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Reddit’s privacy update gained momentum on Tuesday following announcing a new feature. This feature will give its users more privacy regarding what’s shared on their profiles.
Furthermore, the company will release an update introducing a “Content and Activity” setting, as part of its user-engagement strategies. This will allow users to decide on content from their subreddits. As a result, this content will appear on their profiles, including the history of whatever they post and comment on.
Moving forward, all posts and comments will be visible by default, just like the way it was. However, the updated settings will enable users to hide all their public posts and comments. This will also include those posts made directly on their respective profiles.
Alternatively, the new Reddit privacy updates let users decide what shows on their profiles. In other words, users can selectively display posts and comments from specific communities while keeping others hidden.
The setting is available under a new “Curate your profile” section, where users can control the visibility of their content. The update can switch NSFW content and activity on or off, just as a Followers toggle to show or hide the follower count.
Reddit Adds a New Layer of Transformation
Before now, several Reddit users created accounts that they could easily forgo when they wanted to ask more personal questions. However, Reddit’s transformation into more of an ad-focused tech company post-IPO likely prefers that user data. These could include engagement and interests associated with a single user profile for better ad targeting.
This feature also encourages users to participate more on the site. Moreover, they’ll know how to obscure their activity from the public’s view. For example, users may want to chime in or ask questions about a more sensitive topic. This topic could be touching on relationships, dating advice, or a health issue. Meanwhile, before the Reddit privacy update, users may have selected to read through others’ posts. However, they engage directly to allow the information to be displayed on their own user profiles.
Limitations and Implications of Reddit Privacy Updates
Similarly, Reddit contends that hiding or displaying posts and comments is available only per community. By implication, this isn’t available on an individual post or comment level. This event has made the settings easier to manage, even if you can’t pick which posts appear.
Even at that, users should know that the curation option doesn’t mean they have true privacy. Notably, the username will still appear next to their posts and comments in the communities. Some moderators will access a user’s public post and comment history for 28 days. This doesn’t have to do with the user’s content visibility settings.
Moving forward, the access assists moderators, who probably need to review a user’s history at certain times. This could be when they post or comment and send “mod mail.” These Reddit privacy updates also influence when users join requests or requests to join a restricted community.
Moreover, the company affirms that profile owners can temporarily see a user’s full post following new Reddit privacy updates. Additionally, they can see a comment history if another user comments directly on their profile post.
Similarly, the Reddit privacy update also witnessed personal activity summaries, which provide an overview of a user’s activity. This includes their Karma count, total contributions, account age, and active communities. Ultimately, the latter will be based on their Content and activity settings.
