First off I want to address what this petition is about. Yesterday a new policy was implemented on Reddit and was put into action immediately. Many subscribers of the banned subreddits and others became enraged. This petition was created during those moments. This petition; however, does not only concern that change, but the changes that have been made since Interim CEO Ellen Pao has been in charge. The new changes and new policies are in no doubt censorship which panders to a vocal minority. Free speech rationale: In accordance with the site's policies on free speech, Reddit does not ban communities solely for featuring controversial content. Reddit's general manager Erik Martin noted that "having to stomach occasional troll reddits like /r/picsofdeadkids or morally questionable reddits like /r/jailbait are part of the price of free speech on a site like this," and that it is not Reddit's place to censor its users. The site's former CEO, Yishan Wong, has stated that distasteful subreddits won't be banned because Reddit as a platform should serve the ideals of free speech. Critics of this position have argued that Reddit has not been consistent in following its free speech philosophy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversial_Reddit_communities#Free_speech_rationale