Stealth Edit / Shadow Edit

A stealth edit, also called a shadow edit, is a silent change to already-published online content that leaves no visible indication the text was altered from its original form. On Reddit, comments and posts normally display an "edited" marker after their timestamp once they are changed; a stealth edit is one made without that marker showing, or one that quietly reworks the meaning of a comment after others have already replied to it, deceptively reframing the conversation.

The practice is considered unethical because readers cannot tell that the original wording was changed, and it can usually be detected only by comparing a post against an archived or cached copy. The most famous platform example involved Reddit's own chief executive, who in 2016 used administrative powers to secretly edit critical comments in a community without the normal edit indicator, prompting an apology and giving rise to lasting slang about the act. Stealth editing matters because it undermines the integrity of a threaded discussion, where the visible, time-stamped record of who said what is what allows a conversation to be followed and trusted.