Reddit: Difference between revisions

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| Logo = Reddit_logo_2023.svg.png

}}[[wikipedia:Reddit|'''Reddit''']] is an American social media network for social-news aggregation, content rating, and forums. As of December 2024, Reddit is the eighth most-visited website in the world. It was founded in 2005 by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, as well as Aaron Swartz.

== Consumer Impact Summary ==

* '''User freedom:''' Went closed-source in 2017,<ref name=":0" /> paywalled the API and blocked anonymous users on VPNs in 2023,{{Citation needed}}<ref name=":1" /> halted archiving posts via the Internet Archive due to "AI scraping concerns"<ref name=":2" />

* '''User Privacy:''' Had a data breach in 2018.<ref name=":3" />

* '''Business model:''' Primarily funded through advertisements, has a premium subscription,requires paying to use the API since 2023{{Citation needed}}

* '''Market competition:''' Plenty; [[Imgur]], [[Facebook]], [[X Corp|X]] (formerly [[Twitter]]), [[Instagram]]

==Incidents==

===Going closed source===

In September 2017, Reddit reverted on their open source policy and archived their public repositories, citing difficulty to stealth launch features and desire to move away from a monorepo architecture. Users responded by noting that neither of these reasons require being closed source, and that Reddit had been slowly becoming less transparent over time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=An update on the state of the reddit/reddit and reddit/reddit-mobile repositories |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6xfyfg/an_update_on_the_state_of_the_redditreddit_and/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

In September 2017, Reddit reverted on their open source policy and archived their public repositories, citing difficulty to stealth launch features and desire to move away from a monorepo architecture. Users responded by noting that neither of these reasons require being closed source, and that Reddit had been slowly becoming less transparent over time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=An update on the state of the reddit/reddit and reddit/reddit-mobile repositories |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6xfyfg/an_update_on_the_state_of_the_redditreddit_and/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

===Data breach===

In August 2018, Reddit suffered a data breach due to employees using SMS two-factor authentication (2FA). Leaked data included old hashed passwords and private messages from before 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Aug 2018 |title=Reddit Breach Highlights Limits of SMS-Based Authentication |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/reddit-breach-highlights-limits-of-sms-based-authentication/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=krebsonsecurity.com}}</ref>

In August 2018, Reddit suffered a data breach due to employees using SMS two-factor authentication (2FA). Leaked data included old hashed passwords and private messages from before 2007.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=1 Aug 2018 |title=Reddit Breach Highlights Limits of SMS-Based Authentication |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/reddit-breach-highlights-limits-of-sms-based-authentication/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=krebsonsecurity.com}}</ref>

===Erasing Aaron Swartz===

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===VPN blockage===

In December 2023, Reddit started blocking users from accessing the site while using a VPN, unless they logged in.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 Dec 2023 |title=Tell HN: Just noticed Reddit blocking VPN traffic. Old subdomain still works |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38666028 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref>

In December 2023, Reddit blocked access to the platform

Reddit started blocking users from accessing the site while using a VPN, unless they logged in.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=16 Dec 2023 |title=Tell HN: Just noticed Reddit blocking VPN traffic. Old subdomain still works |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38666028 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref>

===Ads looking like user posts===

In March 2024, Reddit rolled out a feature that made ads look like they came from real users (and by extent, were "upvoted" by real users). Reddit boasted that these ads had a 28% higher click-through rate than regular ads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Aisha |date=4 Mar 2024 |title=Reddit introduces a new ad format that looks similar to posts made by users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/14/reddit-introduces-a-new-ad-format-that-looks-similar-to-posts-made-by-users/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>

=== To block the internet archive ===

===To block the internet archive===

In 2025, Reddit announced it would block the indexing of its pages by the [https://archive.org Internet Archive]. This will make it impossible for you to find deleted Reddit threads or other such pages that are no longer accessible today.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-14 |title=“New age of internet censorship”: Reddit to block the Internet Archive from indexing its site. Here’s why it matters |url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/reddit-to-block-the-internet-archive-from-indexing-the-site/ |website=Daily Dot}}</ref>

In 2025, Reddit announced it would block the indexing of its pages by the [https://archive.org Internet Archive]. This will make it impossible for you to find deleted Reddit threads or other such pages that are no longer accessible today.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-14 |title=“New age of internet censorship”: Reddit to block the Internet Archive from indexing its site. Here’s why it matters |url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/reddit-to-block-the-internet-archive-from-indexing-the-site/ |website=Daily Dot}}</ref>

==References==

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*[[Lemmy]]

[[Category:Reddit]]

[[Category:Social media companies]]

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 | Logo = Reddit_logo_2023.svg.png
 }}[[wikipedia:Reddit|'''Reddit''']] is an American social media network for social-news aggregation, content rating, and forums. As of December 2024, Reddit is the eighth most-visited website in the world. It was founded in 2005 by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, as well as Aaron Swartz.
+== Consumer Impact Summary ==
+* '''User freedom:''' Went closed-source in 2017,<ref name=":0" /> paywalled the API and blocked anonymous users on VPNs in 2023,{{Citation needed}}<ref name=":1" /> halted archiving posts via the Internet Archive due to "AI scraping concerns"<ref name=":2" />
+* '''User Privacy:''' Had a data breach in 2018.<ref name=":3" />
+* '''Business model:''' Primarily funded through advertisements, has a premium subscription,<!-- https://www.reddit.com/premium -->requires paying to use the API since 2023{{Citation needed}}
+* '''Market competition:''' Plenty; [[Imgur]], [[Facebook]], [[X Corp|X]] (formerly [[Twitter]]), [[Instagram]]
 ==Incidents==
 ===Going closed source===
-In September 2017, Reddit reverted on their open source policy and archived their public repositories, citing difficulty to stealth launch features and desire to move away from a monorepo architecture. Users responded by noting that neither of these reasons require being closed source, and that Reddit had been slowly becoming less transparent over time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=An update on the state of the reddit/reddit and reddit/reddit-mobile repositories |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6xfyfg/an_update_on_the_state_of_the_redditreddit_and/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>
+In September 2017, Reddit reverted on their open source policy and archived their public repositories, citing difficulty to stealth launch features and desire to move away from a monorepo architecture. Users responded by noting that neither of these reasons require being closed source, and that Reddit had been slowly becoming less transparent over time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=An update on the state of the reddit/reddit and reddit/reddit-mobile repositories |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6xfyfg/an_update_on_the_state_of_the_redditreddit_and/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>
 ===Data breach===
-In August 2018, Reddit suffered a data breach due to employees using SMS two-factor authentication (2FA). Leaked data included old hashed passwords and private messages from before 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Aug 2018 |title=Reddit Breach Highlights Limits of SMS-Based Authentication |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/reddit-breach-highlights-limits-of-sms-based-authentication/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=krebsonsecurity.com}}</ref>
+In August 2018, Reddit suffered a data breach due to employees using SMS two-factor authentication (2FA). Leaked data included old hashed passwords and private messages from before 2007.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=1 Aug 2018 |title=Reddit Breach Highlights Limits of SMS-Based Authentication |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/reddit-breach-highlights-limits-of-sms-based-authentication/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=krebsonsecurity.com}}</ref>
 ===Erasing Aaron Swartz===
@@ Line 27: / Line 34: @@
 ===VPN blockage===
-In December 2023, Reddit started blocking users from accessing the site while using a VPN, unless they logged in.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 Dec 2023 |title=Tell HN: Just noticed Reddit blocking VPN traffic. Old subdomain still works |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38666028 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref>
+In December 2023, Reddit blocked access to the platform
+Reddit started blocking users from accessing the site while using a VPN, unless they logged in.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=16 Dec 2023 |title=Tell HN: Just noticed Reddit blocking VPN traffic. Old subdomain still works |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38666028 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref>
 ===Ads looking like user posts===
 In March 2024, Reddit rolled out a feature that made ads look like they came from real users (and by extent, were "upvoted" by real users). Reddit boasted that these ads had a 28% higher click-through rate than regular ads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Aisha |date=4 Mar 2024 |title=Reddit introduces a new ad format that looks similar to posts made by users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/14/reddit-introduces-a-new-ad-format-that-looks-similar-to-posts-made-by-users/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>
-=== To block the internet archive ===
+===To block the internet archive===
-In 2025, Reddit announced it would block the indexing of its pages by the [https://archive.org Internet Archive]. This will make it impossible for you to find deleted Reddit threads or other such pages that are no longer accessible today.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-14 |title=“New age of internet censorship”: Reddit to block the Internet Archive from indexing its site. Here’s why it matters |url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/reddit-to-block-the-internet-archive-from-indexing-the-site/ |website=Daily Dot}}</ref>
+In 2025, Reddit announced it would block the indexing of its pages by the [https://archive.org Internet Archive]. This will make it impossible for you to find deleted Reddit threads or other such pages that are no longer accessible today.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-14 |title=“New age of internet censorship”: Reddit to block the Internet Archive from indexing its site. Here’s why it matters |url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/reddit-to-block-the-internet-archive-from-indexing-the-site/ |website=Daily Dot}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 41: / Line 50: @@
 *[[Lemmy]]
 [[Category:Reddit]]
+[[Category:Social media companies]]