Reddit mods now just default to IP bans

EABOD25@lemm.ee to Reddit@lemmy.world – 66 points –
reddit.com

So I've discovered recently that instead the moderators and admins doing their due diligence, they'll just ban your IP. I can't wait for this to blow up in their face.

43

Maybe you meant Reddit admins?

Reddit moderators don't have access to IP addresses nor have the ability to ban someone based on an IP address.

From the linked discussion it looks like there's a new feature rolling out where mods can activate "automatic ban evasion protection" during a ban. Mods don't get given any additional info about the user but it gets set up automatically on the back end.

From the linked discussion it looks like there’s a new feature rolling out where mods can activate “automatic ban evasion protection” during a ban

It is just a subreddit setting https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/wrnnvb/piloting_a_new_ban_evasion_tool

It isn't something a subreddit moderator can use to ban OP's specific IP in the subreddit let alone sitewide Reddit. (OP did not say if they are talking about a subreddit specifically, or if they were banned sitewide)

In fact it's just that random person posting a year ago calling it a "IP ban", the Reddit admins never explained how that subreddit setting works. I'm guessing it's using some sort of algorithm to calculate the likelihood of ban evasion e.g repeated post links / new/unused account / maybe the usage of VPN / Tor IP, that sort of thing. Reddit admins do already sitewide auto-ban accounts spamming links that were already reported and banned prior.

I got site wide banned earlier this year for 1-2 weeks because I stated to a mod that I was going to circumvent their sub ban with an alt account. I got instantly permanently banned from a sub for holding a having a different opinion to the mod. I used an alt account using the same IP addresses and devices and didn't do abything; not even a warning.

A sub setting that tracks IPs and impacts a person's reddit account(s) or use. And mods can at the very least flag IPs that get banned and admins won't actually follow up with the issue. I never said that I have or have not been banned from reddit

A sub setting that tracks IPs and impacts a person’s reddit account(s) or use.

Reddit admins haven't said how it works, I'm sure IP address is a factor in the algorithm but calling it a "IP ban" is misleading.

And mods can at the very least flag IPs that get banned

It's a subreddit setting, moderators are not flagging anyone's IP addresses, they don't even have access to that type of info. The best that moderators can do is ban accounts for "ban evasion" or whatever other reason. Then those banned accounts and their post/comment histories likely get sent into that ban evasion algorithm when the sub has the ban evasion setting enabled.

You're talking about a setting that has been enabled sitewide for over a year now

https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/130vnbo/ban_evasion_filter_coming_soon_to_all_communities/

and admins won’t actually follow up with the issue.

Sometimes they do, but yeah you're right usually there won't be much of a review. They do review that stuff on and off but with the sheer amount of actual ban evasion on that site it's unlikely they spend much time on that.

If you don't mind, I'm going to comment and edit as I read your comment. That cool?

So they decided to choose an algorithm that matched like accounts? Bullshit

How would mods get access to that data? I don't see why Reddit would give away such metrics to volunteers.

What is probably happening is that Reddit is maintaining the database of problematic accounts and letting mods choose which accounts are problematic. From the list of problematic accounts, Reddit could probably pull together a list of problematic IP addresses, especially if the problem is across multiple subs.

So if they're (what you're saying) looking to ultimately ban by, what they consider, problematic IPs, and banning them with that assumed problematic IP under the impression that no one can learn from said experience, and they can do that for forever is asinine(this sentence was a hard think for me, so please read carefully). Originally, the only people that could IP ban were admins, which in this current point in time, admins don't do shit. And that's because mods got overly precise in their prejudice and big reddit gets far too much money for commercializing.

So in short, devoted neckbands get big confidence in their parents basements, and Steve Huffman keeps getting richer

It is likely more that admins created a system to look for problematic IP addresses and gave mods access to use the admin system by providing user account names and the ability for the admin system to work on different subs.

And this could be useful because mods in some communities would see people try to evade bans in order to harass a community. I wouldn't be surprised if a system like this was requested by mods even mods weren't given access to IP addresses.

Lemmy has an equivalent function that has been used here. It is defederation.

That would have been helpful for me back when I gave a shit about reddit.

From what I found, that's no longer true. A year ago they were piloting a sub IP ban and an that an IP ban is pretty damning site wide

That will be fun for VPN users

In before VPNs get labeled as against their TOS

Already can't use a VPN with reddit, so...

Thought it was just when not logged in not blanket blocks

Yeah, but if you aren't logged in and just need to quickly search stuff it blocks you. It has made me use it much less as a source of info, as I'm not gonna log in on multiple devices that don't support old reddit.

As well as anyone using public wifi

As well as people under CGNAT or, as in my case, under ISPs who lease different addresses twice every week.

They're terrified of the tech savvy user, and that's funny to me

especially where Reddit are banned in some countries like China and Indonesia

They've been temp banning various VPN IPs for a few years now, giving you a network error when you try to access reddit through the browser from a flagged IP. Although it's been fine for the last couple weeks or so, but that might just be luck or the lack of me trying.

They could just block VPNs but how about a house/apartment with multiple reddit users? Coffee shops? Libraries? Offices?

This seems like it would come with a shitload of practical drawbacks, never mind the capricious nature of reddit bans in the first place.

Their ban reporting is straight up broken and regularly abused by botnets, this will make that problem even worse.

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My IP which is constantly changing? The one that I can change at will to anywhere on the planet? Oh no!

Oh wait, I don't use reddit so I care even less.

A wise man has something to say while a fool has to say something lol. While i appreciate your right to comment. It's kind of unnecessary

Why are you so rude? They agree with you and gave an example of how it could "blow up in their faces" (as you put it) and then you came back with a snippy remark

Because I might be an asshole and misunderstood the situation. However, the last sentence seems unnecessary for the topic

I get what you're saying, but there's an extremely strong anti-reddit culture on Lemmy. I think that remark was aimed more at reddit than you

From public perspective, you're closer to being right than I am

Is this satire? It has to be, right? Considering your comment is entirely unnecessary?

I guess you know what unnecessary is, don't ya

I got all my accounts banned and my IP banned so I can't go there if I wanted. Which is great! Now I haven't created a pro LGBTQA forum on here so I have time to do other things around the house. If you like your reddit just be more Nazi. They like that.

I’m under the impression the ban by device ID. As the Reddit app states they get that data on the App Store.

Did you even read the year old thread?

Does it make you feel better if I said skimmed?