Reddit: Difference between revisions

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In April 2023, Reddit announced that they would be locking API features and functionality previously accessible to its users behind a paywall, citing concerns about user-generated content being trained on AI. This resulted in a backlash in the community, as alternative apps utilizing Reddit's API such as Apollo would be rendered completely useless as a result of this decision. While some users held out hope that app developers could pay this fee to keep their user base, Apollo developer Christian Selig crushed any hope of this idea, explaining that the cost of this API fee was too high and that he would be ceasing development for the foreseeable future.

Users expressed concerns that this wasn't because of AI, but rather, due to greed and an attempt to monopolize information, as Reddit is often cited as many people's go to resource for almost any topic. This sentiment resulted in one of the largest internet protests known as the Reddit Blackout. The Reddit Blackout was an event in which ~~subreddits~~ were closed, marked as NSFW to prevent advertisements from being displayed on them, or flooded with posts shaming Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman. Users also edited their posts, deleted them, or deleted their Reddit accounts to shame Huffman in an attempt to reduce the value of the information.<ref>{{Wplink|2023 Reddit API controversy}} - '''Wikipedia''' ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260115133058/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy Archived 15/01/2026])</ref>

Users expressed concerns that this wasn't because of AI, but rather due to greed and an attempt to monopolize information, as Reddit is often cited as many people's go-to resource for almost any topic. This sentiment resulted in one of the largest internet protests known as the Reddit Blackout. The Reddit Blackout was an event in which sub-reddits were closed, marked as NSFW to prevent advertisements from being displayed on them, or flooded with posts shaming Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman. Users also edited their posts, deleted them, or deleted their Reddit accounts to shame Huffman in an attempt to reduce the value of the information.<ref>{{Wplink|2023 Reddit API controversy}} - '''Wikipedia''' ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260115133058/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy Archived 15/01/2026])</ref>

===VPN blockage (''December 2023'')===

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 In April 2023, Reddit announced that they would be locking API features and functionality previously accessible to its users behind a paywall, citing concerns about user-generated content being trained on AI. This resulted in a backlash in the community, as alternative apps utilizing Reddit's API such as Apollo would be rendered completely useless as a result of this decision. While some users held out hope that app developers could pay this fee to keep their user base, Apollo developer Christian Selig crushed any hope of this idea, explaining that the cost of this API fee was too high and that he would be ceasing development for the foreseeable future.
-Users expressed concerns that this wasn't because of AI, but rather, due to greed and an attempt to monopolize information, as Reddit is often cited as many people's go to resource for almost any topic. This sentiment resulted in one of the largest internet protests known as the Reddit Blackout. The Reddit Blackout was an event in which subreddits were closed, marked as NSFW to prevent advertisements from being displayed on them, or flooded with posts shaming Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman. Users also edited their posts, deleted them, or deleted their Reddit accounts to shame Huffman in an attempt to reduce the value of the information.<ref>{{Wplink|2023 Reddit API controversy}} - '''Wikipedia''' ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260115133058/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy Archived 15/01/2026])</ref> <!-- To be expanded with better citations --><!-- Intentionally making this "citation" stand out due to being a Wikipedia link. Needs to be replaced. -Sojourna -->
+Users expressed concerns that this wasn't because of AI, but rather due to greed and an attempt to monopolize information, as Reddit is often cited as many people's go-to resource for almost any topic. This sentiment resulted in one of the largest internet protests known as the Reddit Blackout. The Reddit Blackout was an event in which sub-reddits were closed, marked as NSFW to prevent advertisements from being displayed on them, or flooded with posts shaming Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman. Users also edited their posts, deleted them, or deleted their Reddit accounts to shame Huffman in an attempt to reduce the value of the information.<ref>{{Wplink|2023 Reddit API controversy}} - '''Wikipedia''' ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260115133058/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy Archived 15/01/2026])</ref> <!-- To be expanded with better citations --><!-- Intentionally making this "citation" stand out due to being a Wikipedia link. Needs to be replaced. -Sojourna -->
 ===VPN blockage (''December 2023'')===