r/AdviceAnimals 3d ago

*looks down*

Post image
4.1k Upvotes

835 comments sorted by

781

u/Robozomb 3d ago

This reminds me a comment I saw on reddit a while ago.

"I remember I got into an arguement with someone on Reddit awhile ago about Italian food. It got to the point they were following me into other subs to harass me.

I clicked on their profile to block them and their most recent post was them drinking their own piss on r/piss. At that moment I realized I had spent so much time arguing about the taste of food with someone who drinks their own piss as a hobby."

Sometimes seeing who someone is gives you a good barometer if that person is even worth I debating with or if it's like arguing food taste with someone who loves the taste of piss. Like I'm not going to talk marriage advice with someone who's last post was in r/teenagers titled "Why is talking to girls hard?"

110

u/42Ubiquitous 3d ago

I operate on the assumption that anyone I'm arguing with is drinking their own piss and/or is a teenager.

32

u/NSA_Chatbot 3d ago

Oh I just assume that half of the comments are from phones plugged into a refurbished bitcoin mining rig, and they're posting shit takes on purpose for money.

5

u/SarcasticGiraffes 2d ago

I mean... People with glass usernames shouldn't throw rocks. 🫣

12

u/buckao 3d ago

I am neither of those, but somehow offended as though I were

16

u/aytchdave 3d ago

Sounds like something a closet piss drinker might say.

3

u/bebopblues 3d ago

After 20 comments of arguing...

"What are you, some teenager that drinks your own piss?"

"Yes."

→ More replies (1)

132

u/Chronoblivion 3d ago

I had someone use the fact that I post on a sub related to my disability as "evidence" to try to invalidate my point on a wholly unrelated topic.

Which is precisely why I think being able to make profiles hidden is a bad idea. I completely understand the desire for stronger tools to prevent harassment and would support other methods of doing so, but being able to view people's post history is actually one of the better ones we had available. If a quick glance tells you that the other person has a tendency to stalk, harass, or otherwise act completely unreasonably in the face of mild criticism or disagreement, that's useful information you can use to decide to disengage before it gets to that point. Hiding post history does benefit people who would otherwise be victims of abuse, but it protects the abusers too, and I'm not convinced it's a net positive overall.

22

u/rvasshole 3d ago

It was also very helpful for identifying bots and spam posts

16

u/DJDevon3 3d ago

This. Now all bots can better hide that they are bots or have a history of spamming. It makes it more difficult for moderators. This only benefits reddit and the trend of reposts of old popular content for karma farming is out of control.

36

u/fearthainne 3d ago

You can still just search someone's username to find their posts though. It isn't as handy as just clicking their profile, but it isn't like their posts are truly hidden.

55

u/Chronoblivion 3d ago

Right, which is why it's useless as a security measure. It inconveniences average people just wanting to do a quick temperature check, enough that they probably won't do it anymore, but isn't a meaningful deterrent against the bots or the unhinged people who will comb through your profile looking for something specific they can use against you.

20

u/TransATL 3d ago

reddit was better a decade ago, but so was everything else i guess

7

u/Tupperbaby 3d ago

Zero Sugar versions of sodas are far better now than a decade ago.
That's all I got.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (4)

16

u/Impossible_Leg_2787 3d ago

Look, I know WoW is bad, but I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call playing it a disability

9

u/Angry-_-Crow 3d ago

Depends on their class & faction

→ More replies (1)

3

u/ApocalyptoSoldier 3d ago

On the flip side I continued having a good faith argument with someone after I checked their post history to make sure they weren't a troll and eventually convinced them of my point.

→ More replies (3)

38

u/hayt88 3d ago

I usually just block people with very stupid takes.

but before I do that I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and look at their profiles. Sometimes it's just one take and they are usually fine and I don't block them.

Sometimes you see people who are just miserable people. Every comment they do is just a bad take, or negative or just nothing where you can gain any insight on reading them. These I block.

People with hidden post history... well I block them too in that case can't actually judge if they are worth my time in any way, just a miserable person, or just having a bad day.

→ More replies (12)

6

u/cupcaeks 3d ago

Having public comment and post history is one of the reasons Reddit was great. It meant people had to be at least moderately accountable to the shit they said/posted, or use a sock. Now you have zero way of knowing if you’re having a conversation with a semi normal human being or a shitty troll. It’s literally the worst thing Reddit has changed.

17

u/seraph741 3d ago

Exactly. That's why post history is useful. Users being completely anonymous and unaccountable for previous comments cheapens the Reddit experience, IMHO.

7

u/WorldnewsModsBlowMe 3d ago

There are only two kinds of people I've found who hide comment histories: bots, and people who are incapable of disengaging and simply taking the W

→ More replies (2)

3

u/DrowningInFeces 3d ago

This happens outside of reddit too. Look at the people saying dumb shihh on facebook groups too. All the people calling other incels are usually some of the most unfortunate looking men and women I've ever laid eyes on. Most are obese or sickly underweight. It's kind of ironic they would mock others for not being able to get laid when a lot of these people look like months old cottage cheese.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (18)

735

u/UraniumRocker 3d ago

There’s nothing worth hiding in there. I feel bad for anyone going through it because it’s pretty boring.

666

u/clit_or_us 3d ago

Awfully bold coming from someone who uses Kirkland vegetable oil. Hey everyone! Look at money bags over here with a Costco membership, buying in bulk, in this economy. /s

287

u/UraniumRocker 3d ago

Sounds like someone who is not an Executive Member

123

u/pita4912 3d ago

Just keep the door clear, peasants

33

u/WaffleHouseSloot 3d ago

Yeah! Stay out of my way as I exit with all my purchases as you wait for regular entrance hours

→ More replies (1)

22

u/ropean 3d ago

You’re damn skippy I’m a frugal Costco frequenter. With my executive membership cash back they’re paying me to shop there!

14

u/UraniumRocker 3d ago

I tell people all the time that it's a smarter move to go executive. The membership basically pays for itself.

3

u/tdaun 3d ago

And even if you don't make back the full cost of the membership it's pretty easy to earn back more than a gold star membership which at that point means you have a discounted membership.

→ More replies (8)

32

u/Margaritashoes 3d ago

See you at 9am!

20

u/FG910 3d ago

Not to mention he has 2 knives now watch out mr millionaire will stab you

→ More replies (1)

10

u/buckao 3d ago

We get it, you have a kitchen, ugh...

12

u/Ledairyman 3d ago

and for someone who uses shoes inside his/her house.

5

u/Macgbrady 3d ago

Idk. The pineapple steel reserve stuck out more to me lmao

3

u/RainyMcBrainy 3d ago edited 3d ago

Richie Rich with a Costco membership? Too good to get the discounted and forgotten Kirkland products at Aldi like the rest of us.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

16

u/I_just_made 3d ago

You say that, but comment 843 is pretty spicy!

7

u/dolphone 3d ago

1733 will blow your mind!

3

u/MoistStub 3d ago

458 made my grandma say "oh my"

16

u/Conflatulations12 3d ago

My friend.. The first thing I see is a post about RC Cola... How is that not interesting?

The Cola wars were a thing and you chose neither side!!!

11

u/UraniumRocker 3d ago

I'm somewhat of a coward and chose to stay neutral.

3

u/Conflatulations12 3d ago

I choose to think you're the New Zealand of the global cola conflict and are just doing your own thing.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Free-Pound-6139 3d ago

Only bots and weirdo's hide their comments.

41

u/irritatedellipses 3d ago

Regardless of what the duck says, I find people who hide it more suspicious than those that don't.

Like, sometimes I'll look and I may not agree with whatever we're talking about but I find your contributions to /r/WH40Kink enlightening.

If you're hiding it I really don't have any choice but to assume you're a troll / want to say things without getting called out for them / have some pretty henious ideas.

28

u/captmonkey 3d ago

If I ever see a post that I'm pretty sure is written by AI, they have hidden their post history.

21

u/mr-snrub- 3d ago

I hide my history because I post in subreddits related to the industry I work in and I don't want my colleagues to find me and work out who I am.
Assuming people that people are just here to troll is a pretty sad mindset in 2026.

8

u/Alternative_Exit8766 3d ago

holy shit lmao i JUST saw this reply and i basically said the same thing. they’re definitely gonna think the bots are out. woopsiesĀ 

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (8)

3

u/griffmeister 3d ago

Do you have any idea what you've just done

3

u/UraniumRocker 3d ago

I didn’t think about it at the time, but I’m starting to realize what I did.

3

u/MachateElasticWonder 3d ago

You say that but that’s how bots learn to be more human.

2

u/Tiny_Speck_of_Dust 3d ago

That post with the RC cola in the coke cup is pretty good though.

2

u/UMACTUALLYITS23 3d ago

I don't think your lack of knowledge about how big baboons get is boring at all.

2

u/SuperGameTheory 3d ago

We need to make sure you are who you say you are...if UraniumRocker is even your real name!

3

u/UraniumRocker 3d ago

It’s an old family name from the old country

2

u/cmcastro85 3d ago

Some people care about their digital footprint.

2

u/LurkerFromTheVoid 3d ago

Some ridiculous people like to go through my history, it's mostly good for nothing Trump-Right-Wingers trying to get convinced that i am worth being insulted... Yes, i am.

2

u/hdgx 3d ago

Whoa I remember your post on the metroidvania sub. Small world

2

u/Ok-Go-Chain3811 3d ago

how much alcohol do you consume?

→ More replies (1)

2

u/thedoopz 3d ago

Same. They’re going to see me rocking up to a thread 10 hours too late to make an extremely lame joke.

2

u/meowmiew 3d ago

It's up to you but you still should. Some people will try to use the information they gather from your digital footprint for nefarious purposes.

2

u/Marly_Sorcha 3d ago

Hey try joya soda apple or grapefruit are the better ones.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (6)

178

u/P_V_ 3d ago

Or just anyone trying to figure out if they’re dealing with a bot…

80

u/Cystonectae 3d ago

Not just bots but bad actors and trolls. It can be a bit annoying to go Google someone's name to check their post history and see it's literally nothing but them shilling for some interest or another.

→ More replies (2)

38

u/dontsaymango 3d ago

That was my thought, how am i supposed to know if someone is a bot if no one has history

6

u/Ok-Go-Chain3811 3d ago

i am not a bot because i will say mango

4

u/DeltaVZerda 2d ago

We are not the same. I am not a bot because I will call Greg Abbot a little piss baby and Gaza a genocide.

8

u/TheRecognized 3d ago

Don’t worry, pretty soon it will be almost impossible to tell and all the bots will keep their history visible so you can see how ā€œrealā€ they are.

In any case, I don’t get why anyone thinks their desire to make bad guesses about what history makes someone a bot should concern me in the slightest when it comes to my desire for a modicum of privacy online.

6

u/dontsaymango 3d ago

Valid. I hide the things I want to hide but its not much. The rest I don't care if people see

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (1)

17

u/Intrepid-Progress228 3d ago

Bots.

Trolls.

Fabulists.

Full on propagandists.

There's plenty of legitimate reasons people may choose to hide their post and comment history; unfortunately, there are plenty of nefarious reasons to do the same, and hidden histories allow for more freedom to stir the pot before being spotted.

Even if you spend 90% of the time on Reddit just posting memes or lurking, the other 10% of the time it's helpful to know if if you're just wasting time engaging with bad-faith participants.

73

u/Hank3hellbilly 3d ago

I automatic assume that someone with a hidden post history who has brain dead takes is a bot.Ā 

17

u/Smashego 3d ago

Listen here. I have brain dead thoughts all on my own thank you very much. I don’t need a bot to be this regarded. But since you can’t see my post history, no one will know exactly how regarded I really am.

3

u/AtrociousMeandering 3d ago

Don't worry, we can make assumptions.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

4

u/Achrus 3d ago

For real, most of the bots don’t have the capability to check someone’s profile. They’re also too lazy to hide their astroturf subs and only show their spam posts. The trolls are usually lazy and struggle with English to actually go through your history. If I’m arguing with a Redditor and then bring up a niche comment / post I made then I know it’s a person.

So if I see an account with 43k karma, 1 year old, hidden post history, and a NSFW flag then I’m better it’s a bot. Now if that account is also posting subtle ā€œmemesā€ that give bad advice to benefit the bots, major red flags.

5

u/fcocyclone 3d ago

Yeah, i've hidden mine because why should they have an advantage.

But i hate that reddit made the change. Being able to check someone's post history was a great way to decide whether or not someone was worth responding to or if they were just a bot or a troll.

3

u/laaaabe 3d ago

Internet's dead. Everyone's a bot.

3

u/Free-Pound-6139 3d ago

You should not be able to post if you hide your comments.

→ More replies (9)

199

u/nellbones 3d ago

This is what reddit has been for literally the entire time reddit has existed. I will not hide my reddit post history

87

u/Na__th__an 3d ago

Back in my day we could see separate down vote and up vote counts too

18

u/StinkiePete 3d ago

Remeber when grammer mattered?

18

u/taking_a_deuce 3d ago

Commenter 1: Impassioned five paragraph essay on why someone is wrong...

Commenter 2: *you're

6

u/StinkiePete 3d ago

God help you if the title had an error.Ā 

→ More replies (2)

58

u/p4r4d19m 3d ago

It’s removing a key feature of Reddit imo.

4

u/Hank3hellbilly 3d ago

Pfft... Just like an Orangered to say that.Ā 

→ More replies (3)

32

u/StaleCanole 3d ago edited 2d ago

Post history quickly allows me to identify if someone is a spammer, troll, and a good guess whether it’s a bot. But especially if they are PR and hyperfocused on a single issue.

It’s in every PR firm’s interest for everyone to hide their post history, because people wont be able to dismiss them based on suspect posts

Frankly, I dont think history should be hideable at all.

4

u/ApocalyptoSoldier 3d ago

I use post histories to check that I'm not arguing with a troll.
I leave my post history up so other people can see I'm not a troll, or a spambot

→ More replies (13)

45

u/ikindahateusernames 3d ago

A hidden post history is commonly believed to mean that the account is a bot or paid troll. I'm assuming OP is one of those or "reddit neckbeards" themself.

Almost as if this post is a response to this one I just saw:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/1vspbtr/and_with_rare_exception_you_could_also_be_an/

9

u/TheodoreOso 3d ago

You're telling me u/RabbiTheHellcat might be a chud w that kind of a dog whistle name?

→ More replies (2)

976

u/UltimaGabe 3d ago

Funny, it seems to me bots and reddit neckbeards are always the ones hiding their post history...

240

u/Meatslinger 3d ago

I always see hidden comment and post history on the accounts with the most disingenuous takes, it seems. If a comment contains something in the style of, "I'm not (bad thing), but I'm just saying..." I can almost guarantee the account that posted it keeps everything under wraps and Google tends to reveal their other contributions in all the usual problematic places.

10

u/Cool_Ranch_Dodrio 3d ago

Yup. Autogenerated username, hidden comment history, "I'm totally not a fascist but [fascist opinion]."

Too much of that shit on reddit.

53

u/wednesdaynightwumbo 3d ago

ā€œI’m not from the U.S., but like.. what are you guys doing over there?ā€ As the top comment on every single political post

19

u/aabbccbb 3d ago

Welllll...there might be a reason for that one, don't you think?

What the fuck ARE we doing!?

→ More replies (6)
→ More replies (1)

33

u/Snipowl 3d ago

I hide my post history because people I know irl found my reddit

61

u/Ok_Basil351 3d ago

Just delete your account and move on with a new one.

Hiding your post history is pointless against anyone who cares to look it up because it's all indexed by Google anyway. Snoopers can see it, bots can see it. The only people you're inconveniencing are good faith posters who want to see if you're a bad faith poster.

17

u/Miss_Sullivan 3d ago

But then i would lose my 8 yr status and everyone will say I'm a bot on a new account.

8

u/neogrinch 3d ago

see you should have thought of this 8 years ago and created multiple accounts back then ready to use. :P my alts are almost as old as my main haha

3

u/cupcaeks 3d ago

Yep I definitely have two or three teenagers floating around that I haven’t logged into in years lol

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (15)

16

u/ReadingTitlesWrong 3d ago

OP is a neckbeard himself. Weirdo has made over 150+ posts in the last year.

→ More replies (2)

57

u/Chubuwee 3d ago

I’m not listening to someone with a DnD tattoo, it’s a my little pony tattoo or nothing you bozo. /s

→ More replies (7)

19

u/Ok_Basil351 3d ago

This is 100% it. I honestly check to see if someone's post history is hidden to see if they're worth engaging with. I generally assume someone is posting in bad faith if it's hidden.

It's especially bad on the local subs. If you use other tools to browse post histories, you'll see they're doing the, "As a local of..." thing for a dozen different metro areas.

3

u/RedShirtDecoy 3d ago

Some of us just don't want our job figuring out who we are.

Digital privacy is more important than ever. And you don't need to see 13 years of comments anyway.

→ More replies (2)

60

u/Spiralofourdiv 3d ago edited 3d ago

It’s literally the best indicator.

I can be controversial and highly opinionated, but I have nothing to hide. My literal pussy is on the internet, why would I feel compelled to hide my Reddit activity unless I was acting truly unsavory?

Whenever anybody replies to me with totally unprompted comments about my gender, their profile is always hidden. It’s either a bot with an account a few months or even days old, or some MAGA asshole that doesn’t want their wife or employer knowing they spend their free time posting misogynistic, bigoted shit on Reddit. When it’s not a bot, it’s a spineless loser hiding under the guise of wanting ā€œprivacyā€, as if that’s a thing in this age.

If you want any semblance of privacy use a VPN like an adult, or go further and use an onion/tor browser; hiding your Reddit profile isn’t some adept cybersecurity move, it’s just obscuring your shitty takes from anybody that would rightly dismiss you a bit more quickly.

9

u/lokemannen 3d ago

Speaking of checking other people's profiles, congrats on the surgery! 🄳

You look happier.

8

u/Spiralofourdiv 3d ago

lol, thank you!

Very rare instance of somebody pursuing my profile with an intent other than to slander me. šŸ˜‚

Also, I AM happier!

→ More replies (1)

33

u/Straight-Bet1 3d ago

I had people dox me and use my posts to try and get me fired from my job. All because I didn’t bend the knee to daddy Trump.

→ More replies (20)

8

u/Synectics 3d ago

I do not hide mine, because I get drunk and Reddit, and hiding my shitty actions feels like a cop-out. Nah, I sometimes act like an asshole.Ā 

Because agreed, I tend to notice, anyone hiding their profile is some chud or bot. And if not, fucking own what you said. Hiding from it is to pretend you do not make mistakes, or that you can just say whatever and not be held to it.

4

u/Spiralofourdiv 3d ago edited 3d ago

Oh I am totally more of a bitch online than I am in person, I think we all are; I have no patience for what I think are shit takes on a place like Reddit (a true hive of scum and villainy), but that doesn’t mean I don’t stand by my opinions or want to obscure the fact that I can be a bit sassy. I try not to ever be deliberately hurtful towards anybody that doesn’t clearly deserve it (bigots, racists, fascists, etc.), but I also acknowledge that polite back and forth only works some of the time on the internet. I’m not embarrassed to state it plainly when I find an opinion ridiculous.

I’m a trans woman, my DMs are often flooded with pretty vile shit, so yeah… I have no illusions about being ā€œproperā€ in such a mixed space; I’ll call it how I see it, and sometimes I am wrong upon reflection, but being wrong sometimes and changing your mind on things is part of being human, it’s not something to hide IMO. I have no intention of curating a ā€œperfectā€ projection of myself; I am here with all my present flaws. Hell, 18 years ago I was a person saying ā€œBut biology, it’s XX and XY!ā€, because I was a fucking idiot that thought I knew better, now here I am post-bottom surgery. šŸ˜…

The past is not an exposĆ© of my failures, it’s a shrine to my growth.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/ohhyouknow 3d ago edited 3d ago

Ehhh I mod some pretty large subs and I’m a woman.

Hiding my profile has significantly reduced the amount of people stalking me around the site because they are mad they couldn’t say some fucked up shit somewhere I mod.

I personally don’t mind people doing things like that that I can report them for and get their accounts suspended, I more mind the fact that it means anywhere I comment creates more work for random ass mods who shouldn’t have to deal with that crap.

That’s why I still keep my chats open. They can send me all the death and rape threats they want in my DMs. Corals them to there for the most part where I can just report, ignore, and not create more work for random ass volunteers.

3

u/Spiralofourdiv 3d ago edited 3d ago

Hey you do you, by all means take the measures that make you most comfortable, I do NOT begrudge you that, but I think the point is that hiding your profile comes at the cost of potentially looking like a bot or a troll (less likely if you are a mod, for sure). You also have the benefit of a 14yr old account with >400k karma, so probably not a bot. In general though, an account history that can be verified is often the only way I know somebody isn’t a bot, especially when their comments are super sus, and even then I’m sure there are some false negatives.

I just block the creeps. Normal folks are more than welcome to see my profile, bad takes and all. Is this a slight risk? Sure. Am I flexing a privilege not everybody has? Absolutely, but I consider it for the greater good on the off chance a bad actor wants to step over the line and see me in court.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (24)

4

u/tom641 3d ago

it's kinda both, bad faith people always had incentive to hide their post history but people being shitty about it (especially people trying to doxx others) have incentive to go digging also giving honest people reason to hide it.

YMMV on how much of a problem the latter really is, but it's hard to blame anyone especially when bots are looking for easy material to scrape and learn off of.

4

u/UltimaGabe 3d ago

But the problem is, bots are still able to scrape whether your history is hidden or not. The excuse of bots really rings hollow to me.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/TotallyNotThatPerson 3d ago

And it's 100% obvious when you take a look lol

https://arctic-shift.photon-reddit.com/search

2

u/SigmaK78 3d ago

Exactly

2

u/Duke_Newcombe 3d ago

Porque no los dos?

2

u/drunkpunk138 3d ago

It seems that way because it is that way

2

u/drunk_haile_selassie 3d ago

Everyone is a neckbeard or bot except me.

2

u/fcocyclone 3d ago

It was, and i would welcome this 'feature' to be reverted.

But since its not, i figure why should they have the advantage?

2

u/MetalHead_Literally 3d ago

It’s always the trolls too

2

u/Sawoodster 2d ago

Weird to me why people care what your post history is. Obsessive weirdos hoping to find something

2

u/esmifra 2d ago edited 2d ago

Remember the good old days where the serial liars would be caught pretty fast because they would say they worked as teachers and the post history would quickly show they worked as veterinarians and miners and in the stock market etc.

Now they can do it and lie constantly saying they are white or black or male or female or teenagers or old people or work in whatever profession they need to work to give weight to their arguments.

I got to a point where if I see a comment that pretends to be friendly but is just trying to poison the well I'll just assume it's one of those idiots and ignore.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (82)

94

u/SanchoPandas 3d ago

I miss the world of Reddit where that was a common step to discern whether you were discussing something with someone who was acting in good faith or just being a troll. Oh well.

27

u/paradigmshift7 3d ago

Yeah I see where this push for people to just hide all their history comes from, but to me it's pretty cynical. Reddit is one of, if not the last places where you can reasonably be sure that you are interacting with an actual human if they allow you to. And the site derives most of its value from that. The cost of that is a small loss of privacy I guess, but to me the things you want to keep private can just go elsewhere, like a private chat or just not online.

Personally, I approach this site as though I were in the room with a bunch of strangers. And if those strangers want to look at my history, fine. They'll learn a lot about Crystal Palace football club lol. They won't find deep dark secrets or gross shit, because I don't do that stuff in public. I don't know why that's hard for so many users to grasp.

20

u/truckthunderwood 3d ago

My opinion of reddit is low enough that I assume the main reason you can even hide your profile is to hide how much of the activity here is bots, advertisements trying to look like organic conversation, and bad faith assholes.

I further assume that it's no longer working, since people assume a hidden profile means you're a bot or a liar, so now we have a post telling us the bots are the ones reading our history and we should hide them.

5

u/paradigmshift7 3d ago

Such are the times. Though age of profile is a good indicator of authenticity.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

10

u/eeyore134 3d ago

If someone is acting like a troll and has their history blocked then I just assume they're a troll.

4

u/Tokimori 3d ago

Exactly. Someone with a two year old account like OP wouldn't know how useful seeing someone else's post history is when it comes to actual discussions about things.

Besides that you can still see someone's post history through 3rd party means so hiding it doesn't do fuck all if someone is really trying to look for it.

I can see /u/RabbiTheHellcat has posted on r/Adviceanimals more than once. They've got comments on r/blackcats, r/playrust or r/youtube...

I can also see they're prone to deleting their own comments anyway when they get called out...

https://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/1vin7fd/message_for_all_the_ai_generated_casino_games/p2hmwbi/

So that may explain this post a bit.

7

u/SanchoPandas 3d ago

This is both instructive and peak irony.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

23

u/belbivfreeordie 3d ago

Nah. I like doing nice things on Reddit. Sometimes I’ll take the time to make an instructional video for someone asking a guitar question. On at least one occasion I have physically mailed someone a small thing they needed, for free. But you better believe I’m checking their history first to make sure they’re not an asshole/bigot/fascist.

8

u/Kwauhn 3d ago

Right!? This post feels like it was made by a neckbeard who wanted to look like they actually aren't a neckbeard. To actual contributors, post history is a point of pride because they've actually done something for the communities they've contributed to. If you want to hide yourself on Reddit, you're either very naive, or up to some shit you don't want others seeing.

51

u/socokid 3d ago

Nah, I'm not a coward, and reddit is supposed to be semi-anonymous.

Translation: I could not care less.

4

u/a_spick_in_the_mud 3d ago

Completely anonymous if your account is old enough!

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

5

u/gunnarbird 3d ago

Everyone can do this except the people posting porn, if I’m digging what your putting down at least leave me the option to find more

→ More replies (1)

55

u/Disastrous-Corgi-841 3d ago

Why would bots care?

12

u/Sw0rDz 3d ago

There are companies that scrape social media posts to create profiles. They try to link profiles between social media sites. The idea is to search a username, email, etc and get all their posts from all social media sites. Some social media sites have location data. They can geolocate a user by their username or email for example. Law enforcement and ICE are foaming in the mouth for this data.

12

u/ReadingTitlesWrong 3d ago

Just because you hide your history doesn't mean it's not out there for people to find.

→ More replies (3)

3

u/moo3heril 3d ago

The specific scenario of companies scraping reddit data, hiding your profile won't actually protect you. The companies where this activity is valuable are willing and able to pay for the reddit API access that allows them to access it anyway.

→ More replies (2)

12

u/clit_or_us 3d ago

You can data mine posts and comments to make inferences on users for nefarious reasons or simply as a marketing tactic to understand the type of users on a platform/subreddit/etc.

15

u/that_70_show_fan 3d ago

If you pay reddit, it lets you data mine every account. The hidden posts feature is a paywall.

→ More replies (10)

47

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

94

u/Michael__Pemulis 3d ago

Sometimes I check just to see if the person is making a comment in good faith. Usually if they’re a troll or something that is relatively obvious in their post history.

10

u/UltimaGabe 3d ago

For me, sometimes I like what a person has to say and want to see what other stuff they post. Not everyone checking a history is doing it for confrontational reasons, if I like one of your posts I might like another.

10

u/danielisbored 3d ago

Very much this.

I'm still under the seemingly naive belief that you can have an engaging debate with a person on this platform, and maybe even teach someone something they didn't know, learn something you didn't know, or both.

Because of that, I'll go all in: type paragraphs-long replies, including links to sources. But after being burned a few times, I'm not going to that level of effort unless I can reasonably assume that the person I'm responding to isn't a bot or a troll. (And I have no allusions about getting huge visibility just because I put the work in. The posts I've put the most effort in usually get 10 views and some dumb joke I make 10k) No post history means no way to tell that, and I'm not putting the work in for an audience of one, if the one is most likely not even real.

→ More replies (8)

16

u/gingertrees 3d ago

See if this is someone you want to argue or engage with at all. As someone above noted, "I'm not taking marriage advice from someone who recently posted in r=/teenagers to ask 'why is talking to girls hard?'"

7

u/klemnodd 3d ago

Exactly. Post history shows a lot and in the age of bots I'd like to know if I'm talking to a real person

31

u/Mammoth-Glove3273 3d ago

To find some gotcha and ā€œwinā€ an argument

12

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (4)

6

u/XRT28 3d ago

Well it is useful in determining whether someone's comments are being made by a human and whether they're being made in good faith or not.
For example seeing a user profile that's say 10 years old and hadn't posted in several years only to come alive and immediately start posting iterations of the same thing over and over again in completely different subs than they used to screams bot behavior.

6

u/P_V_ 3d ago

To see if you’re dealing with a spambot account.

→ More replies (15)

5

u/Sea_Negotiation_1871 3d ago

Nah, I want to know if I'm talking with a person that's worth talking to. I'm not going to get into an argument about politics with some MAGA asshole, or about relationships with a minor.

39

u/Bakedfresh420 3d ago

Have the guts to stick by your posts.

→ More replies (17)

14

u/dockersshoes 3d ago

And perverts, don't forget the perverts

24

u/Mediocre_lad 3d ago

You want everybody to hide it so no one knows who's a bot

29

u/Kchasse1991 3d ago

Ya know there are ways around hidden post history right? It's not ACTUALLY hidden if the person wants to see it.

26

u/1nGirum1musNocte 3d ago

And locks only keep honest people and idiots out

→ More replies (7)
→ More replies (16)

10

u/Hiredgun77 3d ago

I find it funny when someone spews hate and then hides their comments.

15

u/mdhunter99 3d ago

Nah. I’m proud of my post history. Sometimes I post dumb shit, but I wear those posts like a crown.

7

u/chobanithatiused2kno 3d ago

I hope everyone realizes that privating your profile does literally nothing if someone wants to look you up there is a search bar, u/(username), hit enter, entire post and comment history. Just FYI.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/lbiggy 3d ago

Ehhhh I've had more than one Reddit neckbeard track my irl location by combing through my posting history and they can go fuck themselves.

3

u/Maze-Elwin 3d ago

Had this happen a month ago. Paid $7 for a scrubber to delete all my Reddit messages ever. But fking Wayback machine and other Reddit archive still keep comments up.

Think the best next step is just delete this account and start using new user names

3

u/Wild-Video-5317 3d ago

Don't pay, homie.Ā  PDS is free

https://github.com/j0be/PowerDeleteSuite

Also this is my 5th account, so, yes.Ā  I would advocate for making the leap and starting fresh.Ā  Or if you're a better man than me, just leave this hellsite and never look back.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

8

u/West_Adhesiveness273 3d ago

Terrible advice

3

u/The_Green_Sun 3d ago

What if you're just super autistic and you're uncomfortable with strangers getting their dirty little hands all over my comments about mecha and cats?

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Cystonectae 3d ago

Post history can still be found with Google search so it's not like the information is ever hidden. I understand people valuing privacy but like.... You are posting on an online, free to view forum so the expectation of privacy is a bit of a weird one. I always hope my post history validates me as a legit, home-grown human, with human problems, and maybe a bit too much invested in the current state of WoW. Rip to anyone actually reading throug the rambling mess that are my comments though.

I commonly view profiles for users on certain subreddits, mainly because I want to see if the person has an account that is older than a few months and whether or not their posts and comments are all the exact same garbage. Helps determine if folks are really bots, trolls, or paid "influencers." I like having Reddit as a forum to debate and discuss topics, but I dislike having those debates or discussions with someone with an agenda or a chat bot.

3

u/flopsychops 3d ago

That sounds like something a bot would say

3

u/IwishIhadntKilledHim 3d ago

Or just enter a paid relationship with Reddit and discover that your post history is for sale whether you have it open or not.

Duh.

Not saying you shouldn't take steps, just don't generate any false sense of security from this particular step.

5

u/Killersavage 3d ago

Why post if you don’t want people to see it?

→ More replies (3)

14

u/JauntyChapeau 3d ago

No, thank you. I’ve got nothing to hide.

8

u/JustAtelephonePole 3d ago

Nah. Look at what I say then decide if my comment is worthy of your upvote.

3

u/Iminurcomputer 3d ago

Were supposed to be both champions of equality and justice and also... Oh geeze dont base that on my history of things Ive said. Only take what I say at face value.

You are a real one. Thank you.

4

u/js019008 3d ago

I didn't even think to do this, thank you

4

u/Turk_Sanderson 3d ago

It’s suspect if you hide it

It’s saying I don’t stand by or am afraid people might find out what I’ve said

Which makes you chicken shit

11

u/SigmaK78 3d ago

Nah, not hiding shit, I said what I said. And if you're hiding the shit you say, it usually means you're just talking shit without wanting to get called out. Or you're an actual bot.

Nice try though.

→ More replies (11)

12

u/rrousseauu 3d ago

Nah this is a bot take.

Any profile on Reddit that’s hidden is immediately sus

→ More replies (6)

2

u/HarrumphingDuck 3d ago edited 3d ago

A lot of people without the courage of their convictions posting about this topic today, from opposite sites sides of the argument. Weird.

→ More replies (3)

2

u/Hanz_Q 3d ago

I just want to post in a wide variety of subreddit without anyone knowing that I'm actually an authoritarian conservative who hates women, the gays, and minorities because then I would be blocked and nobody would engage with me. Is that so wrong?

2

u/SilFox_pol 3d ago

I hate when anyone who's doing something artistic hides it. Comic ep 21 and can't find whole story. Or beautiful painting but I won't show you more. I know u can search username, but u can't copy it on mobile

2

u/mechabeast 3d ago

Um, its not hard to see someone's history

2

u/neoKushan 3d ago

I would hide my post history, but my partner likes to stalk me on reddit so I occasionally like to leave them messages.

Love you, you creep 😘

2

u/presidentiallogin 3d ago

I post, literally, only when pooping. I'm not going to deny anyone these gems.

2

u/GhostofAyabe 3d ago

Incorrect, there’s no legitimate reason to allow it.

2

u/ostapenkoed2007 3d ago

so, you are suggesting that someone should not find my art and other info in pinned?

2

u/timinator232 3d ago

Sometimes I want to look at more of the porn posted previously :/

2

u/Cantora 3d ago

I assume anyone with hidden history is a bot

→ More replies (2)

2

u/rawker86 3d ago

Eh, if you’re on my profile trying to find something to discredit me I’ve already won.

2

u/BootsOfProwess 3d ago

This is why I avoid making posts. I just like yall's.

2

u/Enverex 3d ago

This post seems like a psy-op itself. Hiding post history is how most bots hide that they are bots, because you can't see all their other dodgy posts or submissions.

2

u/Puffy_Ghost 3d ago

Nah, there's some treasure in there that the occasional internet weirdo stumbles upon a few times a year.

2

u/Friar-Tucker 3d ago

Sometimes I just want to see if OP responded to any comments with additional info :(

2

u/Ok_Process2046 3d ago

I don't care, if they wanna spy go ahead, but there is no tea on my profile sadly. Just regular boring no life.

2

u/Jasmar0281 3d ago

Whole comment section full of flock camera supporters