Reddit Bans r/Ice_Poseidon (2018 Quarantine, 2019 Ban)
2018–2019
Reddit quarantined the subreddit for IRL streamer Ice Poseidon in September 2018 for bigotry and abuse, then banned r/Ice_Poseidon and r/Ice_Poseidon2 in October 2019; the community was notorious for swatting, doxxing, and stream-sniping.
What happened
r/Ice_Poseidon was the hub for fans of IRL livestreamer Ice Poseidon (Paul Denino), a community widely described as toxic and harassment-prone and known for stream-sniping, doxxing, and repeated swatting. Denino's notoriety is inseparable from swatting: on April 28, 2017 he was swatted while livestreaming aboard a commercial flight when a viewer phoned in a bomb threat in his name, prompting police to pull him off the plane on landing. Twitch permanently banned him the next day for revealing his location and endangering others.
Reddit first quarantined r/Ice_Poseidon in September 2018, with admins citing 'the high degree of bigotry present in your community, as well as widespread use of abusive and derogatory language.' Reporting by Kotaku documented a 'never-ending cycle' of toxic engagement in which viewers tracked Denino's location to stage real-world confrontations, called in repeated swattings, and used slurs and harassment, because fans were 'guaranteed a reaction that feels real.'
Reddit ultimately banned r/Ice_Poseidon along with the community-run successor r/Ice_Poseidon2 in October 2019. The real-world harm was substantial and physical: repeated swatting incidents sent armed police to respond to false threats, endangering Denino, bystanders, and — in the airplane case — an entire flight grounded over a bomb-threat hoax.
Impact
Removed a community emblematic of the dangers of IRL-streaming culture, where doxxing and swatting crossed from online harassment into life-threatening real-world incidents.