Reddit announced new efforts to protect users from misinformation on Tuesday, in the lead-up to the U.S. midterm elections. In addition, the platform also shared an update on its approach to the detection and removal of artificial intelligence-generated content, which could impact election coverage.
First, Reddit is bringing back its “Up the Vote” initiative for the midterms, which will provide a dedicated on-platform resource for election information.
Reddit said this space will be dedicated to providing updates and guidance about the midterms, with insights from government officials and nonpartisan experts.
Reddit is also partnering with National Voter Registration Day and Vote Early Day to provide information about voter registration and civic participation. The company will also host an election AMA series, in which experts will explain voting processes and answer questions about how elections work.
Reddit also reiterated its rules about election misinformation and election interference.
The platform said the threat landscape on this front has changed since the last U.S. election as more advanced AI tools provide new ways to create false information.
On that front, Reddit added that it has developed advanced AI detection models, which have already reduced user exposure to spam and inauthentic content by 20%, and now remove nearly 2 million fake upvotes daily.
“These efforts ensure the content you see on Reddit earns its place through authentic human engagement, rather than manipulation by spammers or malicious actors,” Reddit said.
Reddit will be focusing these efforts on election misinformation specifically, as part of a broader push to keep users safe from manipulation efforts during the election.
Finally, Reddit reiterated its current rules around political ads, saying that candidates are required to run an AMA session in the app before they can run election ads.
“Our goal with this requirement is to ensure that political ads aren’t just a one-way broadcast, but an invitation to genuine conversation with the community,” Reddit said.
