Archive link for the mod statement. From the statement itself:
Anyway, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Gore and pornography are still not allowed in /r/PICS.
- Remain civil toward one another.
- Do not violate the site-wide rules.
- This link directs back to this comment.
- It is normal to experience special feelings while looking at John Oliver.
Well… yes. Still - the mod code of conduct is a really strong example of that, as Reddit did nothing whatsoever to pretend that it had any validity. And for a long time it was even hidden as “guidelines”, or “look, those aren’t actual rules, we’re just guiding you okay?”
I wonder if this shouldn’t be legislated against - as it’s basically deceiving users.
Fair point. To the extent that a ToS is legally binding, then yeah, it should be illegal to make it deceptive. But my understanding is that a lot of what’s in a ToS policy has no legal force, and taking steps to regulate certain aspects of a ToS might have the unwanted effect of giving a ToS more legal recognition overall. It is possible to sign over certain rights to a company, but that doesn’t mean the company can sue a customer for breaking the ToS when the customer isn’t breaking any laws. So, Reddit can write all the menacing emails they like, but if someone feels like posting a bunch of softcore porn in a large subreddit, all Reddit can actually do is ban them, and if they go too hard on the threatening emails, they could get sued for harassment.