Reddit has locked a post on its platform that links to a study saying that China’s censorship of information and news about the novel coronavirus contributed to the spread of it.

The post, titled: “‘China may have prevented 95% of virus cases if it acted on silenced whistleblower’s warning,” links to an article in Hong Kong Free Press. The report cites a study by mapping group WorldPop which found that China could have hindered the spread of the virus, up to 95%, if its leadership imposed strict measures early on, including canceling mass gatherings and practicing social distancing.

The report noted that the study still hasn’t been peer-reviewed.

In detail: The post has been taken down by Reddit’s “Anti-Evil Operations team.” Reddit didn’t give an explanation for why the post was locked, but one Reddit administrator wrote: “Comments have been locked due to the absurd number of reports this post is generating.”

Reddit’s rules, under its User Agreement or Content Policy, point to incitement of violence, illegal content, involuntary pornography, threats or bullying, sexualization of minors, and disclosure of personal information, among other things as reasons to remove a post.

They do not mention an “absurd number of reports” as justification for such a move.

It’s likely that Reddit locked the post because it was polarizing. It received a significant amount of upvotes, but many users disagreed with it. Some users also noted that the Hong Kong Free Press has an anti-Beijing stance and argued this makes it unreliable, though they only reported on the study.

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