Reddit is rolling out new privacy features that grant users more granular control over the content displayed on their user profiles. This update, announced on Tuesday, moves away from the automatic public visibility of all posts and comments, a characteristic that has long been a defining feature of the platform.
Previously, a user’s entire public posting and comment history was readily accessible to anyone who clicked on their profile. This transparency, while contributing to Reddit’s open reputation, often led users to create “throwaway” accounts to safeguard their identity and avoid potential exposure of sensitive or embarrassing activity, which sometimes went viral. The existing default setting, where all activity is public, will remain in place, but users now have the option to customize their profile visibility.
These new customization tools are accessible through a “curate your profile” tab within the settings menu. Users will find new “content and activities” settings. These allow users to choose between completely hiding all public posts and comments, including those made directly on their profile page, or opting to selectively reveal or conceal activity from specific subreddit communities. Additionally, a dedicated “NSFW” toggle has been introduced, enabling users to hide content from subreddits that are flagged as containing Not Safe For Work material.
It is important to note that these new settings do not extend to hiding individual posts or comments. Users cannot select specific entries to remove from their profile view. Furthermore, the visibility settings do not affect the presence of posts or comments within the original subreddits where they were published. They will still be visible within the context of those communities.
While providing users with more privacy, Reddit has included specific provisions to ensure functionality for community moderators. Moderators, who frequently need to review user activity before taking action, will retain full access to a user’s profile for a period of 28 days following any recent interaction with their subreddit. This includes actions such as posting, commenting, sending modmail, requesting to be an approved poster, or requesting to join a private subreddit. After this 28-day window, assuming no further interaction with the subreddit, the user’s selected profile visibility settings will be applied. However, the 28-day countdown will reset if the user engages with the subreddit again.
Reddit’s motivation for introducing these features likely stems from an effort to reduce the reliance on throwaway accounts. Such accounts make it more difficult for the platform to gather comprehensive engagement and interest data for individual users, a focus that has become increasingly important for Reddit, particularly in the wake of its recent IPO and emphasis on advertising and AI training. While intended to enhance user privacy and potentially streamline data collection, the changes have sparked some apprehension among users.
