Reddit is taking transparency to the next level with its newly introduced transparency center. This center serves as a hub for safety, security, and policy information, providing users with easy access to important data. In addition, Reddit plans to release biannual transparency reports, doubling the current frequency. This move comes after the company removed significantly more offensive content, including child abuse and revenge porn, in 2022 than in the previous year.
The increase in content moderation and legal requests was significant last year, according to the 2022 transparency report. Reddit saw a 51 percent increase in government removal requests and a 61 percent increase in law enforcement account information requests. In addition, copyright notices rose by 43 percent.
The company’s efforts to combat non-consensual intimate images (NCII), or revenge porn, have also been successful. Reddit joined StopNCII.org, a database operated by the nonprofit charity SWGfL’s Revenge Porn Hotline, to reduce the spread of this harmful content. As a result, Reddit removed 244 percent more user accounts violating revenge porn policies and banned 473 percent more subreddits in 2022 compared to the previous year. In total, 187,258 NCII posts were removed, almost double the number in 2021.
Reddit’s commitment to safety and transparency continues to pay off as the site removes even more harmful content. In addition to its success in removing NCII posts, the company removed an astounding 874 percent more child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in 2022 than in the previous year. This impressive feat was made possible by hiring more moderation staff and investing in proactive detection tools. In contrast, other social media platforms like Twitter have been cutting their moderation workforce.
The transparency center is an important tool for Reddit users and other interested parties, such as policymakers and the media, to access vital information about the platform’s safety and content moderation policies. Sections on the site cover everything from Reddit’s terms and policies to guidelines for law enforcement, bug bounty programs, and past transparency reports.
Reddit’s commitment to transparency is further evidenced by the company’s plan to release full transparency reports twice a year, instead of once annually. This means that mid-year reports will now cover both legal requests and content moderation data, providing a more comprehensive overview of the platform’s efforts to maintain safety and security. Overall, Reddit’s dedication to transparency and safety is setting a high bar for other social media companies to follow.
