Anonymous
6/21/2025, 4:52:30 AM No.713227419
In a stunning act of what users are calling “vindictive moderation,” a 4chan volunteer moderator known only as **ABIB** has reportedly deleted multiple active threads related to *Deltarune*, the beloved indie game by Toby Fox — and according to internal leaks and user testimonies, it may have been *entirely out of spite*.
The incident, which unfolded over the past 48 hours on 4chan’s /v/ and /vg/ boards, saw a wave of *Deltarune* discussion threads abruptly removed, often without explanation. Screenshots circulated across platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and the Something Awful Forums (yes, it still exists), showing ABIB tagging posts as “off-topic” or simply removing them mid-conversation. In some instances, threads disappeared within seconds of being posted.
Sources within the 4chan moderation community, speaking under condition of anonymity, suggest that ABIB had expressed personal annoyance with *Deltarune* fans, describing them as “insufferable” in internal communications. One source claimed:
> “He \[ABIB] thinks the game’s fandom is overdramatic and cringe. He said if he has to read one more theory about Spamton, he’s going to ‘nuke the board.’ And, well, he did.”
The move has reignited long-standing debates about 4chan’s opaque and often arbitrary moderation system, particularly the power wielded by unpaid, anonymous volunteers. Despite having no formal employment contract, pay, or accountability, moderators like ABIB hold the ability to shape — or in this case, silence — entire corners of discussion across the site.
“This is exactly the kind of thing that happens when you let someone moderate an influential online space for free,” said Dr. Harriet Lin, a digital culture researcher at MIT. “ABIB doesn’t answer to anyone, doesn’t get paid, and appears to be moderating for personal amusement. That’s not a stable foundation for fair content oversight.”
The incident, which unfolded over the past 48 hours on 4chan’s /v/ and /vg/ boards, saw a wave of *Deltarune* discussion threads abruptly removed, often without explanation. Screenshots circulated across platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and the Something Awful Forums (yes, it still exists), showing ABIB tagging posts as “off-topic” or simply removing them mid-conversation. In some instances, threads disappeared within seconds of being posted.
Sources within the 4chan moderation community, speaking under condition of anonymity, suggest that ABIB had expressed personal annoyance with *Deltarune* fans, describing them as “insufferable” in internal communications. One source claimed:
> “He \[ABIB] thinks the game’s fandom is overdramatic and cringe. He said if he has to read one more theory about Spamton, he’s going to ‘nuke the board.’ And, well, he did.”
The move has reignited long-standing debates about 4chan’s opaque and often arbitrary moderation system, particularly the power wielded by unpaid, anonymous volunteers. Despite having no formal employment contract, pay, or accountability, moderators like ABIB hold the ability to shape — or in this case, silence — entire corners of discussion across the site.
“This is exactly the kind of thing that happens when you let someone moderate an influential online space for free,” said Dr. Harriet Lin, a digital culture researcher at MIT. “ABIB doesn’t answer to anyone, doesn’t get paid, and appears to be moderating for personal amusement. That’s not a stable foundation for fair content oversight.”
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