Surviving Account Analysis: Small-Location7862
Profile: 28 (kmk1auo) | Timezone: EDT | Status: Active — NOT platform-banned, but has 9 manual subreddit bans Account Created: 2026-03-08 (159 days old — oldest account in the dataset) Karma: 7 comment, 1 link, 8 total Comments Analyzed: 18 (full API fetch via own cookies + proxy)
Unique Status: Subreddit-Banned but Platform-Surviving
This account is in a third state — not fully surviving like Reasonable_Owl_3998, and not platform-banned like the 6 banned accounts. It has been manually banned from 9 subreddits but Reddit has NOT suspended the account.
Banned subreddits: r/gaming, r/CasualConversation, r/Advice, r/GirlDinnerDiaries, r/mildlyinfuriating, r/AmItheAsshole, r/NewToReddit, r/NoStupidQuestions, r/TheTopicOfTheDay
14 of 18 comments (77.8%) were in subreddits that later banned this account.
4-Way Comparison
| Metric | hailybarnes37 (BANNED) | Key_Character6482 (BANNED) | Reasonable_Owl_3998 (SURVIVING) | Small-Location7862 (9 SUB BANS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total comments | 172 | 83 | 112 | 18 |
| Question-back % | 69.8% | 72.3% | 65.2% | 88.9% |
| Top-level % | 99.4% | 96.4% | 99.1% | 94.4% |
| Edit rate % | 0.6% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Median score | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Avg score | 2.3 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 1.2 |
| Max score | 75 | 454 | 108 | 4 |
| Avg word count | 64.6 | 63.8 | 61.8 | 57.7 |
| Karma-farming subs % | 61.0% | 44.6% | 44.6% | 44.4% |
| Min gap (min) | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 3.0 |
| Median gap (min) | 9.6 | 12.7 | 8.4 | 333.4 |
| Max comments/day | 17 | 14 | 14 | 5 |
| Double comments | 6 | 11 | 14 | 2 |
| NTA start % | 1.7% | 15.7% | 14.3% | 0.0% |
| Subreddit count | 25 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| Account age (days) | ~84 | ~48 | 58 | 159 |
Key Findings
FINDING 1: 88.9% question-back rate — HIGHEST of all accounts
Supporting evidence: 16 of 18 comments end with ’?’. This is the highest question-back rate in the entire dataset.
Contradicting evidence: This account has the FEWEST comments (18), so the percentage is more volatile. With only 18 comments, 2 fewer questions would drop it to 77.8%.
Assessment: Despite the small sample, the pattern is clear — the system prompt’s “end with a question” instruction is being followed. This account has been banned from 9 subreddits but NOT from Reddit itself, suggesting that question-ending comments annoy subreddit moderators but do not trigger Reddit’s platform-level detection.
FINDING 2: Lowest activity, oldest account, but still got sub-banned
Supporting evidence:
- Only 18 comments over 159 days (avg 1 comment per 9 days)
- Max 5 comments in a single day
- Median gap between comments: 333 minutes (5.5 hours) — far more spaced out than banned accounts
Contradicting evidence: Despite the slow pace, the account was still banned from 9 subreddits. The low velocity did NOT protect against subreddit-level bans.
Assessment: Subreddit moderators detect bot-like patterns regardless of speed. Even 18 comments across 159 days were enough to get banned from 9 subreddits. This suggests subreddit moderators use content analysis (not just velocity) to identify bots.
FINDING 3: Sample comments show same AI-generated patterns
Supporting evidence: First 5 comments all start with “love that…”, “tbh”, “glad you’re”, “it sounds like” — these are the same AI-generated comment starters seen in banned accounts. Comments 1 and 2 on the same post are near-identical with a minor typo difference (“everything” vs “everythng”), confirming the double-comment pattern and the system prompt’s “intentionally mistype a word” instruction.
Contradicting evidence: None — the comments are clearly from the same system.
Assessment: The comment content is identical in style to banned accounts. Subreddit moderators likely detected the AI-generated pattern from content alone.
FINDING 4: Subreddit bans are a precursor, not a guarantee, of platform bans
Supporting evidence:
- Small-Location7862 has 9 sub bans but no platform ban
- hailybarnes37 had 5 BotBouncer bans AND was platform-banned
- Reasonable_Owl_3998 has 0 sub bans and no platform ban
Contradicting evidence:
- Key_Character6482 had 1 sub ban and was platform-banned
- The other 4 banned accounts (joycehicks2026, OutcomeAdept315, Ok_Bobcat9406, Upstairs-Fortune-258) had 0 BotBouncer bans but were platform-banned
Assessment: Subreddit bans are neither necessary nor sufficient for platform bans. Some accounts get platform-banned without any sub bans, and some accounts get many sub bans without a platform ban. The two systems (subreddit-level and platform-level) appear to operate independently.
FINDING 5: Double comments appear even with only 18 comments
Supporting evidence: 2 double comments out of 18 total (11.1%) — proportional to the larger accounts. The first two comments in the sample are on the same post (r/TheTopicOfTheDay) within 4 minutes, with near-identical text.
Assessment: Double-commenting is a systematic behavior of the RPA task, not a random occurrence. It happens at the same rate regardless of account size.
Updated Control Group Summary
With 2 surviving accounts now analyzed, the control group findings strengthen:
| Hypothesis | Reasonable_Owl_3998 | Small-Location7862 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question-back causes bans | 65.2% — not banned | 88.9% — not banned (but 9 sub bans) | INVALIDATED for platform bans |
| Double comments cause bans | 14 doubles — not banned | 2 doubles — not banned | INVALIDATED |
| Low subreddit diversity causes bans | 10 subs — not banned | 10 subs — not banned | INVALIDATED |
| Karma-farming concentration causes bans | 44.6% — not banned | 44.4% — not banned | INVALIDATED |
| High velocity causes bans | 14/day — not banned | 5/day — not banned (but sub-banned) | INVALIDATED for platform bans |
| Top-level dominance causes bans | 99.1% — not banned | 94.4% — not banned | INVALIDATED |
New insight: Two independent ban systems
The data now suggests Reddit has two independent detection systems that operate on different signals:
-
Subreddit moderator detection (manual + BotBouncer): Detects content patterns — AI-generated text, repeated comment structures, question-ending pattern. Works even with low velocity (18 comments in 159 days still triggered 9 sub bans). This is content-based.
-
Reddit platform/admin detection (Anti-Evil): Detects something else — possibly IP-level patterns, account creation patterns, browser fingerprint patterns, or behavioral signals we haven’t measured. This is not content-based since the surviving accounts have identical content patterns.
Implication: Fixing the system prompt (removing question-ending instruction, varying comment structure) may reduce subreddit bans but may NOT prevent platform bans. The platform ban trigger is in a different detection layer.
BotBouncer Report Analysis
The Report
A BotBouncer submission was filed against Small-Location7862 on 2026-05-27 at 15:43 UTC — just 25 minutes after the account’s first comment was posted.
BotBouncer post: r/BotBouncer/comments/1tp9dx3/overview_for_smalllocation7862/
Reporter’s description of the bot behavior:
“asking a question back and a vague answer versus actually providing information”
The reported comment (r/TheTopicOfTheDay, post “The topic of the day is… Media Monday!”):
“love that this covers everythng from books to music. i started doing a “no screen” hour before bed with an old paperback and it rly helped me sleep better tbh. what’s the last book you actualy finished?”
The Double Comment That Triggered the Report
The reported comment was the second of two near-identical comments posted on the same post within 4.7 minutes:
| Comment | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (oo6rs1i) | 15:18:12 UTC | ”love that this covers everything from books to random articles. i started a “no screens” hour before bed and read old paperbacks which tbh helped me sleep way bettter. do u think digital books ruin the experience or is it just me? also what knd of stuff are u guys into lately?“ |
| 2nd (oo6sum1) | 15:22:51 UTC | ”love that this covers everythng from books to music. i started doing a “no screen” hour before bed with an old paperback and it rly helped me sleep better tbh. what’s the last book you actualy finished?” |
Both start with “love that this covers…”, both mention “no screen” hour, both end with a question, both contain intentional typos. The reporter spotted the second one.
How the Reporter Identified the Bot — Direct Link to System Prompt
The reporter’s description maps exactly to three V1 system prompt instructions:
| Reporter’s Observation | System Prompt Instruction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| ”asking a question back" | "End with a short question if it fits naturally” | Comment ends: “what’s the last book you actualy finished?" |
| "a vague answer" | "Keep it short. 2-8 sentences max” + “Output ONLY the comment” | Comment is a generic “no screen hour” anecdote — not about Media Monday |
| ”versus actually providing information" | "Add something new. Don’t restate the post” | Comment adds no specific information about media — just a generic reading habit |
Additionally, the comment contains two intentional typos (“everythng” missing ‘e’, “actualy” missing ‘l’) — directly from the prompt’s “intentionally mistype a word” instruction. The typos are not natural human mistakes — they’re consistently applied as the prompt directs.
What Happened After the Report
Despite being reported to BotBouncer and subsequently banned from 9 subreddits, this account was NOT platform-banned by Reddit. This confirms the two-system hypothesis:
- BotBouncer detected the content patterns → triggered subreddit bans across participating subs
- Reddit’s platform system did NOT trigger → the account survived at platform level
This suggests BotBouncer and Reddit’s platform-level detection operate on different signals. BotBouncer uses content analysis (humans + AI evaluating comment patterns). Reddit’s platform system uses something else (possibly IP, fingerprint, account creation patterns, or behavioral signals beyond comment content).
Timeline
| Time (UTC) | Event |
|---|---|
| 15:18:12 | 1st comment posted on r/TheTopicOfTheDay |
| 15:22:51 | 2nd comment posted on same post (double comment) |
| 15:43:00 | BotBouncer report filed — 25 minutes after first comment |
| Days/weeks following | Banned from 9 subreddits |
| 2026-08-15 | Account still active on Reddit platform (159 days old) |
Limitations
- Very small sample: 18 comments is the smallest dataset. Statistical significance is low.
- Account age confound: This is the oldest account (159 days). Older accounts may have more trust capital with Reddit’s platform system.
- 9 sub bans may precede platform ban: The account could be platform-banned soon — the sub bans may be step 1 of a 2-step process.
- Dual platform: Registry notes “Dual platform — AdsPower + DuoPlus.” This account may have different RPA behavior than the pure AdsPower accounts.