Reddit, one of the last untamed goliaths of the internet, is purging some of its more controversial and potentially litigious factions. The social news aggregate and discussion forum website is home to probably every thread topic imaginable (here’s one on toaster rights). As of March 21 that changed. Reddit has made some new additions to its content policy as Congress passed the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), which amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996; Section 230 provides immunity from liability for providers like Reddit (an “interactive computer service”) which publishes information provided by others.
For starters, Reddit is forbidding transactions for certain classes of goods and services on its site — firearms, ammunition, explosives, stolen goods, personal information, paid sexual services (what about the free ones?), fake documents, drugs, tobacco and alcohol, including beer. In a similar move, Craigslist just got rid of its personals pages.
According to The Drinks Business:
“We considered this a lot, and this change is not due to any bad actions by these particular communities,” the Reddit-Policy account wrote. “However, due to the controlled nature of alcohol, Reddit is not built to ensure that the sales are happening legally, and so we can no longer continue to host communities solely dedicated to trading of alcohol or other controlled substances. However, communities dedicated to discussion of craft beer remain fully within the rules.”
Trading or selling drugs, including alcohol and tobacco or any controlled substances (except advertisements placed in accordance with its advertising policy) have been banned. A R/beertrade banned discussion forum has opened up, and traders are bummed. We’ve reached out, and we’ll keep you updated.
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