Reddit has always been a hub for people who want to remain anonymous and speak out their thoughts, which is why it has been successful all these years. However, several Reddit users showed their disappointment as the social media site chose to put its API behind a paywall.
Subreddits Going Dark
The change in Reddit's API access may cause a lot of third-party apps to back out of the official app, which may cause problems with system functions as well as moderation. In response, subreddits, including major ones, decided to "go dark" until the policy has been changed back.
"Going dark" or joining the blackout simply means that the group or the users will become inactive for a period of time or indefinitely as a sign of protest. Subreddits like LifeProTips, ReactionGIFs, and Earthporn will be participating in the protest this June 12, as mentioned in Engadget.
While others are doing so in just 48 hours, some say they will keep off the app until the API policy is reverted back to the way it was. The people going against Reddit have been urging users to reach out to Reddit administrators and leave negative reviews as well.
Still, despite the opposition and boycott, organizers are asking users to be restrained, polite, reasonable, and law-abiding when they do participate, further adding that threats and rude behavior will not win over people, which is the opposite of progress.
Users are worried that the pricing will drive third-party apps away from the social site. The said apps are used for customizations and other tools like moderation features to keep subreddits clean. It could also limit ads which will impact a major source of revenue for the company.
A Reddit moderator BuckRowdy says in a letter that in many cases, the third-party apps offer superior mod tools, streamlined interfaces, as well as other quality-of-life improvements that the official app does not have. That letter has also been signed by other moderators.
Despite that, it looks like Reddit is not changing the new API policy. The company has already explained why the policy was reasonable, and Reddit has countless subreddits that won't participate in the protest, compared to the dozens that will both permanently and temporarily.
Reddit's Side of the Argument
Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt reasoned that people won't even need to pay for access as Reddit still offers a free option, which is the Reddit Data API. Although, it needs to be used within the limits of the social site and the apps should not be monetized.
One issue that was noticed by many was how the new API pricing will affect Apollo. The app's developer claims that it makes around seven billion requests per month, which means that it will either pay $1.7 million to access the API or $20 million a year.
As mentioned in The Verge, Reddit's employees reasoned that the API charges can be affordable if the third-party apps are efficient with how they manage the API calls they make, as it costs $0.24 for every 1,000 API calls, which could be less than $1 per user monthly.
