Thousands of Reddit Forums Go Dark , in Protest of New Policy.
On June 12, thousands of Reddit communities took part in voluntary blackouts to protest the company's plan to charge third-party apps millions in fees to access the platform.
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Among those that have gone dark are more than 24 subreddits that have over 10 million subscribers, CNN reports.
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The blackouts make it so that the public can't view any content within the participating subreddits.
Many of the platform's top app-makers have already announced their departure since they can't afford the new fees.
Reddit plans to instate the fees as early as next month.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman took part in a Q&A with users on June 9, CNN reports.
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Reddit needs to be a self-sustaining business, and to do that, we can no longer subsidize commercial entities that require large-scale data use, Steve Huffman, Reddit CEO, via Q&A.
In addition to the blackouts, users have expressed their frustrations via posts on the platform.
If they’re going to start charging for API calls, [moderators] should start charging reddit for their time keeping the website functioning.
This site ONLY functions on the backs of free labor from mods, Reddit user, via CNN.
For a large number of Apollos users, it’s existence is the only reason we’re still using the platform.
I’ve been here 15+ years, but have no intention of sticking around once Apollo goes dark, Reddit user, via CNN
