A Reddit moderation tool flags 'Luigi' as potentially violent content.
Automated moderation tools are labeling "Luigi" as potentially "violent."
Recently, an automatic moderation tool on Reddit has started marking the word "Luigi" as potentially violent, even when the content is not related to that connotation. This situation arose when a moderator of the subreddit r/popculture noticed that the AutoModerator system had flagged a post about the video game Luigi’s Mansion 3, suggesting it be reviewed for violent content.
A representative from Reddit, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the situation, clarified that there is no general filter for the term "Luigi," nor is it expected that users stop mentioning Luigi Mangione, who has been accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. However, it seems that the platform has begun to flag comments mentioning "Luigi" in certain contexts, even if they are not necessarily related to Mangione.
The spokesperson explained that the recent decrease in the number of moderators for r/popculture triggered certain automatic moderation features, including the ability to filter by "keywords that could—but do not necessarily—indicate content that violates the rules." The only remaining moderator of the subreddit assured that the moderation team had not included "Luigi" in the list of keywords; it was an automatic decision made by Reddit.
A moderator from r/popculture addressed the issue of Luigi in the subreddit r/FreeLuigi, a space where Mangione's case is discussed and where strict rules have been implemented to avoid violations of moderation standards, such as referring to Mangione only by his initials and prohibiting content that promotes violence. Nevertheless, moderators fear that Reddit will decide to shut down this community, despite their compliance with the rules.
In the meantime, r/popculture, which has over 125,000 members, is closing due to issues that the sole moderator attributes to Reddit. In an announcement, the moderator mentioned that another team member had been suspended and that the platform has been uncooperative in trying to resolve the suspension.
The Reddit representative explained that this suspension was due to approving content with direct calls to violence, including images related to a shooting at a Donald Trump rally. The r/popculture moderator denied this claim, stating that the content in question was merely a photo of the shooter that did not celebrate their action. According to the spokesperson, the automatic moderation functions are temporary and moderators can continue to approve content for publication.
This incident regarding "Luigi" occurs in a broader context, as Reddit has begun a new policy tightening its moderation of prohibited content. The company warned that it will penalize users who vote positively on restricted content if this occurs multiple times within a certain period. The announcement clarifies that the initial implementation of this rule will focus on violent content, although there have been no reported suspensions under this new rule so far.
