Reddit blackout: Why your favourite pages are going offline from today

Millions of Reddit fans are facing restricted access to their favorite subreddit communities as moderators initiate a protest against Reddit's plans to charge third-party app developers for accessing the site's data. This article provides an overview of the situation and addresses key questions surrounding the protest.

1. Background:

Over 3,000 subreddit groups, which are dedicated communities on Reddit, have decided to go dark for a minimum of 48 hours. They are protesting against Reddit Inc.'s decision to increase charges for third-party app developers. Notable subreddits like r/apple, r/videos, r/sports, and r/MildlyInteresting have already blocked public access to their pages. The central concern revolves around the cost of accessing Reddit's application programming interface (API).

2. Access During the Protest:

During the dark period, there will be limited access to the affected subreddits. Reddit categorizes its communities into public, restricted, private, and premium-only groups. Private subreddits can only be viewed if granted direct access by a moderator, making it unlikely that large numbers of users will be granted access during the blackout.

3. Reddit's API Charges:

Reddit aims to charge third-party app developers, such as Apollo and Sync, which assist users in navigating the platform, for retrieving data such as user posts and reader comments. Developers argue that the API charges are prohibitively high. For example, Apollo claims it would be required to pay Reddit $20 million per year. Several apps, including Apollo and Sync, have announced potential closure in response to these charges.

4. Reddit Inc.'s Perspective:

According to a company spokesperson, Reddit invests millions in hosting its content and believes it deserves fair compensation to support third-party apps with high data usage. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman addressed the issue through an "ask me anything" session on the platform, highlighting the necessity for Reddit to become self-sustaining and cease subsidizing commercial entities with extensive data needs.

5. Competitor Actions:

In February, Elon Musk's Twitter announced plans to charge for previously-free API access, aligning with Reddit's rationale for compensation. Meta Platforms Inc., along with Twitter, is promoting a paid service tier for users, wherein verification and other basic functionalities become premium components.

6. Implementation Timeline:

Reddit intends to introduce its new pricing structure on July 1. As a result, several third-party apps, including Apollo and Sync, have announced their intention to shut down on June 30.

7. Other Changes by Reddit:

Apart from charging third parties for data, Reddit is downsizing its workforce. The company plans to eliminate approximately 90 full-time positions and reduce new hiring to 100 roles, down from the previous 300. Currently, Reddit has around 2,000 full-time employees. Additionally, Reddit filed for an initial public offering in late 2021, but the progress has been delayed.

The Reddit community is witnessing a significant protest as subreddit moderators take a stand against Reddit's API charges. While the blackout will limit access to various subreddits, the underlying issue revolves around the cost of accessing Reddit's data through third-party apps. As Reddit seeks to become a self-sustaining business, similar actions by competitors like Twitter and Meta Platforms Inc. further emphasize the trend of charging for API access.