Reddit is moving toward mandatory logins for everyone, citing AI scraping and targeted ads

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has revealed plans to make Reddit a logged-in-only platform, meaning users may soon need an account just to browse posts and discussions. The change would end nearly two decades of mostly unrestricted access, with initial tests planned in select markets outside the US over the coming months. There's no confirmed date for a global rollout, and Reddit hasn't clarified what users will see when opening posts through Google searches or shared links without being logged in.

According to Huffman, the move is intended to limit unauthorized data scraping and automated traffic, most of which comes from logged-out visitors. Requiring accounts would also help Reddit show more relevant ads, although Huffman says the company doesn't need to know users' real identities. Reddit will continue its data licensing agreements with companies like OpenAI and Google, and is also bringing back a rebuilt incognito mode in its mobile app.

The news comes just days after Reddit introduced its new personalized "For You" feed, designed to help users discover posts based on their interests and activity. Funny enough, some of you guys already saw this coming, and it looks like that prediction was on the right track, although the exact restrictions and rollout plans are still undecided, I guess we should learn more in the coming months.