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[karby]

REBECCA GREENFIELD 10:58 AM ET
Reddit has blocked Gawker from several of its threads in order to protect "a prominent member of Reddit's community, Violentacrez," who started the /r/picsofdeadchildren and /r/jailbait sections. Yesterday Violentacrez deleted his account because Gawker's resident Reddit reporter Adrian Chen is intending to run an expose with his "real name and picture," according to a post on Reddit announcing the ban. Chen had mentioned Violentacrez in his post "Reddit's Child Porn Scandal," where describes the user as a "50-something Texas software engineer who openly brags about having oral sex with his 19-year-old step-daughter." Because of that "pursuit to harrass and, allegedly, blackmail reddit moderators with public release of photos and personal information," some subsections have punished the entire Gawker network disallowing any of their links.

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I don't use reddit too much, but I'm guessing this can't be too good for their image., especially not with a title like that. Any reddit regulars want to chime in? What's going on over there?

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

That is not the entire story (Very misleading thread title).

Reddit has not officially "blocked" Gawker. A small portion of the community decides that Gawker link won't be allowed in their subreddit, after editor of Gawker blackmailed a dude into closing a subreddit because he was the moderator of a few fucked up subreddits. The whole child porn with step-daughter thing was consensual (disgusting but within the law).

Adrian Chen has some vendetta against Reddit, yet he still posts there and visits it. His tweet is the worse:

"I hereby ban reddit from linking to my blog posts. if I see reddit link to one of my blog posts i will file a DMCA takedown."

With this kind of "Vendetta", a lot of subreddits are saying "Fuck off" to Gawker.

His attention-whoring is profound: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/p50em/i_am_a_gawker_staff_writer_ama/

 

[Akahige]

ok....

 

[FStop7]

Reddit vs. Gawker vs. Pedo

No matter who wins, we lose.

 

[Talon]

"Gawker's Reddit reporter" is the worst thing I have ever read.

 

[Guevara]

This is an interesting story but the title isn't doing you any favors.

 

[Harry Potter]

Romney's camp should be running "Obama supports child pornography" ads any second now.

 

[karby]

That is not the entire story.

I figured, but I haven't been to reddit in years. Is something going down?

This is an interesting story but the title isn't doing you any favors.

Me?! It's not my story, and I didn't write it...

 

[davepoobond]

and if it turns out to not even be that guy? what happens then? did Gawker fact-check and make sure it was him?

and since when is 19 pedophilia? regardless of the incest implications (even though its not "true" incest since it is his "step-daughter")

 

[DTKT]

So, I'm on reddit quite often and I never heard of those subreddits. I didn't even know the admins allowed something like that.

On one hand, that content is totally disgusting and I really can't see anyone making a case about a platform that supports the propagation and easy access to that content. But, the way Gawker is approaching is appalling. This isn't investigative journalism into the really fucked parts of the internet, this is a click-grab with a great dose of blackmail in it. Actually try to do your job as a "journalist" and don't blackmail people.

Either way, it doesn't matter, that kind of content doesn't have a place on reddit.

 

[Surface of Me]

"Gawker's Reddit reporter" is the worst thing I have ever read.

I would think a popular website protecting child pornography would be, but whatever I guess.

 

[VGChampion]

I like reddit but every "celeb" account there needs to just go away.

 

[Borgnine]

IAMA child pornographer, ask me anything!

 

[Darklord]

Chen had mentioned Violentacrez in his post "Reddit's Child Porn Scandal," where describes the user as a "50-something Texas software engineer who openly brags about having oral sex with his 19-year-old step-daughter."

Something doesn't ad up. Child porn = 19 years old?

Threatening to leak someones personal information online is pretty scummy anyway. If you want to report the guy, tell the police, not the internet. Apparently, Gawker are also banned because they make interns sign up to reddit and spam their website.

 

[ReBurn]

I'm not a redditor. But I have enjoyed the feeling of schadenfreude whilst reading the drama. Pervs vs. vigilantes engaging in eBattle.

 

[LiK]

so what if all this is just some dude spouting random shit online and none of it is true? gonna ruin his life over it?

 

[Dresden]

The fact that they even tolerate(d?) the existence of such subreddits says a lot.

 

[Wallach]

Adrian Chen @AdrianChen

i hereby ban reddit from linking to my blog posts. if I see reddit link to one of my blog posts i will file a DMCA takedown.

Can he do this, really? Man. Every party in this story seems like a bunch of fucks. I wish Zangief were real just so every one of them could get SPD'd. We could put it on YouTube then link it on Reddit to be posted later here in OT.

 

[Slayven]

The fact that they even tolerate(d?) the existence of such subreddits says a lot.

They use to have one called "nigger jailbait". Now they just have one called "Nigger" which are YouTube comments with grammar .

 

[Kano on the Phone]

Something doesn't ad up. Child porn = 19 years old?

Threatening to leak someones personal information online is pretty scummy anyway. If you want to report the guy, tell the police, not the internet. Apparently, Gawker are also banned because they make interns sign up to reddit and spam their website.

The guy also started the jailbait sub reddit.

 

[davepoobond]

well, i'm not even sure if this is an issue or not anymore, looks like they banned the subreddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/jailbait


no idea when it happened though.

Can he do this, really? Man. Every party in this story seems like a bunch of fucks. I wish Zangief were real just so every one of them could get SPD'd. We could put it on YouTube then link it on Reddit to be posted later here in OT.

no. they dont have DMCA power over linking URLs. If they post any part of the article he might have a case though, but it wouldnt be under DMCA as far as i know...

 

[Anton Sugar]

The fact that they even tolerate(d?) the existence of such subreddits says a lot.

Yeah. I don't understand how anyone can be okay with using reddit with the existence of that trash.

It really, really makes me appreciate GAF, honestly.

 

[Wuthering_Heights]

The guy also started the jailbait sub reddit.

You'd think that would be the focus of all of this.

 

[Valnen]

The fact that they even tolerate(d?) the existence of such subreddits says a lot.

Yup. Not very morally sound people running that site I guess.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

well, i'm not even sure if this is an issue or not anymore, looks like they banned the subreddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/jailbait

no idea when it happened though.

That was way too long ago.

How subreddit works is that anything and everything is allowed, except for anything crossing the boundary. Each subreddit has it's own community and moderator and they are allowed to post whatever the hell they want to.

Of course, when things get out of control (like /r/jailbait), they ban the subreddit. Usually communities get away with it by making it private and invite-only, so no one can see it.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

so what if all this is just some dude spouting random shit online and none of it is true? gonna ruin his life over it?

Did you somehow miss the list of subreddits this guy started?

 

[Darklord]

The guy also started the jailbait sub reddit.

A 15 year old in a bikini isn't child porn though. It was also shut down months ago.

 

[Pastry]

well, i'm not even sure if this is an issue or not anymore, looks like they banned the subreddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/jailbait


no idea when it happened though.

I think that was banned several months ago, I'm pretty sure there was a thread here on GAF about this?

 

[marrec]

Reddit is a pretty terrible place when you get down to it. Presidential AMAs and pics of dead children...

 

[Kano on the Phone]

A 15 year old in a bikini isn't child porn though. It was also shut down months ago.

Whoa, take whatever stance you're comfortable with, I suppose.

 

[LiK]

Did you somehow miss the list of subreddits this guy started?

yea, so he started the subreddits, but did he heavily contribute posts to it? tons of other users should be targeted if that's the case.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Reddit is a pretty terrible place when you get down to it. Presidential AMAs and pics of dead children...

It is, which is why you can "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to certain communities, whatever your liking may be. It's one of the reason why the community is so big.

With that said, Gawker is going to take a massive hit with the whole "DMCA" bullshit.

 

[Karakand]

Thread title is destined for some moderating.

 

[Violet_0]

/r/picsofdeadchildren

reddit really is the new 4chan

 

[WanderingWind]

Yeah. I don't understand how anyone can be okay with using reddit with the existence of that trash.

It really, really makes me appreciate GAF, honestly.

It's a website with millions of users and a front page that has nothing to do with any of that shit. I use the site and my logged in front page has subreddits of NFL, MTG, photography, paleo cooking and other nonsense subs. I see where you're coming from, but it's not as if using the site directly correlates to agreeing with what every single member among millions does with the tools available.

 

[Ferrio]

WHAT ARE YOU HIDING GAF?!

 

[Kano on the Phone]

yea, so he started the subreddits, but did he heavily contribute posts to it? tons of other users should be targeted if that's the case.

I guess that just seems like a weird position to take on this. Do you just not believe that he should be outed at all or is there some amount of dead children pictures that should be allowed in anonymity?

 

[injurai]

WHAT ARE YOU HIDING GAF?!

I've never liked this abbreviation. It needs to be changed.

 

[Darklord]

Whoa, take whatever stance you're comfortable with, I suppose.

I'm not saying it's right but it's true. It's dodgy as hell but there's a big difference between a 15 year old in a skimpy outfit and a 10 year old naked or doing sexual acts. I could go on to facebook and find 90% of the pictures that would have been in that reddit.

 

[TUROK]

The jailbait subreddit was closed a relatively long while ago. It was kind of a big deal.

Sensationalist headline. It's kind of funny seeing people's perception of Reddit change from "noobs of the internet" to "4chan's younger brother," neither of which are entirely accurate, but not completely inaccurate either.

 

[Surface of Me]

yea, so he started the subreddits, but did he heavily contribute posts to it? tons of other users should be targeted if that's the case.

"So he made a place to view and share child pornography? What's the big deal?"

 

[Dreams-Visions]

WHAT ARE YOU HIDING GAF?!

put that shit on a flag pole.

 

[marrec]

It is, which is why you can "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to certain communities, whatever your liking may be. It's one of the reason why the community is so big.

With that said, Gawker is going to take a massive hit with the whole "DMCA" bullshit.

I understand the importance of reddit and the purpose it serves in the greater ecosystem of the internet. I just wish it was not an Avenue for sickos to get their rocks off so publicly. :-(

 

[Beaulieu]

so what if all this is just some dude spouting random shit online and none of it is true? gonna ruin his life over it?

it would be like going in a police station with a fake gun, threatening to shoot people and complaining that you got shot back, yoz.

 

[ggnoobIGN]

Reddit is awful with this stuff. They removed jailbait but then the CEO claimed it was not a "moral decision". It can be a horrible place.

 

[Violet_0]

Do you just not believe that he should be outed at all or is there some amount of dead children pictures that should be allowed in anonymity?

disgusting, yes, but I don't think those are actually illegal (correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[Barbacoatl]

As long as my spacedicks is fine, I don't care.

 

[border]

Who owns/controls Reddit anyway?

 

[TUROK]

I understand the importance of reddit and the purpose it serves in the greater ecosystem of the internet. I just wish it was not an Avenue for sickos to get their rocks off so publicly. :-(

Joke post?

 

[8bit]

Reddit needs some kind of peer review mechanism to allow subreddits to avoid any old shit being set up as a den of iniquity, the site sails too close to the wind and such examples don't put anyone involved in a good light. As reddit seems to follow a similar model to usenet's alt.* hierarchy I'd look to how those groups were born to see forward, recent stories such as this and men's rights/he man woman hating clubs aren't going to endear it to the world at large.