As many may have noticed, r/AskFeminists was made private for almost three days. This was done because we, as a community, alongside many others, wanted Reddit to take action against harmful and dangerous COVID-19 misinformation on their site.

This protest started last week with this open letter to the admins, which we signed: https://www.reddit.com/r/vaxxhappened/comments/pbe8nj/we_call_upon_reddit_to_take_action_against_the/

The Reddit admins answered with this: https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/pbmy5y/debate_dissent_and_protest_on_reddit/

We were among the many moderators who felt this response was woefully inadequate, and would lead to additional people being seriously injured or dying as a result of misinformation. We joined hundreds of other subreddits in shutting down temporarily in protest with the following message:

More information: https://redd.it/pbe8nj

For a list of currently blacked out subreddits, see https://redd.it/pelle1

Discuss here: https://redd.it/perfsu

Today, with this post, Reddit has agreed to most of our requests. We did it, everyone. Not we the moderators, but we the users of Reddit -- all of us, from powermods to 0-karma lurkers. Together, we creators made it clear that Reddit works for us and with us, and not the other way around. Thank you to each and every one of you for bearing with us on this, and especially thank you to everyone who sent us a note of encouragement and support. You should all be very proud of what we've accomplished.

With that said, we also need to be very clear about this: misinformation about COVID, in any way shape or form, will not be tolerated on this subreddit. COVID misinformation isn't a matter of opinion. This is not an issue with two sides. We have always encouraged and been open to discourse about policies like shutdowns, business closures, and verification requirements, because those are public policies that have multiple valid options and perspectives. However, there can be no discourse or discussion about things like the safety and efficacy of vaccines, the need for mask use, and the off-label use of dangerous drugs to "treat" a condition that they have been proven to do nothing for. There is no possibility of dialogue on these issues because these issues only have two sides: the right one, supported by research and the entire global healthcare community, and the wrong one, made up of dangerous and misleading lies, half-truths, and contortions.

While the admins in their response have not taken the strong stance that we hoped for, their actions demonstrate an understanding of our core concern: Reddit is a place for a debate, not misinformation designed to confuse and kill.

We will continue to remain vigilant, and hope the admins' future actions reflect their love for a vibrant community that celebrates discussion, disagreement, and life.