Reddit community banned as user spat with Musk intensifies

Reddit has temporarily banned one of its communities – and removed another – after X owner Elon Musk claimed comments made by the site’s users about his employees were breaking the law.

The r/WhitePeopleTwitter subreddit, which typically invites people to share funny posts from X, has been banned for 72 hours after some users posted comments calling for violence against members of the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

They were responding to reports which suggested some Doge staff have been granted access to sensitive personal information of millions of Americans.

Musk – who frequently champions his commitment to free speech – shared a post on X containing the comments, and stated: “they have broken the law”.

The subreddit was banned soon afterwards.

Reddit declined to comment, but directed the BBC to a public post it had made following the ban.

“Over the last few days, we’ve seen an increase in content in several communities that violate Reddit Rules,” the post reads.

“Debate and dissent are welcome on Reddit – threats and doxing are not.”

Musk has previously criticised legal action being taken against people for making comments online.

In 2024, he responded to a video of a person purportedly being arrested for offensive comments online by asking “is this Britain or the Soviet Union?”.

Imran Ahmed, head of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said there was “rich irony” in Musk’s comments.

“It is always one rule for Elon, another rule for everyone else,” he said.

“Oh, he’s about freedom alright – the freedom to do whatever he wants, no matter the cost to people, their families, and the fundamentals of democracy.”

Musk sued the CCDH in 2023 over claims it took “unlawful” steps to access data from X after it claimed hate speech had risen on the platform.

A US judge dismissed the case in 2024.

Tensions have escalated between the billionaire and Reddit users in recent weeks, after more than 100 subreddits banned users from posting links to X in protest at Musk’s controversial arm gesture at a rally celebrating Donald Trump’s return to office.

The billionaire twice extended his arm out straight as he thanked the crowd for “making it happen” – critics, including some historians, said it was a Nazi salute, while Musk dismissed that, saying comparisons with Hitler were “tired” and “dirty tricks”.

The moderators of the r/WhitePeopleTwitter subreddit removed many of the offending comments after they became publicised, but this was not enough to prevent a temporary ban.

Any attempt to access the subreddit now displays a message reading that it has been “temporarily banned due to a prevalence of violent content”.

“Inciting and glorifying violence or doxing are against Reddit’s platform-wide rules,” it states, adding the subreddit will reopen in 72 hours.

Reddit has also taken action to issue a subreddit entitled r/IsElonDeadYet – in which a user posted near-daily that Musk had not passed away – with a permanent ban.

The posts came in response to moves being reportedly made by the Doge – which is not a government department, but a team within the administration.

The team has been given the job of radically reducing regulation and federal government spending.

US media has reported the Trump administration gave Musk’s deputies access to the federal payments system that controls the flow of trillions of dollars in government funds every year.

It has led to backlash online with people criticising the decision, and the names of the Doge staff involved being shared publicly.

But the decision to remove the subreddit may have been about more than Reddit enforcing its policies.

On Monday, a prosecutor appointed by Trump said the FBI was investigating the “targeting” of Doge staff.

“Our initial review of the evidence presented to us indicates that certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting Doge employees,” said United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward Martin.

In a letter to Musk he posted on X, Mr Martin said he would “not tolerate threats against Doge workers or law-breaking by the disgruntled”.

“Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws,” he wrote.

“We will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people.”