How Does Reddit Detect Previously Banned Users?

[LilyAtePies]

I wanted to report my experience with others:

Last year in Spring, I got a site wide permanent ban for upvoting my own post. All of my 5 accounts were banned on the same day, and any new accounts I made were banned within hours. One account I made using a new email (but on the official Reddit app) survived a week before getting banned.

I then made a new account using the Apollo app for iOS, used a new email, got a VPN, and it has been 9 months without any new bans. I am just as active as I always have been, making a dozen comments a day, and it seems like I’m in the clear (knock on wood.)

I do not have a new IP or a new device, just a VPN (which has turned off a few times while I was leaving comments), the same phone I used when I got banned, same iOS account, and etc. I’m posting on my desktop every day as well, which was in use during the ban last spring.

I’m considering taking my VPN off after the 12 month mark to see if I truly am good to go again. It seems like just using a VPN is the most key part. And don’t use the official app on mobile even with a VPN.

I am curious if you guys think it will ever be safe to stop using a VPN though. Do they actually dump data? Am I safe after X amount of time?

 

[Draugon]

I wanted to report my experience with others:

Last year in Spring, I got a site wide permanent ban for upvoting my own post. All of my 5 accounts were banned on the same day, and any new accounts I made were banned within hours. One account I made using a new email (but on the official Reddit app) survived a week before getting banned.

I then made a new account using the Apollo app for iOS, used a new email, got a VPN, and it has been 9 months without any new bans. I am just as active as I always have been, making a dozen comments a day, and it seems like I’m in the clear (knock on wood.)

I do not have a new IP or a new device, just a VPN (which has turned off a few times while I was leaving comments), the same phone I used when I got banned, same iOS account, and etc. I’m posting on my desktop every day as well, which was in use during the ban last spring.

I’m considering taking my VPN off after the 12 month mark to see if I truly am good to go again. It seems like just using a VPN is the most key part. And don’t use the official app on mobile even with a VPN.

I am curious if you guys think it will ever be safe to stop using a VPN though. Do they actually dump data? Am I safe after X amount of time?

Maybe Paid VPNs are better than free ones in evading reddit bans. But im not paying for a VPN just so i can go back posting on Reddit.

 

[Ryuzaki]

Maybe Paid VPNs are better than free ones in evading reddit bans. But im not paying for a VPN just so i can go back posting on Reddit.

If you're making money on Reddit then paying for a VPN should be an expected and acceptable business expense.

If you're just there to rile people up or argue and share the truth, all of which lead to a ban, and you're doing that out of your own desires for entertainment and passion, and it's not worth you spending a few bucks a month for a paid VPN, then it's definitely not worth continuing to search the internet and thinking about how to evade a ban.

If it's not worth $3 a month, it's not worth the vast amount of mental headspace to keep thinking about it. This is what people mean by "living rent free in your head."

 

[Draugon]

If you're making money on Reddit then paying for a VPN should be an expected and acceptable business expense.

If you're just there to rile people up or argue and share the truth, all of which lead to a ban, and you're doing that out of your own desires for entertainment and passion, and it's not worth you spending a few bucks a month for a paid VPN, then it's definitely not worth continuing to search the internet and thinking about how to evade a ban.

If it's not worth $3 a month, it's not worth the vast amount of mental headspace to keep thinking about it. This is what people mean by "living rent free in your head."

I doubt you can even make money off Reddit nowdays without paying for the website to host your ADs,

Not only the admins make a big effort to ban spammers, ban evaders and promoters but also most of the website is controlled by powermods and powerusers who don't like new people in the 'power-ring' and will go miles to blacklist you off the website or ban you, so you are better off on Facebook or even Instagram if you want to earn money.

 

[ineedaname]

I got permabanned on Reddit for calling a podcast guest a cunt. Tbey said it was hate speech and banned my accounts. What’s the best way to get back? Reddit is how I kill downtime

 

[timmytoodle999]

Hey,

I got perma banned on reddit and Im trying to get around it like this:

Im getting a whole different internet provider in a week so Im using a whole different IP for the new account and I´ll use my iPad.
I never logged into any of my reddit accounts on this iPad, its only connected to the same iCloud account as my banned iPhone.

1. Is this enough to avoid getting banned again?
Or are there any cookies / fingerprints crossovers etc I didnt think about?

2. How do I avoid to "infect" my new ip adress cuz I guess when Im logging into my banned account with the new IP it´ll also get infected.
Is it enough to delete the app or what should I do?

Maybe someone can help me I´d really appreciate it

Thanks


So the only way to get around the ban is using a different device and a different IP?

bro it does not work like that. It is not an infection, it is just them having your ip and your browser fingerprint. They cannot do much more than that besides mac-address. So even if you remove the software and use another ip, they cannot be sure it is you and they cannot ban you since devices can switch owners. Forget that rando shit

 

[JesseEddleman]

It seems like just using a VPN is the most key part. And don’t use the official app on mobile even with a VPN.

This has been my experience as well.

 

[reallypanicking]

hi guys. i’m really stumped with what to do at the moment. I was shadow-banned across all of my 5 accounts. I mainly use the accounts to access the PTSD subreddit to get support and help in between my therapy sessions, as I don’t have a great support system that knows what I’m going through. The PTSD subreddit community has been really helpful thus far in helping me feel safe, and now the mods on /medical and the Reddit admins have fucked it all up. I’m really panicking about not being able to access the community for help anymore.

I have never once harassed anyone, insulted anyone, even stalked anyone or post awful things before. All I do is use my account to go on the PTSD sub, some dance subs, read some offmychest and use the /medical, /twoxchromosomes, and /askdocs subs whenever i have some annoying issues that don’t warrant fleshing out $50 for a doctor’s visit.

One day nearly 2 months ago, I used my main account to post on the /medical sub about a cyst on an intimate area. The rule on the sub was that for intimate area questions and photos, you must include your age in the title (to prevent minors from posting such pics). When rearranging my title, I thought I had moved the age details to the back of my title, but apparently I had deleted it off instead and missed out putting it back in. Within one second of my post going up, it was auto-removed and I was immediately temp banned from the sub for breaking that rule. The mods allowed redditors to contact them to “work something out” if they felt we were wrongfully banned, or just made an innocent mistake that resulted in it, and so I did that. My request to have it reviewed and explaining what happened led them to just say “we won’t remove your ban, you violated the rule, maybe you should’ve checked the rules before you posted”. I asked them why they wouldn’t reconsider, and that I was trying to explain my innocent mistake, and was hoping they could let up just this once, and I would repost it immediately with the necessary details to be in line with their rules. They simply said it was “not up for consideration” and literally muted me after that. I went onto an alt account to modmail them (not even to evade the ban on posting and commenting) and ask why they banned me, saying there was no reason to mute me like that and that I was hoping we could just have some mutual respect here and have an open discussion. They replied “there’s absolutely a reason” (literally just that), threatened to report me to the Reddit admins, and muted me immediately again, then perm-banned the alt account from the sub. I never contacted them again.

I lived out the temp ban and the ban has been lifted for over a month now. I recently had another issue and posted using my main again asking for some opinions on some swollen sandfly bites, but I forgot that it was the same account that had been temp-banned before. After I posted about the sandfly bites, I got a notification from Reddit admins that my main and alt account were permanently suspended due to ban evasion. I tried to appeal it, but they rejected. Half a day later, all of my other 3 alt accounts were permanently suspended too, citing “multiple / repeated violations of Reddit’s content policy”. Like what? I guess I got IP shadow-banned, or device-banned, or whatever. All accounts were accessed on my iphone. I’ve tried to appeal the suspensions on the 3 alt accounts that had nothing to do with /medical, but it’s unlikely they’ll accept the appeal. I have no hope for that.

i know i shouldn’t rely on the PTSD sub as a large part of my resources, but i literally already have everything else that a person in my position should try. meds, therapy. so i’m really not sure what to do now. i feel like i really need to return to that sub.

I’m not in the position to change my iPhone in order to get a new MAC address. My VPN subscription is ending soon and I’m not in a great financial position to pay for another 2 years of if. And although it’s pretty annoying and shitty to have to access Reddit through a separate browser besides the damn phone app, I think I can do that. These are within my means — VPN and using a different browser. Is this sufficient? Will there be a day where I won’t need these anymore to access Reddit like a normal person would? And if these aren’t sufficient, does it mean I’ll never be able to go back to that community again?

thanks for any help.

 

[bernard]

hi guys. i’m really stumped with what to do at the moment. I was shadow-banned across all of my 5 accounts. I mainly use the accounts to access the PTSD subreddit to get support and help in between my therapy sessions, as I don’t have a great support system that knows what I’m going through. The PTSD subreddit community has been really helpful thus far in helping me feel safe, and now the mods on /medical and the Reddit admins have fucked it all up. I’m really panicking about not being able to access the community for help anymore.

Sorry to hear, I also use some subs in Reddit for help with various things, so I understand. Reddit are acting very callously for a community which claims to care about mental health. A lot of people rely on Reddit communities for support for their mental health and physical health and there's just no real alternative to those sub communities.

All accounts were accessed on my iphone

This was probably your main issue. Did you delete the app each time you created a new account? You need to delete the app and all its data each time or they'll know its you. Likewise if you use a browser, you need to delete the cookies (right click the padlock in the url line).

Will there be a day where I won’t need these anymore to access Reddit like a normal person would? And if these aren’t sufficient, does it mean I’ll never be able to go back to that community again?

Probably not, who knows, I keep getting banned for this and that pretext, when in reality, it's just that I got blacklisted over some political bs years ago. What gets you permabanned from Reddit is going back posting in a sub that you have been banned from several times.

Maybe you can find some other subs to answer the same questions? There are several less moderated subs that typically splinter off the big subs, when they get overmoderated.

If you can stay off those subs, then you usually won't get permabanned, particularly if you can get a different IP and clear out your cookies. You might consider getting an eSim from your carrier with a different IP if possible (I'm not sure).

I am absolutely sure that if you change IP and clear out your cookies, then you won't be easily spotted. I was not banned while travelling abroad for 3 months, but the second I got back and logged on, then I get banned 3 times and permabanned within 2 weeks.

 

[JesseEddleman]

i know i shouldn’t rely on the PTSD sub as a large part of my resources, but i literally already have everything else that a person in my position should try. meds, therapy. so i’m really not sure what to do now. i feel like i really need to return to that sub.

Lifting, changing your diet and meditation are three things that should likely be on that list that you should be taking incredibly seriously. Bessel van der Kolk's work in "The Body Keeps the Score" offers a good overview of why that's the case, which is a bit outside of the scope of what you're asking here, but I think it would be a disservice to reply to you without bringing that up. If you're not familiar with him and why he's important to this topic, he's perhaps the single greatest authority on this in the world.

I’m not in the position to change my iPhone in order to get a new MAC address.

Spoofing the MAC address on an iPhone can be a viable option. You'll find plenty of guides online about how to do that.

Best wishes.

 

[Draugon]

I have never once harassed anyone, insulted anyone, even stalked anyone or post awful things before. All I do is use my account to go on the PTSD sub, some dance subs, read some offmychest and use the /medical, /twoxchromosomes, and /askdocs subs whenever i have some annoying issues that don’t warrant fleshing out $50 for a doctor’s visit.

I was once banned because one of the moderators didnt like that i was posting too much on his subreddit and had 100k + karma, and another time i was banned because i posted an article in a news sub that tracked too much controversy and one of the users in the comments made up that i was making bigotry comments (despite me not making a single reply in the post), and because of his highly upvoted comment i got perma banned from the subreddit.

It's incredible easy to be banned from a subreddit if you are an active user, doesnt matter what you do.

One day nearly 2 months ago, I used my main account to post on the /medical sub about a cyst on an intimate area. The rule on the sub was that for intimate area questions and photos, you must include your age in the title (to prevent minors from posting such pics). When rearranging my title, I thought I had moved the age details to the back of my title, but apparently I had deleted it off instead and missed out putting it back in. Within one second of my post going up, it was auto-removed and I was immediately temp banned from the sub for breaking that rule. The mods allowed redditors to contact them to “work something out” if they felt we were wrongfully banned, or just made an innocent mistake that resulted in it, and so I did that. My request to have it reviewed and explaining what happened led them to just say “we won’t remove your ban, you violated the rule, maybe you should’ve checked the rules before you posted”. I asked them why they wouldn’t reconsider, and that I was trying to explain my innocent mistake, and was hoping they could let up just this once, and I would repost it immediately with the necessary details to be in line with their rules. They simply said it was “not up for consideration” and literally muted me after that. I went onto an alt account to modmail them (not even to evade the ban on posting and commenting) and ask why they banned me, saying there was no reason to mute me like that and that I was hoping we could just have some mutual respect here and have an open discussion. They replied “there’s absolutely a reason” (literally just that), threatened to report me to the Reddit admins, and muted me immediately again, then perm-banned the alt account from the sub. I never contacted them again.

Do not use Reddit for professional mental or health issues under any circumstances. The most active moderator on r/suicidewatch and r/depression has been know to encourage suicide and ban users who spoke agaisnt him in the past. Moderators on the website are among the worst in the internet. You would have a better time with 4chan mods.

i know i shouldn’t rely on the PTSD sub as a large part of my resources, but i literally already have everything else that a person in my position should try. meds, therapy. so i’m really not sure what to do now. i feel like i really need to return to that sub.

I’m not in the position to change my iPhone in order to get a new MAC address. My VPN subscription is ending soon and I’m not in a great financial position to pay for another 2 years of if. And although it’s pretty annoying and shitty to have to access Reddit through a separate browser besides the damn phone app, I think I can do that. These are within my means — VPN and using a different browser. Is this sufficient? Will there be a day where I won’t need these anymore to access Reddit like a normal person would? And if these aren’t sufficient, does it mean I’ll never be able to go back to that community again?

thanks for any help.

Again, find another website to seek medical help. Reddit is incredible hostile agaisnt ban evading users. To fully go back to use Reddit again you would have to have new device and LAN IP.

Reddit would still be able to ban you because they have access to your Phone's MAC Address, unlike a computer's web browser. So you will be unable to use Reddit on that device ever again.

Technicality aside, stay safe and best of luck.

 

[nordpass]

reddit's new ban system is simply awesome. It makes sure you can never get back to a banned subreddit. I am on a new device yet having a hard time to get back to reddit.

 

[goodenough]

To fully go back to use Reddit again you would have to have new device and LAN IP.

Reddit would still be able to ban you because they have access to your Phone's MAC Address, unlike a computer's web browser. So you will be unable to use Reddit on that device ever again.

Draugon,

I see you've posted in this thread for over a year now.
What is the final verdict on Reddit bans?
It sounds like you never got around it?

I'm on Win10. Got Reddit banned using Chrome.

I have a new IP address. (Had to unplug cable modem for 1-2 days)
I made a new Reddit account from a different laptop, from a different IP
I also had an out-of-state friend make me a 2nd new Reddit account, from his desktop/IP
I installed Ghostery and PrivacyBadger in my Chrome

I have not yet gone on Reddit since I do not want to risk my new IP
Should I use a different browser (Firefox, Edge, Brave)?, or does that not matter (same MAC?)

How should I proceed?

1. Reddit detects IP, cookies and fingerprints to warrant ban evaders. The only browser that succesefully counters that is Brave.
2. To evade an IP ban, all you need is a VPN and Brave Browser with hardened anti-fingerprint settings.
3. The only true effective way to evade Reddit bans is to get a new computer

#2 and #3 seem to contradict each other?

Wait, so can new IP + Brave evade a ban?
Or do you need a new computer? Can you use TMAC to spoof MAC instead of new computer?

How do you set Brave to have hardened anti-fingerprint settings. ?

I will give you website link to email or sth if you need.. I won't share the website name because many idiots will see this and that method will stop working. This simply doesn't work. The reason this post exists is that restarting router(dynamic IP i.e it changes every restart) stopped working for many. I've found a fix though haha. Thankfully, I don't have to buy a VPN (they've not banned the prefix given by ISP to create new accounts).

Can you send me the link/directions?
Can you scroll up to see my other post, as well?

 

[Draugon]

Draugon,

I see you've posted in this thread for over a year now.
What is the final verdict on Reddit bans?
It sounds like you never got around it?

I have not yet gone on Reddit since I do not want to risk my new IP
Should I use a different browser (Firefox, Edge, Brave)?, or does that not matter (same MAC?)

By my experience: IP Change, VPN and Fingerprinting no longer works to evade subreddit bans, they are using other metrics now. They used to somewhat work (i would say 50%) until 6 months ago until they updated the ban evasion detection tools. Now every post you make will warn the subreddit moderators that you are a suspect ban evader of the website, so they dont have to use their monkey brains to figure out you are a serial ban evader.

Reddit also hate VPNs, you will be limited to 4 posts/comments per hour.

#2 and #3 seem to contradict each other?

By my experience, having a new device and different internet provider router with a new assigned IP is the only effective way to circumveit a reddit ban, but i cant test that. Changing your browser Fingerprint and using a VPN only worked 20% of the time and it does not work anymore.

 

[goodenough]

By my experience, having a new device and different internet provider router with a new assigned IP is the only effective way to circumveit a reddit ban, but i cant test that. Changing your browser Fingerprint and using a VPN only worked 20% of the time and it does not work anymore.

Did new accts get banned immediately, or only after posting?
Do you think you were mod banned in a specific sub?

Did you try creating new acct on new device/IP, and then later using that acct on original banned device? Still banned that way?

I have 2nd device (laptop spare), but prefer to use Reddit on my main banned desktop. You're saying even new IP, new acct created on diff hardware, and Brave is still no good if running on banned hardware?

 

[Draugon]

Did new accts get banned immediately, or only after posting?
Do you think you were mod banned in a specific sub?

Did you try creating new acct on new device/IP, and then later using that acct on original banned device? Still banned that way?

I have 2nd device (laptop spare), but prefer to use Reddit on my main banned desktop. You're saying even new IP, new acct created on diff hardware, and Brave is still no good if running on banned hardware?

Accounts only got banned after using them, that's appliable to any account you make regardless if you are trying to ban evade. Mods will then report you for ban evasion to admin (most of times) and you will get suspended.

It doesnt matter if you create accounts on unbanned devices if you are going to use them on banned devices anyway.

Instead of wasting time and energy on circumveiting Reddit bans, i would recommend finding website alternatives.

 

[goodenough]

Draugon,

I created a new account and connect via a free VPN.
I am also using different laptop, Edge, Ghostery, free VPN.

All my posts get insta-auto-deleted (shadow deleted)
I can see they are deleted when Incognito mode.

Is this common practice for free VPN accounts?

 

[Draugon]

@goodenough, Yes, your accounts are being shadowbanned.

 

[goodenough]

@goodenough, Yes, your accounts are being shadowbanned.

Reddit shadowbans a new account just because of using a VPN?
Does that mean Reddit users can't use free VPNs?
Is the account tainted now, or will it work if I turn off the VPN?

 

[goodenough]

Shadow ban account was created on laptop #2 with VPN
Created a new account on laptop #2 using work IP and it is not shadow banned.
So it does seem like VPN created accounts are shadow banned.

I wonder how VPN users are able to use Reddit?
Create account with raw IP, and then use VPN going forward?

 

[tziahs]

Reddit is very strict and has multiple security systems designed to protect the platform against marketers. I am currently running a marketing campaign on reddit and here is my advice:
- always use a proxy, preferably from 1st tier countries;
- get an anti-detect browser: multilogin is the best, but expensive; I use adspower; it even creates a virtual machine, with different operating systems and screen resolutions;
- create one account (and only one) per proxy; you can buy accounts, but make sure they are not shadow banned; I always create my own from scratch;
- your accounts WILL get banned, so always have a few available to use again; create new accounts every week, grow their karma, and warm them up;
- don't use your personal reddit account for marketing purposes; I did this and lost a lot, just don't do it; watch porn and talk about carrot cake recipes on your personal account, not on your make money accounts.

 

[goodenough]

I posted with laptop #2, work IP account, but this time turned on the VPN.
Post went through no issues.
So, you can use a VPN to post, but just not create the account.
So, you need Raw IP to create a new Reddit account
After that, a VPN is ok for subsequent posts

 

[Draugon]

Reddit shadowbans a new account just because of using a VPN?
Does that mean Reddit users can't use free VPNs?
Is the account tainted now, or will it work if I turn off the VPN?

You need to appeal the accounts shadowban.

Shadow ban account was created on laptop #2 with VPN
Created a new account on laptop #2 using work IP and it is not shadow banned.
So it does seem like VPN created accounts are shadow banned.

I wonder how VPN users are able to use Reddit?
Create account with raw IP, and then use VPN going forward?

If you skip creating accounts with a VPN your accounts will get flagged with the banned IP.

Reddit is very strict and has multiple security systems designed to protect the platform against marketers. I am currently running a marketing campaign on reddit and here is my advice:
- always use a proxy, preferably from 1st tier countries;
- get an anti-detect browser: multilogin is the best, but expensive; I use adspower; it even creates a virtual machine, with different operating systems and screen resolutions;
- create one account (and only one) per proxy; you can buy accounts, but make sure they are not shadow banned; I always create my own from scratch;
- your accounts WILL get banned, so always have a few available to use again; create new accounts every week, grow their karma, and warm them up;
- don't use your personal reddit account for marketing purposes; I did this and lost a lot, just don't do it; watch porn and talk about carrot cake recipes on your personal account, not on your make money accounts.

Reddit uses Machine Learning to figure out ban evaders, so in the end trying to block the website's tracking only delays your bans.

The only true way to evade Reddit bans is to create accounts on a new device, IP adresses and dont go back to subreddits you were banned from.

 

[24monkeys1cigar]

The only true way to evade Reddit bans is to create accounts on a new device, IP adresses and dont go back to subreddits you were banned from.

wondering if i could get an elaboration on this on 2 fronts?
1. what constitutes as going back? simply visiting the subreddit? liking a post? making a post/commenting?
2. i have to be specifically perma banned on the subreddit, correct? i am banned site wide, so does this mean all subreddits are off limits? or only subreddits i have ban/warning history?

 

[tziahs]

wondering if i could get an elaboration on this on 2 fronts?
1. what constitutes as going back? simply visiting the subreddit? liking a post? making a post/commenting?
2. i have to be specifically perma banned on the subreddit, correct? i am banned site wide, so does this mean all subreddits are off limits? or only subreddits i have ban/warning history?

No, let's say you posted or commented on r/biotech 2 months ago. For that specific comment or post, you were banned from r/biotech. If you create a new account (new proxy, new email, and use an anti-detect browser), you can join r/biotech, but you cannot post or comment in the sub. You'll get permanently suspended from the whole Reddit for "subreddit ban evasion". Simply put, once you are banned from a sub, you are not coming back on THAT sub (no comments, no posts).

I am currently testing if this is true, though. It seems too strict, even for reddit standards.