Reddit is tightening access to the 'Old Reddit' interface to mitigate automated scraping and bot activity. Starting in the coming months, only users who have logged in and actively used the classic site within the previous six months will retain access to the legacy version. Moderators remain exempt from this new usage requirement.
The platform will discontinue support for RSS feeds on November 13. The company stated that RSS has become a frequent target for large-scale data scraping. While Reddit suggests alternatives like Discord Relay for moderation, it noted that no direct replacement exists for users who rely on RSS for general feed monitoring.
These measures follow a series of actions taken by Reddit to control data access, including blocking the Internet Archive and legal action against Anthropic. Conversely, the company has established data-sharing agreements with Google and OpenAI for model training purposes.
Reddit also outlined a timeline for transitioning its public data API to the company's Developer Platform. Apps that remain unregistered by January 12 will lose API access. The company plans to terminate all remaining public API access by March 2027.
