Reddit is moving to “a logged-in-only experience,” CEO says
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
Reddit plans to move towards a logged-in-only service, with CEO Steve Huffman saying the change should help users find relevant communities and improve engagement. It also gives the company more data for advertising, helps protect its content from scraping and supports adapting to regulations.
Reddit will begin testing login requirements in selected non-US markets in Q4, then use the results to shape a possible global rollout. The move follows a marked decline in search referrals: October saw more than one million fewer referrals per week on average, and Huffman said current trends could mean daily active unique users fall by a low double-digit percentage from a base of 130 million in Q4. In Q3, that measure rose 12 per cent year on year; Reddit reported $895 million in revenue and $283 million in net income.
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In short
- Reddit will test logged-in access in selected non-US markets in Q4.
- Search referrals fell by over one million a week on average in October.
- The company says Q4 daily users could fall by a low double-digit percentage.
How this story developed
- 2 minutes ago Reddit plans to move towards a logged-in-only service, with CEO Steve Huffman saying the change should help users find relevant communities and improve engagement. It also gives the company more data for advertising, helps protect its content from scraping and supports adapting to regulations.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Requiring sign-in could help Reddit tailor recommendations so people find communities that suit them, while giving the company better tools to limit scraping and meet regulatory requirements. Supporters may also argue that more reliable audience data improves advertising and helps sustain a service whose revenue can fund its development.
The case against
A login requirement could make it harder for casual visitors to read public discussions, reducing access to useful information and weakening Reddit’s reach. Critics may question whether the user benefits justify collecting more data for advertising, and worry that a barrier to entry could reduce participation and community growth.
Explained simply
Reddit is a website where people post and discuss topics in communities called subreddits. Visitors can currently read much of its public content without an account, while logged-in users can join discussions and personalise what they see.
The company is led by chief executive Steve Huffman and makes money largely through advertising. Requiring people to sign in to read more could give Reddit a clearer picture of its audience and make it harder for automated services to copy its posts.
The change could also affect how people discover Reddit through search engines, and how many visit the site. Reddit has said it will test login requirements in some markets before deciding whether to expand them.
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