Jerks on Reddit Worried That Banning the Sharing of Unauthorized Nude Images Harms Their Rights

Hey, remember how excited everyone was last week when Reddit’s privacy policy added a section on the removal of sexually explicit imagery posted without the subject’s consent? Sure you do, because you’re not one of the jerky, faux-intellectual concern trolls currently clutching their digital pearls over all that censorship who weren’t excited about it. Right?

First and foremost, it should be noted that when we originally reported on the policy change, we mentioned that it simply affords for people to ask that images of them be taken down. There is no verification process when posting masturbation fuel. Reddit is not actively searching for images to take down. They’re just not going to ignore it when someone finds out that they’re the victim of unauthorized image sharing.

That’s it. Reddit isn’t sending you to jail for having a nude picture of someone. They are not going to take it from you and burn it. They can’t stop you from doing whatever you want with it—except putting it on Reddit, which is totally their call to make. If you can find another place on the Internet to keep being an inhumanly insensitive shithead put that image, that’s up to you. If you can’t, though, maybe you should stop and ask yourself if there’s a reason society as a whole has generally decided that what you’re doing is awful.

But don’t expect that kind of introspection from those upset with the policy. Here are some of their Very Important Concerns:

When a pornstar comes asking Reddit to take down nudes on the basis of permission, I guess we’ll find out. And before you come back with, “But it could happen,” realize that your best defense is that, in a very unlikely scenario, Reddit might take down some images/videos and harm literally no one. Or maybe they’ll just—I don’t know—interpret their policy however they want, because they made the policy and can do that, and the world won’t end.

Oh no! Who will protect the rights of those who intentionally violate others!? Having any sort of rules = fascism!

I mean, at least this person seems to get how little this is likely to affect anyone except the few people who notice their nudes have been taken without permission.

“There are other bad things, so how dare you address this one! Also I don’t think those things are bad anyway.”

Reading comprehension, people. They are not asking for permission as a prerequisite to posting, and they’ll only take things down if the person who would give permission says they didn’t. This is sadly only a fraction of the half-baked, knee jerk reaction to Reddit’s perfectly reasonable notification that they’d be willing to help people who were being taken advantage of. This is why we can’t have nice things.

(via Gawker, image via AJC1)

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