The trolls are winning, post-Reddit Pao says

Elizabeth Weise | USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — The former CEO of Reddit penned an op-ed Thursday in the Washington Post with a disheartening message: the online trolls are winning.

Ellen Pao was vilified by many online for trying to shut down some of the more heinous discussion topics on the popular and influential social media site that calls itself "the front page of the Internet."

The online world faces a conundrum that no one's yet been able to solve, Pao said in her column. It's a marvelous arena for free expression, but those very attributes make it perfect "for the coordination and amplification of harassing behavior," she wrote.

"Balancing free expression with privacy and the protection of participants has always been a challenge for open-content platforms on the Internet. But that balancing act is getting harder. The trolls are winning," she said.

For removing revenge porn from the site as well as banning harassment and discussions devoted to vilifying gays, overweight people and African Americans, Pao and several of her colleagues were "targeted with harassing messages, attempts to post my private information online and death threats," she wrote.

She stepped down from her position as CEO last week, a mutual decision between her and the site.

Prior to that, Pao was in the news earlier in the year when she sued her former employer, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers for sexual discrimination and retaliation. She lost that suit.

In an Ask Me Anything discussion Thursday on Reddit, the new CEO Steve Huffman said he didn't plan to overturn Pao's efforts to civilize the less savory corners of the site.

Pao cited a survey from last year that found that 40% of online users has experienced bullying, harassment and intimidation, while a remarkable 70% of those between 18 and 24 had.

The survey, done by the Pew Research Center, found two variants on harassment, said Maeve Duggan, who co-wrote the report.

"There's really two types of harassment," she said. "The first kind is general annoyance, it's name calling, people trying to embarrass others. Most people don't give it much credence."

The second, and darker type, which Pao and others have experienced, is much more severe. It involves online stalking, sustained harassment and physical threats.

It's also most often aimed at young women, said Duggan. "They're much more likely than their male counterparts to experience this extreme harassment."

One of the biggest drivers of that kind of harassment is the anonymity offered by online sites like Reddit. People say things in an anonymous forum that they are much less likely to say in person or when their real name is attached to the statement.

An interesting contrast to that atmosphere is provided by The Well, a 30-year-old online community that has always had a policy that members not be anonymous.

"Someone might be prickly or obnoxious, but it's like a small town — you know who everyone is," said Brady Lea, CEO of The Well.

After spending time in that environment, the vitriol, anger and true vileness of some online forums is always a shock to her.

"You read them and you think 'Oh my God, what is wrong with these people? What do they get out of this?'"

Pao says she sees hope in the flood of supportive messages, in the thousands, she got from Reddit users decrying the foul language, attacks and threats she and others were subject to for their stance.

But she's left still wondering if there's a way to draw a line between the bad and the ugly while still maintaining a viable business model.

Still, her final thought was positive.

"In the battle for the Internet, the power of humanity to overcome hate gives me hope," she wrote. "I'm rooting for the humans over the trolls. I know we can win."

Follow USA TODAY reporter Elizabeth Weise: @eweise