Reddit to Remove Ads from NSFW Content

reddit-logoOnline message board Reddit has revealed a new content policy, in an attempt to clean up its act following a number of controversies.

The changes follow the appointment of Steve Huffman, a co-founder who left Reddit six years ago, as the companys CEO. The new policies prohibit users from posting illegal content – most notably, copyrighted material – or abusing other people, in particular by posting their private information or inciting violence against them.

From an advertising point of view, though, the most important change is to Reddits policy on adult content. Posting pornography is acceptable – as long as its not non-consensual or, presumably, copyrighted – but it must be flagged as NSFW (Not Safe For Work),

This content will not appear in searches and, most importantly, will not feature any advertising. This is presumably due to advertisers hesitance to have their brands associated with this kind of content – a topic well be addressing in our next Big Issue feature, on brand safety – but it does mean Reddit will lose this not-insubstantial portion of its ad revenue.