What Happened?

Over 8,000 subreddits went dark or read-only in protest of Reddit’s API pricing, which will shut down many third-party apps like Apollo and Reddit is Fun because of the high fees.

The blackout, which began on Monday and will last for 48 hours, is a coordinated effort between tens of thousands of moderators and millions of Reddit users.

What is Happening During the Blackout?

Participating subreddits will be private during the blackout, so that nonsubscribers can’t view existing content, and subscribers can’t post or comment on new content. Some protesting subreddits will be in read-only mode. Participants are encouraged to speak out about the API changes by leaving negative reviews of the official Reddit app, as well as boycott the site in favor of non-Reddit platforms to dent its traffic.

How Many are Participating?

Moderators in r/ModCoord are keeping track of participating subreddits in an ongoing thread — as of Monday afternoon, 28,606 moderators are participating, and 8,300 subreddits pledged to go private in support of the movement. Some subreddits pledged to permanently shut down unless Reddit “adequately addresses” its users’ concerns, according to a post in r/Save3rdPartyApps.

What are the Most Popular Subreddits Participating?

The most popular subreddits participating the blackout include r/funny, r/aww, r/gaming, r/Music, r/Pics, r/science and r/todayilearned. The collective userbase across all of the protesting subreddits totals 2.8 billion, which includes a significant overlap of users who subscribe to multiple protesting subreddits. Users can watch subreddits go dark in real time on Twitch.

What Happens Next?

“The two-day blackout isn’t the goal, and it isn’t the end,” an instructional post in r/Save3rdPartyApps said. “Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they’ve broken, we’ll use the community and buzz we’ve built between then and now as a tool for further action.”

Why are Developers Shuttering Apps?

Until now, API access — which allows a third-party app to communicate with a website, has been free. Upvoting a post, commenting, browsing subreddits and all other interactions users have using a third-party app requires API requests. Reddit responds to the requests with corresponding data. API access also allows third-party apps to provide accessibility features for users who are blind or visually impaired, and allows moderators to use “superior mod tools, customization, streamlined interfaces, and other quality of life improvements” that the official Reddit app doesn’t offer, an open letter in r/ModCoord notes.

Starting July 1, API access will be priced based on data usage, which will be prohibitively expensive for many third-party apps. The cost is unsustainable for many of the indie developers running widely used apps, including Apollo, Reddit is Fun and Sync — all of which announced plans to shutter by June 30.

What has Reddit Said?

When reached for comment, a Reddit spokesperson pointed AsumeTech to Reddit CEO Steve Huffman’s AMA post from last week, where he addressed changes to Reddit’s API. The spokesperson said that the company is not planning any further API updates, and that the pricing changes are based on usage levels that the company measures to be comparable to its own costs. Reddit spends millions of dollars on hosting fees, the spokesperson said, and the company needs to be compensated to continue supporting high-usage third-party apps.

What Are the Consequences of the API Changes?

The changes to Reddit’s API policy also restrict NSFW content, and restricts certain behaviors moderation tools need to prevent subreddits from being overwhelmed with spam and other inappropriate content run rampant on the site.

Existing non-commercial moderation tools, like Toolbox, Context Mod, Remind Me and anti-spam detection bots will continue to have free access to Reddit API. The company will also make an exception for certain accessibility apps, but many apps will not be able to afford access.

Conclusion

The blackout and app shutdowns by indie developers are stark reminders of the relationship between social platforms and their developers. It isn’t the first time a decision taken by a social platform has impacted developer or third-party access or services, and it certainly won’t be the last. How communities come together, like they did on Reddit, to demand increased transparency and accountability over platform policy decisions and changes will continue to impact how social media services evolve. Reddit will have to respond to the backlash from its users and developers or risk alienating its community and damaging its reputation further.