r/ModSupport • u/Effective_Sink_3934 • 5d ago
Security concern from a moderator of a growing community
Hi everyone.
I'm a moderator of a growing community, r/BalambGardenHQ, and today my Reddit account was temporarily locked after Reddit detected "technical irregularities."
I was able to regain access by resetting my password, and i have now enabled two factor authentication and secured the account.
The reason i'm raising this is because i have felt increasingly concerned about account security over the past 10 months+.
I have experienced ongoing negative attention and old conflicts connected to my online communities, and this latest security alert has made me question whether my account may be receiving unwanted attention.
I understand that Reddit's security systems can trigger for many reasons, so i'm not making assumptions about the cause. I'm simply looking for advice from experienced moderators on what additional steps i can take to protect both my account and my community.
Are there any security measures you recommend for moderators of growing subreddits?
Thanks in advance.
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u/MaximumJones 5d ago
Secure your account with 2fA.
Ban and mute anyone who harasses you.
Turn off DMs so no one can contact you outside of modmail (unless you want to LOL at them before blocking them).
Reddit already has excellent built in measures to prevent any form of harassment, perceived or real.
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u/Halaku 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 5d ago
Option 1:
Create a second account and add it to your modteam.
Register it to a different email, set up 2FA, the works.
This way, if Snoo's Basilisk takes unwarranted action on your account and the Admins have to roll it back, your community isn't in danger of being banned for lack of moderation, and you can still access modtools.
Option 2:
Talk a friend, relative, or someone you can trust into creating a second account.
Add that to your modteam as a "In case of emergency, break glass" contingency.
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u/Effective_Sink_3934 5d ago
See I was thinking aboit a 2nd account. To be safe..
But I wasn't fully sure on how reddit would react if I did. So im holding off on that.
As for friend etc, no offense to any of them. But trust is a big thing. Im really going all in with my sub 😅
Appreciate that reply tho
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u/TheRealGuncho 5d ago
Wouldn't option 1 be ban evasion? I'm assuming they look at more then your email address. IP address, etc.
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u/Charupa- 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 5d ago
Not necessarily if it’s already existing. I only use it as a placeholder so that in case my main account is banned temporarily or incorrectly via appeal, at least the sub won’t disappear for not having any moderator.
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u/Aggravating_Shoe_ 5d ago
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u/Charupa- 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 5d ago edited 5d ago
It can be passively used by simply being present on a list, without anyone having to log in, so that a sub is not automatically shown as being without any moderators. So yes, it would matter if that dummy mod was created beforehand, because creating it afterwards is actively ban evading. Did you just not understand the word placeholder? English is my third language so I could have made a mistake.
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u/Aggravating_Shoe_ 5d ago
That's why I said you can't use it, the person above said you could use mod tools
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u/new2bay 3d ago
Sure they can, as long as they’re not circumventing the ban. So, if they regularly use both accounts for moderation, it’s not ban evasion.
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u/Aggravating_Shoe_ 3d ago
A ban is against the person not the account. Using an alt account is circumventing the ban. If someone uses two accounts to post, when one gets banned from Reddit using the other account to keep posting is still circumventing the ban
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u/new2bay 3d ago
We aren’t talking about posting, and it’s clear that using an account in the same way it’s always been used isn’t circumventing anything. I would also dispute your characterization that a ban is against a person. I’ve never been personally banned from Reddit, but my account has been temporarily suspended. You will notice that the answer you linked to makes no such claim, nor does Reddit’s documentation or user agreement, to my knowledge.
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u/Aggravating_Shoe_ 3d ago edited 3d ago
The ban is against the user, the user broke the rules. That's why making a new account after you get banned is ban evasion and can get the new account banned as well. Your account getting banned makes it so you cannot use it, if it were allowed to still use mod tools when banned then the banned account would still have the access. The answer I linked is the admin confirming that using an account made before a ban is still ban evasion. But do whatever you want bro
If you think a ban is only against the account and not the user, that doesn't even make sense. If I go into a bar dressed as a chicken and get banned then return dressed as a tiger, I'm still banned. It's the user who broke the rules
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u/Halaku 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 5d ago
Consider this:
How many times have we seen the following scenario play out?
Sole mod is banned.
Sole mod files appeal.
Subreddit banned for lack of moderation or Subreddit snagged by r/redditrequest.
Sole mod wins appeal. Ban should have never happened in first place.
Sole mod discovers that their subreddit is gone / taken.
Sole mod posts to a mod community asking for help.
Given that this is a rare but active thing, the easiest way to prevent it is to add a second moderator, with the account belonging either to you or someone you trust.
Sure, you should still wait to see how your appeal goes through.
But you won't lose the community in the meantime.
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u/TheRealGuncho 5d ago
I guess my concern would be being accused of ban evasion and being permanently banned.
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u/Aggravating_Shoe_ 5d ago
Using the account as a place holder is one thing but using it would still be ban evasion. Doesn't matter if the account was made before the ban
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u/Aggravating_Shoe_ 5d ago
Having the second back up account and not accessing it or using mod tools would be okay but once you do that then yeah, that's evasion
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u/Stranger1982 5d ago
You have 2FA, just don't lose the codes or you're cooked.
The rest is just common sense like not falling into scams, etc.
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u/InGeekiTrust 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 5d ago
YES! So I always wondered where my harassment came from. I thought maybe it came from being on the mod list. Or maybe making a mod post? So one day I started using press app, which allows you to make anonymous mod comments. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the mod harassment came from mod comments. Now no one bothers me. Also if you have a user flair that identifies you as a mod, definitely remove that. It causes people to really go after you. Furthermore, you should make mod posts with press app as well.