Reddit will allow the alleged Ukraine whistleblower’s name to surface
KEY POINTS
Reddit will allow the alleged Ukraine whistleblower’s name to the surface, Reddit is allowing the name of the purported Ukraine whistleblower to remain on its site, though it does not have a “specific policy” on the subject, according to a spokesperson.
Twitter also said it would not remove references to the name of the purported whistleblower whose complaint sparked an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Facebook and Google-owned YouTube have both said they would remove references to the supposed name.
Reddit will allow the name of the purported whistleblower whose complaint sparked an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump to remain on its platform, even after Facebook and Google-owned YouTube said they would remove it.
In a statement, a Reddit spokesperson said the company does not “have a specific policy around whistleblowers. Our policy encourages an open discussion regarding issues of public and political relevance, however it forbids posting of personal information, or the encouragement of harassment or vigilantism.”Reddit will take action on posts that violate its policies, the spokesperson added, saying that ”[c]ontext is important in these matters.”
Reddit has often taken a different approach to content moderation compared to other tech platforms. The company has a policy of “quarantining” forums that violate its policies, and did so with a popular forum for Trump supporters after determining it encouraged violence. The platform’s structure encourages users to largely police themselves through moderators for each forum.
Twitter is taking a similarly stance to Reddit. The company has allowed the name and supposed photos of the CIA officer accused of filing the whistleblower complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine’s president to remain on its platform.
In a statement, a Twitter spokesperson said based on the company’s private information policy, “any Tweets that include private information about any individual, including the alleged whistleblower, would be in violation of the Twitter Rules.” But the name and supposed photo of the alleged whistleblower, “aren’t violative of the policy as they aren’t considered private information,” the spokesperson clarified in a separate statement.
Several news outlets including CNBC have decided to refrain from publishing the name of the purported whistleblower out of safety concerns, unless the person decides to go public.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/12/reddit-allows-alleged-whistleblowers-name-to-surface.html