Reddit ‘taking action’ on site violations as rioters storm US Capitol

As chaos and violence have erupted in Washington D.C., social media platforms are grappling with the fallout. A spokesperson for Reddit tells TechCrunch,

Reddit’s site-wide policies prohibit content that promotes hate or encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence. In accordance with this, we have been proactively reaching out to moderators to remind them of our policies and to offer support or resources as needed. We are also taking action on reported violations.

The site reportedly hasn’t seen a major change in user activity leading up to today’s  storming of the U.S. Capitol building — apparently owing in part to the banning of a number of Subreddits, including The_Donald, over violations earlier this year.

The statement follows similar wording from Twitter,

In regard to the ongoing situation in Washington, DC, Twitter’s Trust & Safety teams are working to protect the public conversation occurring on the service and will take action on any content that violates the Twitter Rules.

It seems clear that much of the current reaction to the situation is in flux as this unprecedented and dark moment continues to unfold in Washington D.C. For now, much of Reddit’s content control lies in the hands of site moderators.