/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23985507/acastro_STK024_03.jpg "Protesters’ Resolute Stance Keeps Thousands of Reddit Communities in the Dark")
Thousands of subreddits are persisting with their protests beyond the initial 48-hour blackout, as Reddit remains adamant about implementing changes to its API. Currently, there are over 5,000 dark subreddits, including some of the platform’s most popular communities with millions of subscribers.
Certain subreddits like r/funny, r/aww, r/Music, r/science, and r/videos are private and inaccessible. Others, such as r/pics and r/Art, are restricted, allowing users to only view old posts without the ability to submit new content. The last new posts from these communities were made on June 12th before the protest started.
At its peak, Reddark reported that over 8,000 subreddits had gone dark in protest. This overwhelming number of private subreddits caused stability issues for the platform, making it challenging for users to access remaining public content.
When Reddit initially announced the API changes in April, they presented it as a means to monetize their site by charging AI researchers who sought to use the content for training large language models (LLMs). It is also part of Reddit’s efforts to become profitable before their anticipated IPO later this year. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman explained that the explosion of LLM usage and the need to reduce costs contributed to this decision. He stated that Reddit will remain profit-driven until they start making profits.
Despite the protests, Reddit stands firm on implementing the changes and has no plans to deviate from its previous announcements. According to a Reddit spokesperson, they need fair compensation for their substantial hosting fees and to continue supporting high-usage third-party apps.
Although Reddit has made exceptions for non-monetized apps within their rate limits, moderator tools and bots, and accessibility-focused apps, these measures have failed to alleviate the concerns of protesting moderators.
Denial of responsibility! TechCodex is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
Alex Smith is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. He has written extensively on a variety of topics, including technology, business, and personal finance. His work has been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, and he is also the author of two books. Alex is passionate about helping people learn and grow, and he believes that writing is a powerful tool for communication and understanding.
