Reddit Takes Over a Popular Subreddit That Dare to Defy Its Iron Fist

They have followed through with their threats.

Unfair dessert

While most subreddits have ended their protest against the social network’s profiteering, the popular r/malefashionadvice has endured and now, Reddit is punishing its mods by taking over.

AsThreshold reportReddit has taken control of the subreddit, which until a few days ago was still locked in protest over changes to the site’s API that would make it harder for third-party apps to access it.

With 5.4 million members, r/malefashionadvice is one of the largest subreddits still protesting ownership of the site while keeping the community private. AsThreshold noted last weekits moderators began suggesting that the members move to Discord after Reddit employees told them they would be removed if they did not reopen the forum.

It seems now, as some of those mods have told tech news sites, the company has followed through on the threat.

In an interview withThresholdthree of the subreddit’s former mods said they had been removed on Thursday, a move they had anticipated.

“We’ve more or less been expecting the takedown over the last few days,” one former mod, who goes by the name Walker, told the website.

In Moderation

At publication, r/malefashionadvice had only one mod listed: the same administrator account that was purported to have contacted the now-deleted mod, and which also controlled several other subs that had previously protested. However, in a recent post, the administrator said the subreddit was looking for new mods, which unsurprisingly led to some insinuations.

“I, like many others here, love fashion,” wrote one user. “About as much as I love pooping. It’s time consuming, like pooping. A good pair of jeans can feel almost as good as a morning poop. Hopefully one day these subs will be as moderated as a good clean bathroom.”

Another former mod who goes by the name Zach tells Threshold that pre-exit drive headed sub dispute apparently gaining traction, with users swelling from around 2,000 members to more than 5,000 in the last week.

“The community and regulars that come to Discord are, on the whole, polite and good friends,” says Walker, another former mod. Threshold.

While it’s great that these men’s fashion aficionados have other places to hang out, it’s great to watch this debacle unfold in real-time and to see Reddit defend its firm line against the power of its unpaid moderation.

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