
How Reddit Bureau of Investigation solves mysteries while avoiding witch hunts - rayascott
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/moderators-rbi-reddit-fbi
======
Traster
It's kind of important to note that "Reddit Bureau of Investigation" is just
one sub-reddit on reddit, not an actual custom thing endorsed by reddit and
the next time a disaster happens /r/LearnsNothingFromThePast will be sure to
pin the next crime on whichever brown person they can find first.

In fact, the more you find out about this sub-reddit the more it sounds like
Wired is making an erroneous link between the actual problem of vigilante-ism
on reddit and some harmless Lost & Found style sub-reddit. If you actually
want to follow the thread of reddit's amateur sleuths it doesn't go via /r/RDI
it goes via /r/conspiracy. Having spent the entirity of 2016 claiming that
Hilary Clinton was party to a secret pedofile ring in a pizza restaurant
culminating in a vigilante shooting up the restaurant, they've now moved on.
Joe Biden is pedofile this time! They've got video of him making physical
contact with children in public spaces in front of cameras to prove it and
they're going to run with this one till they've got their man!

I just feel this story is a little ridiculous.

~~~
cheesymuffin
Exactly, glad someone said it. I don't understand what the motivation is
behind all of it, but I can only assume it's white and male supremacy at the
heart. Anything to chant, "but Hillary" and secure a presidency for a man
who's ADMITTED to sexually assaulting women and regularly denigrated
developing countries.

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Karunamon
Tangentially related, but this:

> _Hipson, who is also the sole moderator of r /PayPal, says he was brought on
> as an RBI mod because he “loves banning” people._

That sentence right there describes one of the main problems with reddit.
Power-seeking moderators who are more interested in flexing on users than
making good communities.

~~~
renholder
> _That sentence right there describes one of the main problems with reddit:
> Power-seeking moderators who are more interested in flexing on users than
> making good communities._

Agreed. Reddit went from being an active discussion board (if I can call it
that) to having controlled dialogues. Echo chambers now exist, everywhere.
Essentially, each sub is - veritably - it's own version of r/TumblerInAction
on 'x' given topic, whether it be politics, social discourse, or what-have-
you.

Even the ban against "hate subs" doesn't seem to take into the fact that a lot
of hate subs still exist[0], espousing hate and dehumanisation of people. (Far
more have sprung-up since this list was made but do note that the list
referenced has a political leaning to it, as well. Perhaps, though, this has
more to do with the radicalisation of politics.)

[0] -
[https://www.reddit.com/r/AgainstHateSubreddits/comments/68da...](https://www.reddit.com/r/AgainstHateSubreddits/comments/68damg/list_of_hate_subreddits/)

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exabrial
If it we're purely fact finding, that'd be great. Instead it turns rapidly
into doxing and "social justice".

------
MisterTea
I wonder what the future holds when faux social interaction with no
repercussions seems to be the norm now.

