The site stated that sexually explicit photographs will not be posted without the permission of the person who appears in the picture.
“No matter who you are, if a photograph, video, or digital image of you in a state of nudity, sexual excitement, or engaged in any act of sexual conduct, is posted or linked to on Reddit without your permission, it is prohibited on Reddit,” said the company.
New Reddit privacy policy
The revised privacy policy will be implemented on March 10, and will also allow for the removal of “violent personalized images” when Reddit becomes aware of them. Users can send a message to [email protected] if they find inappropriate photos of themselves on the site, and Reddit promises to “expedite its removal as quickly as possible.”
Information on the number of takedowns will be shared in the site’s yearly privacy report.
Reddit has revised its privacy policy in response to the hacking of celebrities’ phones in September last year, which led to the release of naked photos of several Hollywood stars on Reddit, Twitter, Imgur and other sites. Although some of the photos were fake, celebrities such as Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence had genuine naked photos posted for all to see.
Improved safety
Reddit came in for criticism for not having removed the images quickly enough. Presumably attempting to make amends for its previous error, Reddit claimed that it had “missed a chance to be a leader in social media when it comes to protecting your privacy — something we’ve cared deeply about since Reddit’s inception. At our recent all hands company meeting, this was something that we all, as a company, decided we needed to address.”
Other controversial content such as photos of younger girls or voyeuristic material has previously been a problem on Reddit, with one user known as Violentacruz outed in the wake of a public outcry, and some message boards shut down.
Reddit is also making a series of tutorials for moderators, in order to “help anyone from experienced moderators to total neophytes learn how to most effectively use our tools.” For those of you interested, you can find the first tutorial on YouTube right now.
