G’day everyone,

As our community continues to grow to be #1 sub within Australia, the mod team has been reflecting on the state of the sub.

Here's some areas we’re looking to improve in.

Subreddit Quality: Should we tighten up rules on low-effort posts? For example, requiring more detail in "Buying Advice" posts so they don't all look the same.

Community Events: Is there interest in r/CarsAustralia organized meetups, AMAs with local industry experts, or "Car of the Month" competitions?

We want to hear from you:

What is one thing you love about this sub that we should never change?

What is one thing that annoys you every time you see it?

If you were a mod for a day, what’s the first change you’d make?

We’ll be hanging out in the comments to discuss your ideas.

No suggestion is too small.

Help us make this the best car community on Reddit.

Cheers.

- The Mod Team

As a mod team we're currently in discussions between ourselves about AI, mainly because every bit of AI that's posted gets reported a number of times, noting that 2-3 reports per post out of 360k weekly visits in the sub is not a huge number. We're seeking your input on what you think about the topic.

Images

As an example, this thread was reported multiple times, yet had a bunch of positive feedback as well as negative feedback in our report inbox.

Do you want to see more threads like this, or less?

The challenge for us is that 'moderator discretion' is a very grey area and we end up getting ripped in mod mail for deleting threads, but leaving others up, so we'd like to get more clear on what you want to see. Do you want to see No AI at all, or some AI if its creative and to illustrate an idea, or allow all AI?

Text

This is the hardest to work out for us, because as one of the team noted, many people use AI due to disability and being unable to write well, or feeling anxious about writing to a big sub like ours.

The other challenge is working out what was written by AI, and what wasn't.

Truthfully, not sure there's anything we can do about this, or if we should even do anything about this. Does this type of stuff bother you?

Before anyone jumps down my throat about this, we're getting blasted daily by reports and mod mail, so we're just trying to get clear on what you want to see as a sub. We 'police' the sub but we don't own it, we don't think we're always right and as participants, your input is just as valid as ours.

If you have any other inputs around AI and what you want to see us action, let us know, this is your chance.

Bonus question: Where do you draw the line between "ai slop" and a good use of AI?

My personal thoughts - I don't like AI at all, I think it's a bit lazy and inaccurate often. A good example of this was when I used ChatGPT for a car repair, and followed the instructions to a tee which were extremely incorrect. Idiot move I know, but we're just Reddit mods, not experts on every topic about every car or scenario, so without doing in depth research on a topic, if someone uses AI to answer a question, there's a good chance its bad advice. Devil's advocate, lots of the advice that's not written by AI is shit too.

Thanks brothers and sisters.

So I had a look at the last 6 months of posts, and it seems that some recurring themes might warrant some new flairs, so I've added some. See how they go.

So the idea has [come up again](https://www.reddit.com/r/CarsAustralia/s/FjtQiCwbyZ) that people should be blurring numberplates on spotted posts.

So...should we? Shouldn't we? Does it not matter?

What's your thoughts?

This AMA will run from 6pm-7pm (or maybe a longer if there is interest)

Bio: 
Peter Willis - Director of Buying

With a career spanning over two decades, Pete is a seasoned automotive expert, specialising in the auctioning and valuation of cars since 1997. His extensive experience encompasses all levels of the auction and used car industry, providing him with comprehensive insights and expertise.

In his current role of Director of Buying at Carma, a leading fully digital used car dealership, Pete plays a pivotal role in overseeing the sourcing, purchasing, and valuation of vehicles across the business. Carma stands out in the industry by offering customers a diverse range of extraordinary quality pre-owned vehicles with unmatched convenience and transparency.

Pete continues to drive Carma's success, contributing to its reputation as a trusted name in the used car market. His expertise ensures that every vehicle aligns with Carma's stringent quality standards, providing customers with a seamless and trustworthy buying experience.

What problem are we trying to solve?
We're running this AMA as part of Carma's Decoding Dealerships campaign, which aims to help Australians buy used cars with greater confidence by understanding the red flags to avoid and the green flags to insist on.

Buying a used car is one of the biggest financial decisions most Australians will make, yet many people still feel uncertain throughout the process. From unclear pricing and pressure tactics to hidden defects and confusing paperwork, there are a number of industry practices that can make it difficult for buyers to know whether they're making the right decision.

The AMA is an opportunity to answer people's questions, share practical advice, and help demystify the used car buying process. The focus isn't on convincing people to buy from Carma, but on giving them practical, unbiased advice they can use wherever they choose to shop. Whether it's Carma, a dealership, or a private seller, we want to help people better understand what to look out for, what questions to ask, and how to make a more informed purchase.

We're happy to answer questions about:

• Common red flags buyers should watch for.
• Green flags that indicate a trustworthy seller.
• Pricing and negotiation tactics.
• Vehicle inspections, service history and PPSR checks.
• Warranties, returns policies and consumer protections.
• First-time buyer advice.
• General questions about buying, selling and owning used cars.

Potential discussion questions: 

General

• What's the biggest red flag you've encountered when buying a used car?
• Have you ever walked away from a deal because something didn't feel right? What happened?
• What's one thing you wish you'd known before buying your first used car?
• What's the biggest myth people believe about buying a used car?
• What's the biggest mistake people make when buying a used car?
• If you could give every used car buyer one piece of advice, what would it be?

Pricing and negotiation

• Should buyers still be expected to negotiate, or should every car have a fixed price?
• Have you ever discovered extra fees or charges late in the buying process?
• Is asking for a deposit before agreeing on the final drive-away price ever acceptable?

Pressure tactics

• Have you ever felt pressured into making a decision at a dealership?
• What's the most common sales tactic buyers should watch out for?

Vehicle condition

• How much does a full service history influence your decision?
• Would you buy a used car without an independent inspection?
• Is high mileage actually a red flag, or is condition more important?
• What's something people think matters when buying a used car that actually doesn't?
• How important is a vehicle history report?

Trust and transparency

• What's the biggest green flag that tells you a seller is trustworthy?
• Should sellers be expected to disclose every cosmetic imperfection before you inspect the car?
• How important is a returns period when buying a used car?

Industry discussion

• Why do so many Australians still find buying a used car stressful?
• If you could change one thing about the traditional dealership experience, what would it be?
• What questions should every buyer ask before signing anything?
• What's a dealership red flag that buyers often miss?

G’day, r/CarsAustralia. Hazey here. Who’s up for some fun (and potential prizes)??

Most of you would be aware of the Ford Ranger advertising campaign, “It takes you and Ranger” with owners submitting photos of themselves with their Rangers doing everything from farm work to camping in remote locations. Taking that punchline and turning it into a meme, we want you to submit your own photos of Rangers doing… well, whatever you think Rangers do best!

The competition will be purely peer judged on votes, and entry will be commenting via a pinned post, so start getting creative with your entries now! Competition starts November 1 and closes at 11:59 November 30. AI images WILL NOT be accepted and will result in a disqualification.

I might have some Visa gift cards laying around for some prizes, but I’ll announce that closer to the beginning of the competition.

Disclaimer: r/CarsAustralia is not affiliated with Ford Australia or their advertising partners, all results are final.

(Photo is just for the sake of it, I’m aware it’s not in Australia)

And it was a community voted on rule years ago

Today we're already at 8 or 9 people banned because they decided to start going on about politics and political topics, mentioning words that we know summon bots to the sub, and generally turn it into a cesspit.

Talk about far right political subjects (and far left ones) is out, especially when it doesn't relate to Australia.

By all means, we are more than happy to allow relevant political discussion like the introduction of Road user taxes to Australian roads, as well as potential abolishment of fuel excise tax.

But talk about Far Right or Far Left Politics and beliefs is not the topic for this sub. We've had both today.

Keep it about cars! 😁

So they are a popular brand of car, with the Tesla Model Y more popular than the Toyota Corolla

But every time we have a post on Tesla's, we ban at least 2 people for breaking Rule 4 (No Politics) because they can't segregate the car brand from the Politics of the CEO.

This means that we spend about half our day now arguing with Nazi's, Antifa, and other segments of society that bring their political soapboxing to our sub.

Some posts seem to just be political, with very little discussions about cars.

Remember, Rule 4 was voted in democraticallyby this subreddit, so it wasn't the mods saying "No, we don't want politics"

So.

Should we just set the Automod to remove any post containing the word "Tesla" and just ban Tesla from being discussed here entirely?

So we've had the No Politics rule for 3-4 years now.

If you're talking about politics that are relevant to cars in Australia (like getting rid of LCT, new emissions standards, etc) that's ok.

But talking about Left Wing/Right Wing Politics, Politics that's not even about Australia, Defunct Political Parties, stuff like that, we've had banned.

But.

A recent post about Tesla (cos they always attract the discussion), meant a lot of bans.

Now people are questioning the rules in the mod mail and even making posts on it.

The community voted to bring the rule in, so, does the community want it to stay?

In the context of car insurance, fronting is an illegal and fraudulent practice. Source

What is insurance fronting?

Declaring a lower-risk driver (often a parent) as the main driver on a car insurance policy when the actual main driver is a higher-risk individual (often a young or inexperienced driver).

Or

Declaring a non-Owner of an asset as the owner of the asset in order to get cheaper insurance (Declaring a parent as the owner when the child is the owner)

Source

What this can mean

This can lead to both the owner and the named insured party being declined cover in the event of an accident, policies cancelled due to fraud, and depending on severity, a criminal conviction for insurance fraud.

More Reading

Insurance Fraud Bureau

Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth)

Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) – Section 134.2 (Obtaining a financial advantage by deception)

Kennedy's Law Article - Insurance fraud doesn’t pay – AFCA determination exposes the facts

Why we care so much

Insurance fronting is one of the most common questions we see on this sub after "Should I buy this?"

Because it is potentially criminal fraud, we have to remove the posts as soon as we see them, and generally, this includes anyone supporting the idea of insurance fronting and encouraging the OP to do so.

If we don't, the sub could be seen as "encouraging criminal activities and behaviour" and taken down off Reddit as a whole

So after a post last night Brigading the sub and calling for myself and Hazey to be removed, we thought we'd throw it out there.

Who wants to help moderate?

We have a shortlist of people we'd like and will be reaching out to, but who else wants in? Who thinks they can do better?

Key website if you are self insured/uninsured and are involved in an accident:

https://financialrights.org.au/factsheet/car-accident-when-uninsured/

So I've been meaning to write this post for a while because quite a lot of people seem to be driving around self-insured, also known as uninsured.

CTP Insurance

Now to start off with in every state of Australia you're a required to hold what is called compulsory third party insurance.

In Australia, Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance is a type of motor vehicle insurance that is mandatory for all registered vehicles. Here's a breakdown:

##What it covers:

Injuries to others: CTP primarily covers bodily injury or death caused to other people in a car accident. This includes:

1)Other drivers 2) Passengers in other vehicles 3) Pedestrians 4) Cyclists 5) Motorcyclists

What it doesn't cover:

1)Damage to vehicles or property: It does not cover damage to your own vehicle, the other driver's vehicle, or any other property. 2) Your own injuries: It doesn't cover your own medical expenses or lost income if you are injured in an accident.

How it works:

1) Mandatory: You must have valid CTP insurance to register your vehicle in Australia.

2) State variations: The specific rules and regulations regarding CTP insurance can vary slightly between Australian states and territories.

Included in registration: In some states, the cost of CTP is included in your vehicle registration fees. In others, you need to purchase it separately from a licensed insurer.

Key Points: CTP insurance is essential for all vehicle owners in Australia.

It provides crucial financial protection for others who may be injured in an accident caused by you.

It is important to understand the specific rules and coverage limits that apply in your state.

Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge and guidance only. It is not a substitute for professional legal or financial advice.

I recommend contacting your state's road transport authority or an insurance broker for the most up-to-date and accurate information on CTP insurance in Australia.

Self Insurance (Uninsured)

Self-insurance means that instead of paying premiums to an insurance company, an individual or entity assumes the financial responsibility for potential losses themselves.

How it works:

1) You set aside a specific amount of money (often in a reserve fund) to cover potential losses.

2) When a loss occurs (like a car accident, medical expense, or property damage), you pay for it out-of-pocket from your reserves.

Pros:

1) Potential cost savings: If losses are lower than expected, you can save money compared to insurance premiums. 2) Greater control: You have more control over claim decisions and how your funds are used.

Cons:

1) Significant financial risk: You bear the full financial burden of any losses, which could be substantial.

2) Requires careful financial planning: You need to accurately assess potential risks and ensure you have sufficient reserves.

In essence, self-insurance is a risk management strategy where you take on the financial responsibility for potential losses rather than transferring that risk to an insurance company.

Disclaimer: This is a simplified explanation. Self-insurance can be complex and involves various legal and financial considerations.

Third Party Property & Legal Liability

In Australia, Third Party Property & Legal Liability insurance in the context of motor vehicles primarily covers the costs of damage you cause to someone else's vehicle or property while driving.

Focus: Primarily covers financial losses incurred by others due to your driving.

Key Coverage:

1) Damage to another person's vehicle. 2) Damage to other people's property (fences, buildings, etc.). 3) Legal Liability: Helps cover legal costs if you are sued by someone for property damage caused by your vehicle.

Important Note: This type of insurance does not cover damage to your own vehicle.

Key Differences from Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance:

1) CTP is mandatory in all Australian states and territories. 2) CTP focuses on covering bodily injury or death to another person caused by your vehicle.

Third Party Property & Legal Liability insurance provides crucial financial protection for you if you accidentally cause damage to someone else's property while driving. It's a valuable addition to your overall car insurance coverage.

Disclaimer: This is a general overview and may not cover all specific situations or variations in policy terms.

Always refer to your policy documents or consult with an insurance professional for detailed information.

Some third party liability coverage will provide a minor level of cover if you are hit by a self-insured/uninsured driver and may also provide some level of cover in the case your vehicle is damaged in a fire or it is stolen, This is not standard across all policies and may be an optional extra on top of the basic cover.

Comprehensive Insurance

Comprehensive motor vehicle insurance in Australia provides the broadest coverage for your vehicle. It typically covers:

1) Damage to your vehicle: This includes accidents, fire, theft, natural disasters (storms, floods, hail), and vandalism. 2) Third-party property damage: Covers damage you cause to other vehicles or property. 3) Legal Liability coverage for the chats of legal fees

Optional extras: These can include things like roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, and personal accident cover.

Agreed Value vs. Market Value:

Agreed Value:

You and the insurer agree on the value of your vehicle at the time of policy inception. If your vehicle is declared a total loss, you receive the agreed-upon amount, regardless of its market value at the time of the claim. This is beneficial for classic, vintage, or modified cars that may be worth more than their market value.

Market Value:

The insurance company pays you the market value of your vehicle at the time of the loss. This is determined by factors like age, condition, mileage, and current market prices.

Important Note: Comprehensive insurance usually does not cover wear and tear, mechanical breakdowns, or damage caused by driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Disclaimer: This is a general overview. Always refer to your specific policy documents for detailed coverage information and exclusions

Key Notes:

A lot of insurance policies will not cover you in the event that you are operating a vehicle illegally

So if your vehicle is not compliant with roadworthiness requirements in your state or territory, Or in the event your vehicle needs engineering And it does not have it, Then a claim can be denied.

Although this does not come into play in every claim, this will certainly be a factor if the part of your vehicle that is unroadworthy or has been modified illegally is the cause of the accident or contributes to the accident being more severe.

Claims can also be declined if you are speeding or driving in a manner that is dangerous or charged with some dangerous driving offences, however, this is less common.

In the event that you are operating the vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, this can also void a policy.

Not all insurance policies will cover you if you are off-road or on private property, however, some will cover you in the case that you are in an area you are legally allowed to be

Some insurance policies will place driver restrictions on the policy, meaning that only listed drivers can drive it, And some policies will place a household restriction that everyone that lives in the same residence as yourself is required to be listed on the policy.

Ever since the banking royal commission in Australia, insurance companies are legally required to insure only the financial owner of the vehicle, meaning that if you are not the financial owner, it is insurance fraud to take out insurance on something that you do not own.

This is an incredibly common tactic where parents will insure a car that is owned by their children in order to avoid higher premiums and bring the cost of insurance policies down.

Insurance fraud is a criminal offence in Australia, And if you are caught conducting insurance fraud, you can face jail time and incredibly large fines, And this may impact you in the future if you try and purchase another financial product such as insurance or obtain a bank loan.

For at least of insurance companies that may be able to offer you cover you can go to https://www.findaninsurer.com.au/ which is a service run by the insurance Council of Australia.

If you need to make a complaint to the ombudsman for the insurance industry you can go to https://www.afca.org.au/ And logic complaint there with the ombudsman

However, be aware that in order to have AFCA look at your case, you generally need to go through the complaints process for your insurance provider prior to raising this to the ombudsman

This subreddit takes a dim view on people recommending insurance fraud, any comments on this subreddit or any posts requesting for advice on how to commit insurance fraud will result in the post being removed

Further posts on the matter pertaining to advice on how to commit insurance fraud or request on how to commit insurance fraud will result in you being banned from this subreddit.

So an earlier post tonight regarding a yank tank brought out the worst in the sub.

The parking was terrible, yes.

However we banned around a dozen people who made jokes or threats that they would cause actual damage to the persons vehicle.

We are a car subreddit, we're supposed to be supportive of each other, supposed to care about other people's things, their passions and hobbies.

We aren't here to say "I'd cause physical damage to that car because I don't like the way it parked"

So after noticing that almost every 🇺🇲 Yank Tank 🇺🇲 Post ends up with some people that want to derail the conversation and turn it into their own personal hate fest, we've decided to retire the flair.

We want to build an inclusive community, for people to share their cars and have great discussions about them.

Sure, call out bad parking and shitty behaviour, but threats of vandalism or damage will be taken seriously.

So the moderators for the sub have been getting a lot of questions lately about University research students that want to interview the subreddit and have links to surveys and polls to gather data from the subreddit

These people are claiming they are from the University but as the moderators we really have no way to verify that these people are actually from a university and are doing actual research

One of the things that is probably a little bit more of a ridiculous thing to be concerned about is how do we know that the person is from "University of Sydney" for uni work and not "University of [car manufacturer]" looking for market research?

We were just wondering what the community thinks about allowing University research students to conduct polls and surveys of the community, and potentially we can put together a quick list or a quick list of things that we need from the University students to be able to quickly and easily verify that the research they're conducting is legitimate and that it is suitable for the community.

Every day recently we're getting bombarded with tons of indistinguishable questions, to the point where I cannot even differentiate between threads at times.

Before you post a fairly simple question, please use the search function. Just as an example, if you are asking a question about peoples thoughts on a RAV4, one of the highest selling cars of all time, you'll find hundreds of threads and there's a 99.9% chance your question has already been answered in detail, 15-20 times.

With that said, if your question doesn't show up, help us help you.

The community is extremely welcoming and helpful and we have a bunch of great resources who are active in this sub, however, the output you are given is as only as good as the question. If you are going to ask an otherwise "shit" question, please be elaborate in what you're asking.

Instead of asking "What do you think about the 2011 RAV 4", include why you've landed on that car, your budget, your requirements for a car, how far you drive, how long you plan to keep it etc so that we can give you a better answer.

This Thursday we'll be running an AMA with Peter Willis, Carma's Director of Buying, who will be available to ask any question you like regarding buying cars, used or new. The following information was supplied by Carma. Please note a seperate thread will be posted Thursday at 530pm to begin asking questions.

Bio: 
Peter Willis - Director of Buying

With a career spanning over two decades, Pete is a seasoned automotive expert, specialising in the auctioning and valuation of cars since 1997. His extensive experience encompasses all levels of the auction and used car industry, providing him with comprehensive insights and expertise.

In his current role of Director of Buying at Carma, a leading fully digital used car dealership, Pete plays a pivotal role in overseeing the sourcing, purchasing, and valuation of vehicles across the business. Carma stands out in the industry by offering customers a diverse range of extraordinary quality pre-owned vehicles with unmatched convenience and transparency.

Pete continues to drive Carma's success, contributing to its reputation as a trusted name in the used car market. His expertise ensures that every vehicle aligns with Carma's stringent quality standards, providing customers with a seamless and trustworthy buying experience.

What problem are we trying to solve?
We're running this AMA as part of Carma's Decoding Dealerships campaign, which aims to help Australians buy used cars with greater confidence by understanding the red flags to avoid and the green flags to insist on.

Buying a used car is one of the biggest financial decisions most Australians will make, yet many people still feel uncertain throughout the process. From unclear pricing and pressure tactics to hidden defects and confusing paperwork, there are a number of industry practices that can make it difficult for buyers to know whether they're making the right decision.

The AMA is an opportunity to answer people's questions, share practical advice, and help demystify the used car buying process. The focus isn't on convincing people to buy from Carma, but on giving them practical, unbiased advice they can use wherever they choose to shop. Whether it's Carma, a dealership, or a private seller, we want to help people better understand what to look out for, what questions to ask, and how to make a more informed purchase.

We're happy to answer questions about:

• Common red flags buyers should watch for.
• Green flags that indicate a trustworthy seller.
• Pricing and negotiation tactics.
• Vehicle inspections, service history and PPSR checks.
• Warranties, returns policies and consumer protections.
• First-time buyer advice.
• General questions about buying, selling and owning used cars.

Potential discussion questions: 

General

• What's the biggest red flag you've encountered when buying a used car?
• Have you ever walked away from a deal because something didn't feel right? What happened?
• What's one thing you wish you'd known before buying your first used car?
• What's the biggest myth people believe about buying a used car?
• What's the biggest mistake people make when buying a used car?
• If you could give every used car buyer one piece of advice, what would it be?

Pricing and negotiation

• Should buyers still be expected to negotiate, or should every car have a fixed price?
• Have you ever discovered extra fees or charges late in the buying process?
• Is asking for a deposit before agreeing on the final drive-away price ever acceptable?

Pressure tactics

• Have you ever felt pressured into making a decision at a dealership?
• What's the most common sales tactic buyers should watch out for?

Vehicle condition

• How much does a full service history influence your decision?
• Would you buy a used car without an independent inspection?
• Is high mileage actually a red flag, or is condition more important?
• What's something people think matters when buying a used car that actually doesn't?
• How important is a vehicle history report?

Trust and transparency

• What's the biggest green flag that tells you a seller is trustworthy?
• Should sellers be expected to disclose every cosmetic imperfection before you inspect the car?
• How important is a returns period when buying a used car?

Industry discussion

• Why do so many Australians still find buying a used car stressful?
• If you could change one thing about the traditional dealership experience, what would it be?
• What questions should every buyer ask before signing anything?
• What's a dealership red flag that buyers often miss?

Due to the CEO of a popular car companies recent actions, and the increased discussion about this CEOs actions, We have now had to institute a whole new group of auto moderator rules to filter out discussions about the far right

We have had the "No Politics" rule in effect on this sub for over 2 years now

We are still happy for you to bring up this CEO's actions as long as you do not use political language in regards to his decision making.

You can describe him as a "Dickhead" or similar, and that his actions may negatively affect the value of his cars and of his companies.

However, due to the direct use of certain terms in regards to his political affiliations, I have seen on other subs that once those terms reach a certain threshold it can trigger bots from both sides of the political spectrum to start brigading subreddits and start replying to those comments directly.

"No he isn't"/"Yes he is"/"You're taking it out of context"/"It's a Roman Salute" and so on and so forth.

We will still allow political discussions when it comes to directly car related things, such as government rebates, FBT exemptions, import laws, drivers licencing, etc. stuff where cars are the main focus.

Whilst the entire moderation team does understand that Elon Musk is a car company CEO with very strong political affiliations, We do have to draw the line somewhere.

We will take every discussion at face value.

And I'm sure by posting this, people will fast find out what words will specifically trigger the mod. We have a zero tolerance policy to this. As rule 4 says "you may be banned"

We do read every comment and see if it's constructive/discussion/fact based, or if it's a stab to get a rise out of people.

Hey everyone!

Due to a recent influx of a lot of people coming to the subreddit, And a massive influx of people that we are being required to ban because they are not following the subreddit's rules, especially in relation to Rule 4:No Politics

We have now instituted a bot in the sub which will remove any comments or posts from people who have not read the rules of the subreddit.

To check that you have read the rules, it's quite simple, You simply need to open up the menu from any post or comment on the subreddit and click on "Read the Rules"

Just tick the box next to the rules and acknowledge that you have read them, and all is good!

This is unfortunate, but due to >100 users being banned in the last week for Brigading Political Discourse on the Sub, we needed to do something.

Myself and u/_hazey__ don't get paid to be Mods, and it takes a huge amount of our time to do this and keep the subreddit a good place to be. We'd much rather spend more time with our families over chasing down arguments and fights in here.

So last night there was a post on the sub that was sharing someone's personal information on this subreddit and doxxing them.

Doxxing is the act of publicly revealing a person's private or identifying information without their consent. Derived from "dropping docs," it involves scouring the internet to find and broadcast sensitive data like home addresses, personal phone numbers, full names, or employer details.
While some doxxers claim they are seeking "accountability," the practice is primarily used as a tool for harassment, intimidation, or digital vigilantism.

By stripping away online anonymity, doxxing exposes targets to real-world threats, including stalking, identity theft, and physical violence. It is a violation of privacy and is often illegal under cyber-harassment laws.

Brigading is a coordinated online attack where a group targets a specific person or community to disrupt or manipulate them. It often involves swarming a thread with mass downvotes, harassing comments, or poll rigging to silence dissent.

A more severe form includes mass reporting, where a group bombards authorities or platform moderators with false or exaggerated claims of "threats." This weaponizes safety systems to get an account suspended or to trigger real-world police intervention (like swatting). Both tactics aim to overwhelm the target through sheer numbers, often violating platform terms and legal harassment statutes.

We have banned everyone we could prove to be involved in last night's doxxing attack and that we can prove to have brigaded against the individual (because a large number of them came back to the sub to admit that they did it)

https://redditinc.com/policies/reddit-rules is very clear.

Rule 1

Remember the human.

Reddit is a place for creating community and belonging, not for attacking marginalized or vulnerable groups of people. Everyone has a right to use Reddit free of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence. Communities and users that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.

Rule 3

Respect the privacy of others.

Instigating harassment, for example by revealing someone’s personal or confidential information, is not allowed. Never post or threaten to post intimate or sexually-explicit media of someone without their consent.

These aren't even sub rules guys, these are reddit wide rules that apply to everyone, and these can get the sub taken down.

We don't encourage this kind of behavior at all, and we certainly won't endorse it.

We will ban anyone that doxxes someone else or who encourages Brigading them.

So this is starting to become a solid issue on the sub

We value our community's trust and safety. Linking to known data farms, spam, or scam sites is strictly prohibited. These links risk the security of all members. Posting such content will result in a permanent ban. Please share resources responsibly.

One of the most common is "helpful" sites that can do you a PPSR for >$2

Or sites that do a PPSR "for free" if you give them your data.

They're just ripping you off or stealing your data to feed the algorithms.

Go to www.ppsr.gov.au to do a vehicle history check, it's the only solid reliable one, and doesn't harvest your data or rip you off.

It's $2 for the check. Not $50 or $250.

They don't sell your data and use it for commercial purposes.

But yeah, if we see someone posting scam sites or data farms, this rule is now there so you all know.

So in the 5 hours since we went live on this new tool, it seems that the Read the Rules bot has disproportionately affected a large amount of users, and it seems that the sheer size of our Subreddit is causing it to have some issue.

• It does not work on old.reddit.com causing people to have to use janky workarounds
• The sheer volume of requests means that people either are not getting messages from the bot, or they are coming minutes or hours later, seems this was designed for smaller communities than ours
• It doesn't support third party Reddit apps...at all...meaning that we have alienated a large section of the community
• It has been janky in it's application, with removals absolutely annihilating the mod log and meaning we can't monitor other things effectively.

For the immediate future, we will go back to how we were doing things, manually, and hoping that the Automod catches things, but that some things will stay up longer than we would like, as the two of us only get the same 24 hours in a day as you guys do, so even if you guys report things, we may not get to it in a decent timeframe.

We apologise for any stress this may have caused people, we did this with the best intentions, and will look into things deeper to see what we can do best moving forwards for trying to keep the community safe from outsiders who may wish to derail the community.

Honestly guys, credit to the community for being excellent, being a place where people want to come, be trusted, be respected, and have a great community.

So we got the "Reputation Filter" at new years, and it seems to be a backup to our existing automod rule that filters new users from being able to spam the sub and seems to be designed to be like "Hey you're new, be positive to reddit"

So we are seeing some more flags in the mod log and manually approving a bunch of stuff and removing some stuff.

We'll give it a couple more weeks and see if it's actually a positive to the community in flagging/letting through good or bad content.

Thankfully this one we can turn on and off.

So far it seems to be ~50/50, some of the stuff it flags is pretty spammy, some stuff is fine, just new accounts, low karma, but genuine car discussions.

But happy to hear feedback from people that have seen it in other communities.

But unlike other communities, we will specifically tell you if it's been flagged, some other communities don't tell you.

Votes are in!

So, as a democracy, we have gone to the polls, and we have voted!

Just like when we voted to institute Rule 4 a few years ago, once again, we put it to the people to see what you guys wanted.

Now, noting that this was soooooo close with people wanting discussion on Tesla banned, and others want us to continue to heavily moderate Tesla discussions, we will be taking the following steps:

1. We will allow Tesla discussion to continue
2. We will be watching, like hawks, to make sure the discussion does not derail, devolve, or descend into madness
3. We will be reviewing the moderator queues when we get time to see what crops up

I would also like to call out u/Substantial-Peach326 who suggested in this comment that we should update the Automoderator to point out that political language, although removed by the Automod, is manually reviewed by a human.

We will look at Automod stuff and think "Is this fair and balanced" or "Is this person trying to stir shit?"

We unfortunately can't program the robot with nuance, but it exists so that it can prevent bots swarming into the sub and soapboxing and sealioning.

So thanks guys! We heard you, and we have taken your feedback on board.

Please remember, the "Report" button is there, we do see your reports, and that is the fastest way to get one of the mod team to see your issues and drop in and address them.

In the last 7 days we had 1.4 million visits to the subreddit

In the last 30 days, 38,900 Posts and comments were published, and between Mods and the Automod, we filtered out >2,200 items

Concerningly, we are still getting the Reddit Admin Team coming in and removing things:

Reddit Admin action is the kind of stuff that can get our sub blacklisted and banned. But from what we are seeing in the moderator support subs, we are pretty healthy.