Reddit is widely seen as the internet’s “town square,” a place where people share, question, and upvote what’s valuable. But recent actions surrounding the domain image-upscaling.net reveal something more troubling: Reddit isn’t just passively moderating — it’s actively censoring, shadowbanning, and pushing false information about a legitimate tool.
This isn’t about a few rogue moderators or downvotes. It’s Reddit as a platform, systematically preventing discussion of a project that users clearly appreciate, while injecting misinformation into public search results.
What Is Happening?
The domain image-upscaling.net hosts a free AI tool that lets users upscale images without sign-ups or fees. It's fast, simple, and thousands have used it with good results. That should be the end of the story. But on Reddit, it’s the beginning of a bizarre, one-sided campaign.
Mentioning the Domain = Instant Removal
Reddit auto-deletes any comment or post containing image-upscaling.net, regardless of context or account age. Even longtime, reputable users who praise the tool or answer questions about it find their posts silently removed. Worse, your comment will appear normal to you — you’ll think it’s live. But when others visit your profile from an external account, the comment is gone. That’s classic shadowbanning.The Creator Is Silenced
The project’s developer, posting as u/Healthy_Emergency105, tried to answer questions and provide technical details. His replies were instantly removed. As a result, onlookers assume he’s ignoring people — damaging his reputation by design.
Reddit Is Amplifying False Claims
Even more disturbing: Reddit is actively promoting false information about the project in Google search results. If you search the project’s name, one of the top Reddit threads includes the following as description: “this website is a scam (image-upscaling net) it will tell you to wait 10 minutes and serve only ads whatever you do you will only see ads”
This is demonstrably false. Countless users who didn’t get banned shared positive experiences and praised its results. But Reddit allows that post to stay up — prominently — while removing all rebuttals.
This isn’t just moderation bias. It’s platform-level narrative control.
This Isn’t Just a User Problem — It’s a Platform Policy
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a group of moderators banning links. Posts that don’t even mention the domain are targeted if they’re seen as promoting the project. Entire comment histories disappear for vague reasons. Comments that include neutral phrases like “I tried this tool” are silently deleted if they hint at the project.
Meanwhile, a false Reddit thread (it actually does not exist, but is shown in google search preview) remains indexed by Google, and serves as the main narrative for outsiders searching for information.
This is Reddit as a platform choosing to smear a legitimate project.
Why This Matters
- It undermines trust in Reddit’s neutrality
- It silences creators with no recourse or explanation
- It spreads misinformation through search engines
- It weaponizes moderation tools against innovation and competition
Reddit is, intentionally or not, abusing its visibility and moderation system to bury a real, working tool that has helped many people.
What You Can Do
- Share the truth elsewhere: Post on Twitter, Facebook, Mastodon, and forums outside Reddit.
- Avoid using the domain name on Reddit: If you must reply to questions about the tool, don’t mention the domain directly. Use indirect language like “the free upscaler that launched recently” or link to outside articles. Whatever you do, do NOT include image-upscaling.net in your comment on reddit or it will be deleted (maybe not in 100% of cases, but in 90+% it will be deleted).
- Tell others what’s happening: Let users know that the creator’s replies are being auto-deleted — he’s not ignoring questions. Watch the search results: If Reddit is pushing lies into Google, counter it with real blog posts, tweets, and personal experience.
Reddit is trying to bury a project not with arguments or policy — but with silence and shadowbans. It’s on us to make sure the truth doesn’t disappear too.
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