What in the world?

[u/SquidsArePeople2]

This morning, the mods in my sub received a barage of hateful messages from a person who simply had a comment removed by out automoderator for not meeting karma requirements. Those messages included anti LGBTQ+ language, and clear threats of violence against us and LGBTQ+ people.

We reported those messages for harassment and threatening violence. I just received a message that the comments violated Reddit's content policy (duh). But the user was not banned or suspended. How in the world is that possible when other users get permanently banned for mundane things like reporting legitimately rule breaking content under the nebulous rule 8?

[u/SnausageFest]

Those people weren't permanently banned just for one instance of report abuse.

I don't know if there's anything that leads to an immediate permanent suspension. Maybe doxxing? Generally though, everyone gets a warning.

This is why you don't engage, just mute for 3-7 days, report and archive. If they do come back again, their cool down period is over and they will get another warning which should lead to at least a temp ban.

[u/SquidsArePeople2 → u/SnausageFest]

Threatening to commit mass acts of violence against a protected class simply because you had a comment removed should certainly rise to the threshold. We didn't engage at all. He just went off.

[u/Unique-Public-8594 → u/SquidsArePeople2]

I think reddit’s AI has a lower threshold for Hate Reports than for Harassment Reports. 

[u/SnausageFest → u/SquidsArePeople2]

I'm not commenting on if I agree or disagree with the practice. I'm just telling you how it goes. Tbh, I'm not sure a suspension would do much anyway. Those tactics work best with people who have built an identity around their username/profile. A lot of the worst stuff we get is from fresh accounts, because Reddit does nothing to stop you from creating a new account. Even ban evasion is left up to the subs to report/action.

[u/SquidsArePeople2 → u/SnausageFest]

Ugh. The turd even came after us in private direct messages.

[u/Unique-Public-8594 → u/SquidsArePeople2]

Report every one as Hate. 

[u/maybesaydie → u/SnausageFest]

Death threats might lead to an immediate permanent suspension. Crimnal activity of any sort on the site will definitely result in a suspension.

[u/SnausageFest → u/maybesaydie]

Oh, my friend, how I wish that was my experience.

We had Spez on the team for an AAA. He was shocked at how often we were told to kill ourselves or other fairly heinous things, but nothing has really changed in the last ~20ish month since then.

Unless someone is like "I'm going to kill you, Alias McFakeName, at your house on 666 fake avenue!" - that's just now how it plays out.

[u/xenobitex → u/SnausageFest]

"Expert" mods here are madly faithful that shit actually plays out on Reddit like a rational person would expect it to

Edit: Person I'm responding to is apparently one of those "expert" dicks, despite *lived experience* they literally just mentioned

(and I was just agreeing with them..!)

[u/tombo4321 → u/maybesaydie]

I've had links to hard-core child porn posted, reported them, no action taken.

I just send them to spam now.

[u/Bot_Ring_Hunter → u/SnausageFest]

one instance of report abuse.

Except OP is not talking about report abuse, that's a totally different topic from actual verbal abuse directed at a person.

[u/SnausageFest → u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

How in the world is that possible when other users get permanently banned for mundane things like reporting legitimately rule breaking content under the nebulous rule 8?

They were in fact discussing report abuse bans.

Please read fully and carefully before being snarky.

[u/xenobitex → u/SnausageFest]

Not actually the main thrust of their post though, is it

Report abuse is treated ridiculously more seriously than anything else, I've had a (retracted) ban for a report made in good faith myself. But SERIOUS violations? No, they're just fine and dandy

[u/Bot_Ring_Hunter → u/SnausageFest]

Ah, I see. Snarky is what I do.

[u/SnausageFest → u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

Poorly. Perhaps reading completely could be your new thing.

[u/xenobitex → u/SnausageFest]

Dude you really don't have to respond to well-intentioned snark with more snark. The post barely even references report abuse

[u/SquidsArePeople2 → u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

I am. I got banned for a week for reporting content that Reddit removed. Somehow it was a rule 8 violation. Appealed and it was upheld.

[u/BigTex1988]

Don’t feel too bad, it happens occasionally. Never in my life would I have expected to receive threats over a dog subreddit lol.

[u/kallisti_gold]

A temporary suspension isn't visible to other users, if they haven't had any public activity since the response there's a possibility they've had some consequence beyond a warning.

If you haven't already banned the user from your community, do.

[u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

I get a lot of those - "we found that the user violated policy", and nothing appears to have been done.

[u/magiccitybhm → u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

It often depends on first offense, severity of the offense, etc. Not everything is a permanent ban/suspension (the only action that you would be able to see).

[u/maybesaydie → u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

You can't see a temporary suspension. The account looks just as it always does.

[u/Bot_Ring_Hunter → u/maybesaydie]

But wouldn't a temporary suspension keep a user from posting? I usually get the admin messages several days after a report, and when I look at the user's post history they've clearly not been suspended and usually are exhibiting the same posting characteristics that got them reported in the first place.

[u/maybesaydie]

These accounts may very well may have been suspended-temporarily. The only suspension that mods are made aware of is a permanent suspension which is given after a number of strikes and temporary suspensions of increasing length.

[u/SquidsArePeople2 → u/maybesaydie]

Their account is still active

[u/xenobitex]

cos Reddit automatons totally suck and are wildly inconsistent..?

Unhelpful maybe, but the true answer

Anyone defending this nonsense has never seen a dozen great (daily) users shadowbanned / suspended for NO REASON WHATSOEVER
(we've regularly looked over their whole profiles before this happens... just normal - totally normal - posts, going back ad infinitum!)

But rule-breakers - reported with unequivocal proof are like, "totally fine" !

[u/Unique-Public-8594]

Copy/paste from previous post: Here are a bunch of ideas to help deal with problem users.  Not every one of these tips will fit your situation and some you may have done already but I hope the list is helpful.

[u/Sparki_]

I get these kinds of modmails all the time on one of my subs, for the same reason too, not enough karma. Most people in modmail take offense to it for some reason

I assume they're not banned because it's their first warning. I suppose it depends how often they do it & also break other rules, how many warnings they've had & the severety of their actions

[u/GoLionsJD107]

Ban

[u/magiccitybhm → u/GoLionsJD107]

Unfortunately, a ban doesn't stop modmails or direct messages.

[u/ternera → u/magiccitybhm]

Blocking the user and archiving all of their messages can solve that. A sitewide ban would be best, but until then, that should do the trick.