Reddit users may have noticed that many subreddits are currently missing, set to private, or in read-only mode. This is due to a site-wide blackout, which a number of subreddit moderators are participating in. But why, who’s taking part, and when is the blackout expected to end?
Earlier this month, Reddit announced that as of July, it will charge significant fees to third-party developers who access its Application Programming Interface (API) – a necessity for third-party Reddit apps, custom extensions, and moderation/accessibility tools. Since this announcement, unofficial Reddit apps like Apollo and Reddit Is Fun have confirmed that they will be closing later this month as they cannot afford the proposed fees.
According to Apollo creator Christian Selig, the upcoming changes would see him paying annual costs of £16 million ($20 million), which he, and other developers shutting down, say they cannot afford. As a result, many of Reddit’s subreddit communities are taking part in a blackout, meaning they will be going into an unreadable private mode or preventing any new content from being submitted.
While some moderators have indicated their blackout will last 48 hours (June 12-14), others have suggested the protest will remain indefinitely if Reddit leadership does not address their concerns. This means that while some subreddits will make their return on June 15, others will likely maintain their blackout unless Reddit announces a walkback or compromise on its API pricing.
The blackout has been joined by subreddits of all sizes, ranging from communities with a few thousand members to most of the site’s largest pages. Even Reddit’s biggest subreddit, r/funny, with just shy of 50 million subscribers, has signed up for the blackout and labelled the site’s pricing changes as “exorbitant.” A list of the protesting subreddits can be found here but it may not be complete as more communities are likely to shut down for two days.
As of now, Reddit has not announced any plans to walk back its controversial API pricing. However, we will update this page if anything changes.
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.
Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
