Reddit's era of open browsing could be coming to an end
The platform will soon require users to log in to view its content to prevent scraping and better target ads.
Reddit's CEO Steve Huffman announced the possibility of a transition to a logged-in-only browsing experience. This change aims to curb content scraping and better target ads to logged-in users. Currently, Reddit allows visitors to browse without logging in, but this could evolve in the future. Huffman stated that the shift will be tested in select markets outside the US in the fourth quarter, with no definitive rollout timeframe.
The company intends to assess the balance between accessible content and monetization concerns. Currently, 80% of Reddit's revenue stems from logged-in and app users. The company also seeks to protect its content from third-party scraping, which primarily occurs with non-logged-in users. Reddit previously addressed similar issues in 2024 through its Robots Exclusion Policy and legal action against data-mining companies.
Despite a 53% revenue increase in Q3, Reddit's global daily active unique users rose 12% to 130.3 million, while US users declined by 2%. Huffman noted a decline in search-referral traffic, which could potentially impact user numbers in the fourth quarter. This shift represents a departure from Reddit's open platform status for over two decades, impacting the browsing experience for casual visitors.
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