Reddit blackout, how did we get here?

June 12, 2023 /Technology/ — On June 12, 2023, thousands of subreddits on Reddit went private in protest of the company’s new API pricing policy. The new policy, which was announced in April, charges third-party developers for using Reddit’s API. This has led to concerns that it will make it more difficult and expensive to develop third-party apps for Reddit.

The protest was organized by a group of moderators on Reddit, who created a new subreddit called r/Save3rdPartyApps. The subreddit quickly gained thousands of members, and moderators from popular subreddits began to announce that they would be going private in protest.

In response to the protest, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman published a blog post defending the new API pricing policy. Huffman argued that the policy was necessary to ensure that Reddit can continue to invest in its infrastructure and features. He also said that Reddit would be working with developers to provide them with more flexibility and options for using the API.

The protest is still ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether Reddit will make any changes to its API pricing policy. However, the protest has highlighted the importance of third-party apps for Reddit, and it has put pressure on the company to reconsider its policy.

Here are some of the arguments made by the developers who are protesting against Reddit’s new API pricing policy:

The new policy is too expensive. The new pricing structure is based on the number of API calls that a developer makes. This means that even small apps can quickly rack up a large bill.

The new policy is unfair. The new policy favors large, established apps over small, new apps. This is because large apps can afford to pay the higher fees, while small apps may not be able to.

The new policy will stifle innovation. The new policy will make it more difficult and expensive for developers to create new apps for Reddit. This could lead to a decrease in innovation on the platform.

Reddit has not yet made any changes to its API pricing policy. However, the company has said that it is open to feedback from developers. It remains to be seen whether Reddit will make any changes to its policy in response to the protest.

Reddit’s API pricing policy is a set of rules that determine how much developers have to pay to use Reddit’s API. The API is a set of tools that developers can use to access data from Reddit, such as posts, comments, and users.

The new API pricing policy was announced in April 2023. Under the new policy, developers will have to pay for each API call that they make. An API call is a request that a developer makes to Reddit’s servers to access data. For example, if a developer wants to get the list of posts in a subreddit, they would have to make an API call.

The cost of an API call depends on the number of calls that a developer makes. For the first 100,000 calls per month, developers will not have to pay anything. After that, developers will have to pay $0.005 for each additional call.

There are some exceptions to the API pricing policy. For example, developers who are using the API for personal use do not have to pay anything. Additionally, developers who are using the API to create a commercial product can apply for a free quota.

The new API pricing policy has been met with criticism from some developers. Some developers argue that the policy is too expensive and will make it difficult for them to develop new apps for Reddit. Additionally, some developers argue that the policy is unfair because it favors large, established apps over small, new apps.

Reddit has defended the new API pricing policy. The company argues that the policy is necessary to ensure that Reddit can continue to invest in its infrastructure and features. Additionally, the company argues that the policy is fair because it is based on the number of API calls that a developer makes.

The new API pricing policy is still in effect. It remains to be seen whether Reddit will make any changes to the policy in response to the criticism.

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