Since Cody Wilson and his company, Defense Distributed, settled a lawsuit with the State Department over distributing blueprints for printing 3-D guns, Americans across the nation have been weighing in on whether or not those blueprints should be made readily available. Big Tech companies, particularly social media platforms, are having to decide whether or not they should get involved in this issue.
A couple weeks ago Facebook updated their community standards to prohibit blueprints from being shared via their social media platform. They decided to block access to CodeIsFreeSpeech.com, where a coalition of pro-gun groups shared Wilson's blueprints.
Now, Reddit has also updated their prohibited goods and services:
Reddit's policy against transactions involving prohibited goods or services
Content is prohibited if it uses Reddit to solicit or facilitate any transaction or gift involving certain goods and services.
You may not use Reddit to solicit or facilitate any transaction or gift involving certain goods and services, including
- Firearms, ammunition, explosives, or 3D printing files to produce firearms;
- Drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, or any controlled substances (except advertisements placed in accordance with our advertising policy);
- Paid services involving physical sexual contact;
- Stolen goods;
- Personal information;
- Falsified official documents or currency
- Fraudulent services
When considering a gift or transaction of goods or services not prohibited by this policy, keep in mind that Reddit is not intended to be used as a marketplace and takes no responsibility for any transactions individual users might decide to undertake in spite of this. Always remember: you are dealing with strangers on the internet.
Who will be next in the chain of websites to get involved in the debate?