Substack creators and Substack audiences are supporting a platform that profits off of promoting dangerous antiscience content – at the expense of public health.
For months I have been reporting one account -- with lots of followers -- to Substack.
Dougie Fresh only plagiarizes. Every post can be traced back to someone else's work with a simple copy and search. If I see it, I add a comment and report it to Substack.
Nothing happens.
I let the creator know.
If they're complaining, it doesn't seem to work.
How can a platform claim to be for creators tolerate theft? How can a platform marketing itself to those fleeing legacy media tolerate dangerous misinformation?
Thank you for researching this. I love this platform but it may be time to go.
It's time to take our values and morality and leave. I debated two years ago about joining because of the nazi problem but things have continued to devolve. The other elephant in the room is AI generated content on this platform.
I am taking several weeks off in December and transitioning to either Ghost or Patreon.
Yes, it sure does. I’ve got these bots with weird medical things and they keep popping up and I can’t block them. I keep reporting them as spam but they keep coming back. I also saw a swastika with a Trump 2028 on Substack. I was horrified and blocked it right away. 😡
I admire calling out the NAZI and fake-medical propaganda. We should know, see and read the hate and lies. In a world of the Information Firehose of Internet, we need to discern which information is valid and the information that is deceptive. We shouldn’t let these scoundrels hide from the light of day. When we deny they exist by burying them in the shadows where we can’t examine them, they fester in their own depravity. Shine the light and scatter the roaches.
Let individuals block, mute or counteract and correct them in the comments. Banning, except in cases of incitement to violence, threats and such, only delay a confrontation that must be resolved head to head!
They are everywhere now. No, I am not paranoid, just very informed and rational. I hope that the authors that I subscribe to find another place to publish. I can tell what is real and what is not but not everyone is so fortunate. It appears that I will have to transition off of substack on principle alone.
Take your work elsewhere, as you suggest, and the Nazis and anti-science propagandists will follow to the new forum. Is there a way to fight this battle on the exiting platform(s)?
We (https://weekly.cebv.us) transitioned to Ghost a couple of months ago. So far, the customer support has been excellent. We were torn because we got a lot of cross-traffic from other Substack readers and columns, but so be it. It's important to wield whatever economic influence we have.
Substack’s role in spreading both extremist and dangerous. Honestly, I love this platform as writing is a damn fine way to get my ideas down, but this worries me.
As someone experienced in information warfare, I see this as a clear repeat of history where weaponized disinformation harms public trust, health, and democracy. This isn’t just about free speech; it’s about platforms profiting from content that actively endangers lives and fuels division. Ignoring this risk is no longer an option if we want to protect society from falling deeper into misinformation and its deadly consequences.
Although, we can't solely blame the platform as this is an aspect of human nature we haven't really learnt to deal with. I do think the car is driving pretty quickly to the cliff again.
Can you inform us of a PLATFORM which ISN’T doing this?? We know who owns them….its not practical to just boycott all of them & leave no truth out there…
I, myself have only seen medical disinformation once, and no promotion of nazis. I usually just read the accounts that I have already subscribed to, or to ones that have specifically been recommended by the ones that I subscribed. A problem that does exist, is all of the spam in which someone promises to send you something if you just pay for shipping, etc. Vulnerable people sometimes bite. If everything in this post is true, it's time to shed light on the disgusting posts, and then block them. I think substack has enough legitimately good content creators to keep coming back to this platform. Unfortunately, medical disinformation and nazi type posts will be found no matter which platform that you're on. Just look at our government. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Substack is a tool, not a community. Some writers use it to do vital work. Others use it to spread poison. You have to evaluate each writer individually, not assume the platform curates for quality. The subscription model is better than advertising,it aligns incentives so writers serve readers, not algorithms. But it also means writers are incentivized to tell their subscribers what they want to hear, to build echo chambers, to avoid challenging their audience.
Read widely. Subscribe to writers who challenge you. Cancel subscriptions to writers who've stopped doing the work, who've become lazy or grifty or dishonest. The platform won't do this curation for you. That's your job now.
Substack also has a plagiarism problem.
For months I have been reporting one account -- with lots of followers -- to Substack.
Dougie Fresh only plagiarizes. Every post can be traced back to someone else's work with a simple copy and search. If I see it, I add a comment and report it to Substack.
Nothing happens.
I let the creator know.
If they're complaining, it doesn't seem to work.
How can a platform claim to be for creators tolerate theft? How can a platform marketing itself to those fleeing legacy media tolerate dangerous misinformation?
Thank you for researching this. I love this platform but it may be time to go.
I reported him too! Nothing. No response.
https://substack.com/@idmiller?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1l7fkf
Wow! First thing I read I had already read on another blog
It's time to take our values and morality and leave. I debated two years ago about joining because of the nazi problem but things have continued to devolve. The other elephant in the room is AI generated content on this platform.
I am taking several weeks off in December and transitioning to either Ghost or Patreon.
FFS … can’t we have ANYTHING nice? I mean, why even bother? Time to find an alternative solution.
Yes, it sure does. I’ve got these bots with weird medical things and they keep popping up and I can’t block them. I keep reporting them as spam but they keep coming back. I also saw a swastika with a Trump 2028 on Substack. I was horrified and blocked it right away. 😡
Thank you! Yet another threat to our democracy hidden in plain sight.
I admire calling out the NAZI and fake-medical propaganda. We should know, see and read the hate and lies. In a world of the Information Firehose of Internet, we need to discern which information is valid and the information that is deceptive. We shouldn’t let these scoundrels hide from the light of day. When we deny they exist by burying them in the shadows where we can’t examine them, they fester in their own depravity. Shine the light and scatter the roaches.
Let individuals block, mute or counteract and correct them in the comments. Banning, except in cases of incitement to violence, threats and such, only delay a confrontation that must be resolved head to head!
Marc Andreesen, right wing billionaire starts Substack takeover
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/08/02/andreessen-horowitz-substack-right-wing-billionaires-kill-free-press/
FMA & all such rapaciously greedy amoral evile RWingnut fintech bros!😒🙄😒🤬🤑🤪🤡👻💩💀
They are everywhere now. No, I am not paranoid, just very informed and rational. I hope that the authors that I subscribe to find another place to publish. I can tell what is real and what is not but not everyone is so fortunate. It appears that I will have to transition off of substack on principle alone.
Take your work elsewhere, as you suggest, and the Nazis and anti-science propagandists will follow to the new forum. Is there a way to fight this battle on the exiting platform(s)?
Yes. There are pathways to counter this behaviors. And anyways I don't like the historical patterns of what happens when ground is ceded to Nazis.
We (https://weekly.cebv.us) transitioned to Ghost a couple of months ago. So far, the customer support has been excellent. We were torn because we got a lot of cross-traffic from other Substack readers and columns, but so be it. It's important to wield whatever economic influence we have.
Substack’s role in spreading both extremist and dangerous. Honestly, I love this platform as writing is a damn fine way to get my ideas down, but this worries me.
As someone experienced in information warfare, I see this as a clear repeat of history where weaponized disinformation harms public trust, health, and democracy. This isn’t just about free speech; it’s about platforms profiting from content that actively endangers lives and fuels division. Ignoring this risk is no longer an option if we want to protect society from falling deeper into misinformation and its deadly consequences.
Although, we can't solely blame the platform as this is an aspect of human nature we haven't really learnt to deal with. I do think the car is driving pretty quickly to the cliff again.
Can you inform us of a PLATFORM which ISN’T doing this?? We know who owns them….its not practical to just boycott all of them & leave no truth out there…
Bluesky?
I, myself have only seen medical disinformation once, and no promotion of nazis. I usually just read the accounts that I have already subscribed to, or to ones that have specifically been recommended by the ones that I subscribed. A problem that does exist, is all of the spam in which someone promises to send you something if you just pay for shipping, etc. Vulnerable people sometimes bite. If everything in this post is true, it's time to shed light on the disgusting posts, and then block them. I think substack has enough legitimately good content creators to keep coming back to this platform. Unfortunately, medical disinformation and nazi type posts will be found no matter which platform that you're on. Just look at our government. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Agree for now.
Substack is a tool, not a community. Some writers use it to do vital work. Others use it to spread poison. You have to evaluate each writer individually, not assume the platform curates for quality. The subscription model is better than advertising,it aligns incentives so writers serve readers, not algorithms. But it also means writers are incentivized to tell their subscribers what they want to hear, to build echo chambers, to avoid challenging their audience.
Read widely. Subscribe to writers who challenge you. Cancel subscriptions to writers who've stopped doing the work, who've become lazy or grifty or dishonest. The platform won't do this curation for you. That's your job now.
Doesn’t seem that way. Perhaps you are sowing disinformation.
I’ve run into objectionable posts maybe a couple of times in the last year. I report then block. It’s worked for me!