Reddit community unites in mass protest against API changes

Over 6,000 subreddits have joined the movement, going private and rendering their content inaccessible to non-subscribed users.

The number of participating subreddits stood at just over 3,000 last week. However, by Monday morning, that number had surged to over 6,200, as reported by a Twitch stream monitoring the protest.

Subreddits such as r/Music, r/funny, r/aww, and r/todayilearned, each boasting millions of followers, have joined forces with thousands of other communities to voice their opposition.Subreddits taking part in the blackout have posted brief messages alerting users about their protest against the planned API changes.

While most have committed to a 48-hour blackout, approximately 60 subreddits have vowed to protest "indefinitely" until the company reverses its decision.

Furthermore, many are urging users to refrain from browsing Reddit altogether, and some have established Discord servers to encourage subscribers to stay off the platform.

The backlash against Reddit's new API policy began when Christian Selig, the developer behind the popular Reddit client app Apollo, revealed that the platform's new pricing would cost him up to $20 million annually to sustain his app. The situation escalated when Reddit accused Selig of "threatening" the company, a claim he refuted promptly by releasing an audio clip of a phone conversation with a Reddit employee.