Reddit CEO apologises for editing comments on Trump thread

Steve Huffman, CEO of online news discussion site Reddit, has apologised after admitting to the edition of users' comments on a thread in support of US president-elect Donald Trump.

A popular community of Trump supporters on the site had their posts altered, to the disdain of the posters. His actions were heavily criticised by many on the website, supposedly violating an unspoken agreement between Reddit and its users that content is not filtered.

Huffman edited comments under the guise of community moderators, leaving the same moderators to take a volley of abuse.

"I am sorry for compromising the trust you all have in Reddit, and I am sorry to those that I created work and stress for, particularly over the holidays," Huffman wrote in a post on Wednesday.

"It is heartbreaking to think that my actions distracted people from their family over the holiday; instigated harassment of our moderators; and may have harmed Reddit itself, which I love more than just about anything."

Reddit has received criticism in the past for having little to no control over its users' actions, with often obscene and illegal images surfacing on the site.

"Historically, we have relied on our relationship with moderators to curb bad behaviors," added Huffman. "While some of the moderators have been helpful, this has not been wholly effective, and we are now taking a more proactive approach to policing behavior that is detrimental to Reddit."