Reddit Users Protesting Changes That Could Damage Third-Party Apps by Going Offline
A significant demonstration is underway due to Reddit’s possible danger to external applications. Many subreddits, including prominent ones such as Earthporn, LifeProTips, ReactionGIFs, and Videos, have announced that they will “go dark” or become private from June 12th. This is in response to an API pricing hike that they believe will exclude third-party clients. While some subreddits will reopen after 48 hours, others will remain permanently isolated until Reddit addresses their worries.
The protesters also urged users to send messages to Reddit administrators, leave negative comments on the app and boycott the social site. At the same time, they want the participants to be “restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding” – threats and rude behavior do not attract others, according to the organizers.
We reached out to Reddit for comment. Christian Selig, creator of the popular Apollo client, says API pricing costs him $20 million a year. The developers of other apps, such as Narwhal and Reddit is Fun, have also warned that they cannot afford the new prices and are likely to shut down soon as a result. In the past, Reddit has claimed that its pricing is “as fair as possible” and that it has improved the efficiency of apps and lowered their costs.
As The Verge points out, brokers are just as concerned about the price change as users are. Third-party Reddit apps often include customizations and other features that don’t make it into the official app, including moderator tools to help keep subreddits in check. Developers also fear that the new API architecture will prevent the provision of content that is not safe for work and limit ads, which are central to monetization.
This isn’t the first time Reddit communities have isolated themselves in protest. In 2015, the IAmA subreddit went private in protest of the sudden firing of Communications Director Victoria Taylor. In 2021, dozens of subreddits took a similar step to call attention to the misinformation about COVID-19 that was being allowed to circulate on the platform. Reddit responses have been mixed. It banned one community and quarantined 54 others after a misunderstanding, but those actions were insults, not contentious content.
Reddit’s decision comes a few months after Twitter banned third-party apps and restricted free API access. Either way, the strategies effectively force users to rely on official apps where companies can control more of the experience and make more money from ads and subscriptions (in the case of Twitter). The fear, as you might imagine, is that this will lead to the collapse of the platform, where outsiders cannot improve upon the basic formula.
