Reddit will let you hide posts, comments, and NSFW activities from your public profile

Reddit will now allow its users to do things that have never been allowed before: selectively “curated” its public-oriented profile and get some posting and commenting activities from other users.

So far, Reddit includes full comments and posting activities for users in the configuration file. So while most users are anonymous, other users can easily view their post history and view the community they are active. This feature (which many users see as a key part of Reddit's openness) helps Redditors Ferret Out Trolling, lying, lying and many other types of bad (OR) behavior.

However, with the update, Reddit users will be able to “curate” their profiles. Additional controls will allow people to hide all public posts and comments from their profiles, or hide public posts and comments in specific sublists in their profiles. There is also a “NSFW” switch that will hide posts and comments in NSFW subreddits. This setting does not hide comments or posts in the subreddit that originally appeared, but is not visible in the user's profile.

The company notes that these settings will bring some wins to the hosts, who may rely on users’ past activities to beat rule breakers or decide who qualifies to join their community. “If you post, post a comment, send a Modmail, request an approved poster or request to join a private child, the Mod team will access your full profile history within 28 days of interaction, regardless of your settings,” Reddit said in the FAQ.

Despite such concessions, many redditors are not completely satisfied with these changes, which may change some of the core dynamics of the platform. “This seems to cause bad actors to be able to hide their behavior more easily,” said one of the busiest people in the Reddit post. “Unless you are a mod, you won't be able to see them posting inflammatory errors on a dozen different submarines.”

Others have pointed out that the feature also means that it is less necessary to create an Alt or Thrawaway account, as it is easier to hide posts you don't want to link to your app. While this may be an additional convenience for some, it also raises questions about how companies make new accounts. During the company’s recent earnings call, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is considering ways to “develop” its “historically allowed account creation” process. Hoffmann didn't elaborate on its appearance, but said it was necessary to fight against AI-powered “abuse or manipulation.”