Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception
Rule 5: you need not use your real name, but may not intentionally mislead others or deceptively impersonate
Rule 5 says you do not have to use your real name on Reddit. You may not, however, intentionally mislead others or impersonate an individual or entity in a deceptive manner. Links lead to policy pages on misleading content and impersonation that appear later in this document.
Supporting quotations
You don't have to use your real name
do not intentionally mislead others
impersonate](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/articles/360043075032) an individual or entity in a deceptive manner
Qualifications & exceptions
The impersonation limit applies where the impersonation is done "in a deceptive manner".
Reddit enforces its rules in many ways, including warnings, suspension, restrictions and content removal
Reddit says it has "a variety of ways" of enforcing its rules and that the list is not exhaustive. Listed measures against users and content include asking nicely, asking less nicely, temporary or permanent suspension of accounts, removing privileges or adding restrictions to accounts, and removing content. The list does not say which measure applies to which violation or in what order.
Supporting quotations
We have a variety of ways of enforcing our rules, including, but not limited to
Asking you nicely to knock it off
Asking you less nicely
Temporary or permanent suspension of accounts
Removal of privileges from, or adding restrictions to, accounts
Removal of content
Qualifications & exceptions
"Including, but not limited to" means these are examples; other enforcement measures may exist.
Not stated here
The text does not state which measure applies to which violation, whether warning always comes first, or any appeal process.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
Reddit may add restrictions to communities, including NSFW tags or quarantine, or ban them
For communities, Reddit lists adding restrictions such as NSFW tags or quarantining, and banning communities entirely. A quarantine, as described later in this document, is meant to keep a community's content from being accidentally viewed by people who do not knowingly wish to see it, or viewed without appropriate context; quarantined communities and their subscribers still must follow the Reddit Rules and remain subject to enforcement.
Supporting quotations
Adding restrictions to Reddit communities, such as adding NSFW tags or [Quarantining]
Banning of Reddit communities
The purpose of quarantining a community is to prevent its content from being accidentally viewed by those who do not knowingly wish to do so, or viewed without appropriate context.
remain subject to enforcement measures.
Qualifications & exceptions
The quarantine purpose and obligations are described in the Quarantining page later in this joined document (see b427 to b429).
Report possible harassment with the report button; Reddit links to enforcement information and a transparency report
To report content that may violate the harassment policy, you can use the report button next to the content, in the app or on reddit.com. Reddit also points to a page on its enforcement philosophy and to its Transparency Report for policy enforcement data. The text of those linked pages is not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report content that potentially violates this policy, you can use the [report button]
To find out more about Reddit's enforcement philosophy, please click [here]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied in this document, so what they say about outcomes or appeals is unknown.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report possible violent content with the report button; enforcement and transparency pages are linked
To report content that may violate the violence policy, you can use the report button next to the content in the app or on reddit.com. Reddit also points to a page on its enforcement philosophy and to its Transparency Report. The linked pages are not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report content that potentially violates this policy, you can use the [report button]
To find out more about Reddit's enforcement philosophy, please click [here]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied in this document.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report possible spam with the report button; enforcement and transparency pages are linked
To report potential spam, use the report button next to the content in the app or on Reddit.com. Reddit points to its enforcement philosophy page and its Transparency Report for more information; those pages are not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report potential spam, please use the [report button]
For more information, please visit Reddit's [enforcement philosophy]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied in this document.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report non-consensual intimate media with the inline report feature or a report page; a support page is linked
To report non-consensual intimate media, the page says to use the inline report feature on the app or website, or to visit a report page on reddit.com. It also links to a separate support page for people whose intimate images, or those of someone they know, have been shared or threatened to be shared; that page is not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report non-consensual intimate media, you can use the inline report feature on the app or website
If somebody has shared intimate images of you or somebody you know
Not stated here
The linked support page for people whose intimate images were shared is not supplied in this document, so what support it provides is unknown.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report sexual content or inappropriate behavior involving minors with the in-line report feature or a report page
To report sexual or suggestive content or inappropriate behavior involving minors, the page says to use the in-line report feature on the app or website, or to visit a report page on reddit.com.
Supporting quotations
To report sexual or suggestive content or inappropriate behavior involving minors, you can use the in-line report feature on the app or website
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report abuse content involving minors with the inline report feature or a report page
To report abuse content involving minors, the page says to use the inline report feature on the app or website, or visit a report page on reddit.com.
Supporting quotations
To report abuse content involving minors, you can use the inline report feature on the app or website
Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception
Impersonation policy: pseudonyms are allowed, but misrepresenting identity or affiliation to mislead is not
The policy tells users not to impersonate individuals or entities in a misleading or deceptive manner. Users are free to engage without using their real name or revealing their identity, but may not misrepresent their identity or affiliation to mislead or deceive others.
Supporting quotations
Do not impersonate individuals or entities in a misleading or deceptive manner.
You are free to engage on the platform without using your real name or revealing your identity.
you're not allowed to misrepresent your identity or affiliation to mislead or deceive others
Qualifications & exceptions
The page header says "Updated 10 days ago", a relative time with no absolute date.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Accounts and communities for commentary, fandom, satire or parody about someone are encouraged to say so
Reddit encourages communities and user accounts dedicated to an individual or entity for commentary, fandom, satire or parody to disclose that (for example by specifying "unofficial" in the name or description, or clearly explaining the community's purpose) to avoid confusion. This is phrased as encouragement, not as a requirement. The link on "communities" points to the Moderator Code of Conduct Rule 2, which is not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
and user accounts that are dedicated to an individual or entity for the purpose of commentary, fandom, satire, or parody, to disclose as such (e.g., specify "unofficial" in the name or description, clearly explain the purpose of the community, etc.) to avoid confusion.
Qualifications & exceptions
Worded as "we encourage"; the source does not state a penalty for not disclosing, but impersonation that misleads remains prohibited.
Not stated here
The linked Moderator Code of Conduct Rule 2 page is not supplied in this document, so what it adds is unknown.
Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception
Pretending to be an existing person or organization, or a fake one presented as real, to mislead may violate it
Listed as things that may violate the policy: pretending to be or represent an existing individual or organization to mislead or confuse others, and posing as an individual or organization that does not exist to make others believe they are engaging with a real entity.
Supporting quotations
Pretending to be or represent an existing individual or organization in order to mislead or confuse others.
Posing as an individual or organization that does not exist in order to make others believe they are engaging with a real entity.
Qualifications & exceptions
Both items are tied to a purpose of misleading, confusing or deceiving others.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
Reddit looks at profile or community name, description, picture and activity as indicators of impersonation
When determining violations, the policy says elements of a user profile or community such as name, description, profile picture and activity may all be indicators of impersonation.
Supporting quotations
Elements of a user profile or community such as name, description, profile picture, and activity may all be indicators of impersonation.
Qualifications & exceptions
These are described as indicators ("may"), not as conclusive tests.
Examples of violations: using a business's name and offering deals on its behalf without authorization; creating an account with a username almost identical to another account's to confuse others; offering an AMA while pretending to be the spokesperson for an established organization; creating a community posing as the job listing community of a fictional recruitment agency; using an account that poses as an official government agency and engages users on public matters; and misrepresenting yourself as a Reddit admin with an account that uses the Reddit name and branding.
Supporting quotations
Using the name of a business and offering deals to users on its behalf without authorization.
Creating an account with a username almost identical to another account's username to confuse others about which account they are interacting with.
Offering an AMA with an account pretending to be the spokesperson for an established organization.
Creating a community posing as the job listing community for a fictional recruitment agency.
Using an account that poses as an official government agency and engages users on public matters.
Misrepresenting yourself as a Reddit admin with an account that uses the Reddit name and branding.
Qualifications & exceptions
Examples illustrate the policy; the source does not say they are the only violations.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Impersonation non-violations: discussing a company, fan accounts that do not assume the identity, brand communities
Examples that do not violate the policy: using a company's name to discuss its products, services or business practices; using a celebrity's name for a fan account that does not assume that identity in interactions with others; and creating your brand's official community to directly engage with users.
Supporting quotations
Using a company's name for the purpose of discussing its products, services, or business practices.
Using the name of a celebrity for a fan account that doesn't assume that identity in interactions with others.
Creating your brand's official community to directly engage with users.
Qualifications & exceptions
The fan account example is limited to accounts that do not assume the celebrity's identity in interactions.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report possible impersonation with the report button; enforcement and transparency pages are linked
To report content that may violate the impersonation policy, use the report button next to the content in the app or on reddit.com. Reddit points to its enforcement philosophy page and Transparency Report, which are not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report content that potentially violates this policy, you can use the [report button]
For more information, please visit Reddit's [enforcement philosophy]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied in this document.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report violating transactions with the report button; enforcement and transparency pages are linked
To report content that violates the policy, use the report button next to the content in the app or on reddit.com. Reddit points to its enforcement philosophy page and Transparency Report, which are not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report content that violates this policy, you can use the [report button]
For more information, please visit Reddit's [enforcement philosophy]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied in this document.
Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception
Creating accounts by automated or agentic means, or misusing features to disrupt others, may violate the policy
Also listed: creating accounts through automated or agentic means, and misusing platform features in a way that disrupts the experience for others.
Supporting quotations
Creating accounts through automated or agentic means.
Misusing platform features in a way that disrupts the experience for others.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
Administrators may quarantine communities that are highly offensive but not prohibited, or that promote hoaxes
The quarantining page says that on an open and diverse platform, there will sometimes be communities that are not prohibited but that average users may find highly offensive or upsetting, and communities dedicated to promoting hoaxes that warrant additional scrutiny because some things are verifiable or falsifiable and not seriously up for debate. In these circumstances, Reddit Administrators "may apply a quarantine".
Supporting quotations
there will sometimes be communities that, while not prohibited, average users may nevertheless find highly offensive or upsetting
communities may be dedicated to promoting hoaxes (yes we used that word) that warrant additional scrutiny
Reddit Administrators may apply a quarantine.
Qualifications & exceptions
The page header says "Updated 10 days ago", a relative time with no absolute date.
Quarantine is described as something administrators "may" apply.
Not stated here
The source does not set out criteria for what counts as highly offensive, upsetting or a hoax.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
Quarantine prevents accidental viewing; quarantined communities and subscribers must still follow the Reddit Rules
The purpose of quarantining is to prevent a community's content from being accidentally viewed by people who do not knowingly wish to see it, or viewed without appropriate context. Quarantined communities and their subscribers are still fully obliged to abide by the Reddit Rules and remain subject to enforcement measures.
Supporting quotations
The purpose of quarantining a community is to prevent its content from being accidentally viewed by those who do not knowingly wish to do so, or viewed without appropriate context.
remain subject to enforcement measures.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
Quarantined communities show an opt-in warning, earn no revenue and are left out of feeds, search and recommendations
Quarantined communities display a warning that requires users to explicitly opt in to viewing the content. They generate no revenue, do not appear in non-subscription-based feeds (for example Popular), and are not included in search or recommendations. Reddit may also enforce additional product restrictions that exist now or develop in the future (for example removing custom styling tools). Moderators are notified via mod mail when their community is quarantined.
Supporting quotations
Quarantined communities will display a warning that requires users to explicitly opt-in to viewing the content.
They generate no revenue, do not appear in non-subscription-based feeds (eg Popular), and are not included in search or recommendations.
Reddit may also enforce a number of additional product restrictions that exist currently or as they may develop in the future (eg removing custom styling tools).
Moderators will be notified via mod mail if their community has been placed in quarantine.
Qualifications & exceptions
Additional product restrictions are open-ended and may change over time.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Moderators can appeal a quarantine with evidence of sustained moderation changes over at least one month
To be removed from quarantine, community moderators may present an appeal. The appeal should include a detailed accounting of changes to community moderation practices (examples given: more moderators, new rules, more aggressive auto-moderation tools, adjusting community styling) and should offer evidence of sustained, consistent enforcement of these changes over a period of at least one month, demonstrating meaningful reform. Moderators should only submit credible appeals supported by notable and sustained community transformation, and are encouraged to take the time they need.
Supporting quotations
To be removed from quarantine, community moderators may
The appeal should include a detailed accounting of changes to community moderation practices.
The appeal should also offer evidence of sustained, consistent enforcement of these changes over a period of at least one month, demonstrating meaningful reform of the community.
Moderators should only submit credible appeals that are supported by notable and sustained community transformation.
Qualifications & exceptions
The text says an appeal "should" include these items; it does not guarantee removal from quarantine.
Not stated here
The source does not say how long Reddit takes to decide an appeal or whether the decision is final.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report possible hate violations with the report button; enforcement and transparency pages are linked
To report content that may violate the hate policy, you can use the report button next to the content in the app or on reddit.com. Reddit also points to a page on its enforcement philosophy and to its Transparency Report. The linked pages are not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report content that potentially violates this policy, you can use the [report button]
To find out more about Reddit's enforcement philosophy, please click [here]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied in this document.
Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception
Ban evasion is prohibited: multiple accounts to dodge a ban, or recreating a banned or quarantined community
Ban evasion includes creating or using multiple accounts to circumvent a community ban issued by a moderator, or to violate Reddit policies following a site-wide ban issued by Reddit admins. It also includes creating or repurposing a community to reconstitute one previously banned or quarantined by Reddit admins.
Supporting quotations
Ban evasion, which includes:
Creating or using multiple accounts to circumvent a community ban issued by a mod of a community or to violate Reddit policies following a site-wide ban issued by Reddit admins.
Creating or repurposing a community to reconstitute a community that was previously banned or quarantined by Reddit admins.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report vote manipulation or ban evasion via a webform; Reddit combines reports and internal systems
To report potential vote manipulation or ban evasion, the policy says to file a report through a webform. Reddit says it uses a combination of reports by moderators, users and internal systems to aggregate signals and determine whether someone's behavior may constitute a violation. It also points to its enforcement philosophy and Transparency Report, which are not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
To report potential vote manipulation or ban evasion please file a report through
We also use a combination of reports by moderators, users, and internal systems to aggregate signals and determine whether someone's behavior may constitute a violation under this policy.
For more information, please visit Reddit's [enforcement philosophy]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied; the internal systems and signals used are not described.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Report a personal information violation through Reddit's report page
To report a personal information violation, the page directs users to a report page on reddit.com.
Supporting quotations
To report a Personal Information violation, please visit
Account & Service Control · Company practice
Reddit combines moderator, user and internal-system reports to judge misleading content behavior
Reddit says it uses a combination of reports by moderators, users and internal systems to aggregate signals and determine whether someone's behavior may constitute a violation of this policy. It points to its enforcement philosophy and Transparency Report, which are not part of this document.
Supporting quotations
We use a combination of reports by moderators, users, and internal systems to aggregate signals and determine whether someone's behavior may constitute a violation under this policy.
For more information, please visit Reddit's [enforcement philosophy]
Not stated here
The text of the linked enforcement philosophy page and the Transparency Report is not supplied; the internal systems and signals are not described.