioned whether reporting non-consensual intimate images to StopNCII.org is safe or effective. Reddit has partnered with Crisis Counselors to provide additional resources to help users resolve this sensitive issue. Reddit also provides a resource for survivors reporting her CSAM on the platform.
Reddit is partially owned by Advance Publications, which also owns Ars Technica’s parent company, Condé Nast.
