● Covered by 3 sources · 3 reportsMedium impact2 negative1 neutral
Reddit Announces Upcoming Changes to Old Reddit to Combat Scraping and Spam
Key points
- Reddit will make "changes" to Old Reddit.
- Changes are to combat abusive scraping and spamming.
- Old Reddit's logged-out experience was a source of scraping.
- Critical bots and moderator workflows will migrate to a modern stack.
- Old Reddit is 21 years old and preferred by many users.
Upcoming Changes to Old Reddit
Reddit has announced that it will implement "changes" to Old Reddit, the legacy desktop web experience that has been available for 21 years. The company stated these modifications are necessary to protect its platform, business, and users from abusive scraping and spamming.
While the specific changes have not been detailed, Reddit indicated that it will work on migrating critical bots and moderator workflows to its modern stack. This effort is intended to mitigate problematic behavior and allow time for further planning.
Addressing Scraping and Spam
The company previously initiated a requirement for users to be logged in to access Old Reddit. This measure was taken because the logged-out experience of Old Reddit was identified as a significant source of abusive scraping and automated traffic on the platform. Reddit's blog post further claimed that Old Reddit contributes to unwarranted content scraping.
This move follows Reddit's broader efforts to manage data scraping, including plans to retire its public API and the introduction of account verification procedures.
Impact on Users and Moderators
Old Reddit is still preferred by many long-time users and moderators due to its layout, navigation, and fewer feed recommendations. The upcoming changes raise questions about the future of this legacy interface, which the company had previously promised to maintain as long as it was used.
The company's focus on migrating critical bots and moderator workflows suggests an effort to preserve essential functionalities for the community while addressing the underlying issues of scraping and spam.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Reddit announced plans to implement changes to its Old Reddit interface, requiring users to be logged in, to protect against AI data scraping and spam. The company is also expanding its AI-powered moderation tools to help communities enforce rules more effectively. These changes impact users who prefer the legacy interface and introduce new tools for moderators.
Reddit stated it will implement "changes" to old.reddit.com, the legacy desktop experience, to combat abusive scraping and spamming. This announcement follows a previous requirement for users to log in to access the site, indicating a potential shift away from the older interface preferred by many long-time users.
Reddit announced unspecified "changes" to Old Reddit, its 21-year-old desktop version, to combat abusive scraping and spamming, particularly from AI. This move raises questions about the future of Old Reddit, which is still preferred by many long-time users and moderators, as the company explores options including limiting access or rebuilding it.