Reddit will soon start charging users to access its application program interface (API) in a move that has garnered extreme backlash.
More than 6,000 subreddits have privatized their communities. The move bars users not already subscribed to threads from accessing them. r/Music and r/todayilearned, each with millions of followers, are two communities part of the protest.
Most of the subreddits have committed to a 48-hour blackout, but the publication reports upwards of 60 have committed to making the move indefinite.
The protests come after Reddit announced it will start charging companies for using data that was once freely available. Google and OpenAI are two of the companies that have used the platform’s data to guide their AI services.
However, the move will negatively impact several third-party apps. One of these apps is Apollo, which could cost up to $20 million to run under Reddit’s new rules.
Via: Engadget
