The Reddit Blackout Shows No Signs of Stopping

A Reddit blackout that began as a two-day voluntary shutdown has entered its third day, with no signs of ending soon. Over 6,000 subreddits, including popular communities like r/aww, r/videos, and r/music, remained inaccessible and in private mode.

This prolonged protest is in response to changes in Reddit’s data policies, specifically the decision to introduce steep fees for third-party data access to the platform.

The implementation of these fees has sparked widespread outrage due to its potential impact on independent apps and moderator tools that rely on Reddit’s data.

Some of the largest third-party apps, such as Apollo and RIF, have stated that they cannot afford the fees and will be forced to shut down. This has led users to rely on Reddit’s native app, which has received criticism for being slow, buggy, and inferior, particularly for users with disabilities.
Although Reddit has made some concessions by exempting certain accessibility apps from the fee changes and allowing some third-party tools to operate through its API, many moderators view these actions as insignificant.

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman acknowledged that Reddit is profit-driven and will continue to be until profits are realized, responding to accusations that the fees are a profit-driven move.

Similar to Twitter’s plans for a data paywall, Reddit is also seeking to generate new revenue sources, especially as it reportedly plans to go public later this year.

Huffman reportedly downplayed the significance of the blackout in an internal memo, expecting that it would eventually pass. While some subreddits have ended their protest and reopened, others have joined the ongoing blackout.

The situation remains tense as users, moderators, and developers stand in opposition to Reddit’s management, emphasizing their commitment to challenging the platform’s data policies.