A Reddit moderation tool is flagging ‘Luigi’ as potentially violent content

Reddit’s automated moderation tool has been flagging the term “Luigi” as potentially violent, even when the context is harmless. Recently, a moderator from r/popculture witnessed Reddit’s AutoModerator system flagging a post related to the video game Luigi’s Mansion 3 just because it mentioned “Luigi,” prompting them to “check for violence.” A Reddit representative, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the topic, clarified that there is no broad filter for the term “Luigi” or an expectation for users to refrain from discussing Luigi Mangione, who is implicated in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Nonetheless, Reddit seems to be identifying comments that feature “Luigi” in certain cases, even if they are unrelated to Mangione, albeit not in the manner initially perceived. The Reddit representative explained that with r/popculture having recently dwindled to a sole moderator, automated moderation features were activated, including a mechanism to screen for “keywords that might—though not necessarily—indicate inappropriate content.” The remaining moderator of r/popculture disclosed to The Verge that it was Reddit, not the mod team, which added “Luigi” to the list of flagged keywords. This moderator raised the Luigi issue on the r/FreeLuigi subreddit, a grassroots community dedicated to discussions around the Mangione case. Despite the subreddit enforcing stringent regulations to comply with Reddit’s moderation policies, such as referring to Mangione by his initials and imposing a complete prohibition on content inciting or endorsing violence, the moderators are apprehensive that Reddit may opt to shut it down, even without violating the platform’s guidelines. On the other hand, r/popculture, boasting a membership of more than 125,000 individuals, is ceasing operations due to challenges that the remaining moderator attributes to Reddit. The moderator who brought attention to the “Luigi” matter declared the closure of the entire community last night, citing frustrations with Reddit admins. The moderator claimed that another team member was suspended and criticized Reddit for their lack of assistance in resolving the suspension. While a Reddit spokesperson alleged that the r/popculture moderator was suspended for permitting content that directly advocated violence, including images glorifying the Donald Trump rally shooter and content calling for the president's assassination, an r/popculture moderator refuted this, stating that the disputed content was merely a photo of the shooter and not a celebration. The Reddit representative mentioned that the automated moderation features are temporary for r/popculture and that moderators retain the authority to approve content for publication. The “Luigi” incident coincides with Reddit’s recent initiative to crack down on prohibited content. The company disclosed its plans to caution users who upvote banned content on the platform, primarily focusing on violent content initially. Reddit mentioned that users repeatedly upvoting such content within a specified timeframe would be subject to warnings. As of now, no suspensions have been imposed under the new regulation.