Announcing increased moderation of trolls in discussion threads
Very well done.Ars Technica is a large and vibrant community. Our readers are the best editors, commenters, friends, and debate partners we could ask for. But there is no denying that our community is battling a serious troll infestation. Trolls are childish commenters who deploy inflammatory and boorish antics to disrupt or drag off-topic what are otherwise interesting discussions. They never accept responsibility for their actions, choosing instead to blame everyone else. So we're taking action.
Effective immediately, we are adopting a hard line against blatant trolling in article discussions (this does not apply to the OpenForum generally). We are going to give trolls an immediate 24-hour timeout upon their first infraction—with no warning. Additionally, troll posts will be subject to deletion if judged egregious or made by a new account. (Experience tells us new accounts that troll are almost always sock puppets, and those that are kicking off a new account with trolling aren't welcome). What's an egregious troll? Any troll that personally attacks someone else in our community. If you're not bright enough to criticize ideas without personally criticizing individuals, we're not interested in having you around. If a user chooses to venture into the territory of trolling others, it is their fault and their fault alone for what happens to them next. We will not weep for trolls, nor will we feel any remorse.
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