I'm not sure there's any definite way to erode trust these days, since the most polished and believable sites can (and often do) completely betray the trust they instill or profess to uphold.
Perhaps the creator is truly tired of the BS and guesses that there's an audience who also is. And for $5/yr, it costs virtually nothing to try.
The bigger question is about limits of what can be posted, policing of content, and privacy.