RTE 1 / 5 Reddit law school student Matthew J. Schuster, 19, had a long road to the top.
He had an exceptional legal education and had a passion for the law.
But then the internet came along and everything changed.
His internet connection was cut off.
He was sent a letter by his lawyer, stating that his access to the internet was being restricted for an indefinite period.
The letter said he had been blocked for four weeks and would not be able to log on to any of the school’s computers for at least a week.
The letter also said the school had to pay $50,000 for his access.
“It’s just a complete slap in the face,” Mr Schuster said.
In October, Reddit banned Mr Schusters entire family and six friends, including his father, for two months for a “subversive content” post that included jokes about pedophilia.
After his family’s arrest, Reddit administrators said they had acted under “stronger guidance”.
“While this was a difficult decision for all involved, it is important to note that Reddit was not directly involved in this case,” they wrote.
Mr Schuster’s lawyer, Michael Fung, said the law school was not allowed to comment on pending litigation.
As part of its appeal, Reddit is seeking $20,000 from the school.
Law school student Mark Schuster with his father (left) and brother.
Photo: Supplied Mr Fung said his client was “not happy with the outcome”.
“The school did not want to hear from Mr Schurts parents, so they went to Reddit, and Reddit was willing to give him money,” he said.
“This is a huge step for Reddit to protect its users and its reputation.”
It just seems like an overreach on Reddit’s part to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to shut down your family for four years’.
“Mr Schurtt has been banned from accessing the school and has been told he will not be allowed to return for a further three years.”
In a statement, Reddit said it was “reviewing its position on this matter” and “will be providing updates as they become available”.
Reddit administrators have defended the decision.
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“The decision that Reddit made was to act on what it believed to be a legitimate complaint that had been brought by a Reddit user, not by the school or anyone else,” Mr Fung told the ABC.
What’s happening with the law?
In December last year, Reddit launched the “Ask Me Anything” subreddit, a feature where users could ask questions to Reddit administrators.
The forum has become a place for users to vent their frustrations, and is often a source of controversy among the community.
During the AMA, Mr Schusters father, Mark, and brother, Matthew, asked Reddit’s administrators for help with their son’s case.
They said they were being blocked from accessing Reddit for four days.
He was sent letters by his attorney stating that he had to spend four weeks without internet access for an unspecified period.
Reddit has denied the letter, saying it was made to an individual who was banned for “substantial reasons” and not to the school in question.
Mr Fauch said Reddit was “going backwards”.
A Reddit spokesperson told the Australian Financial Review: “The Reddit community has a long history of fighting for the rights of our users, and we take this matter very seriously.”
While the Reddit community is not involved in the legal proceedings, Reddit has been working with the School to help protect the Reddit user in this situation and other users, as well as the community at large.
“Reddit has also released a statement saying it is reviewing its position.
A court has now ordered Reddit to pay the Schuster family $50000.
Topics:law-crime-and-justice,internet-culture,law-school,technology,social-media,technology-and/or-internet-policy,community-andamp;community-organisations,education,law,crime,community,internet,education-industry,education—state-issues,internetculture,internetrelay-protocol,technology
