After new API, Over 6K Reddits go dark, protest accelerated
More than 6,000 subreddits have gone dark as a result of the upcoming application programming interface (API) pricing changes at the social discussion platform Reddit, including many of the platform's most popular communities like r/funny, r/aww, r/gaming, r/music, and r/science. This means these communities are no longer open to the public, even to Reddit users who have previously subscribed to them. According to The Verge, many subreddits participating in the protest will go private for 48 hours, from June 12 to June 14, although some intend to stay hidden until things change. We do what we do because we love Reddit, and we genuinely believe that this change will make it impossible. None of us take this responsibility lightly, to continue doing what we enjoy," r/Toptomcat was quoted as saying. Reddit's community coming together against the suggested adjustments was "incredibly amazing," according to Christian Selig, the Apollo app developer whose article regarding Reddit's API pricing caused much of the original criticism. He posted a message on the Apollo subreddit: "I truly hope Reddit listens. "I think showing humanity through apologizing for and acknowledging that this process was handled poorly, and concrete promises to give developers more time, would go a long way to making people feel heard and instilling community confidence," Selig continued. The platform's contentious API modifications were the subject of an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session that Reddit CEO Steve Huffman hosted last week. Huffman said that Reddit has no plans to reverse the controversial changes. Several developers ...
