Reddit announced additional restrictions on its Old Reddit platform as part of a broader initiative to limit unauthorized data access and automated activity. The company recently implemented a login requirement for the classic interface and plans to further limit access by requiring users to have logged in and actively used Old Reddit within the previous six months. According to Reddit, this six-month window encompasses the majority of Old Reddit’s active user base.
The restrictions specifically target bot accounts and automated scraping operations that may utilize abandoned or unused accounts. In conjunction with these changes, Reddit will discontinue support for RSS feeds on November 13th, citing widespread use of the technology for large-scale scraping and automated abuse. The company acknowledged RSS’s historical importance to the open web and suggested alternative methods such as Discord Relay for community moderation purposes, though users relying on RSS feeds for non-moderation purposes will have no official replacement.
Reddit has pursued multiple strategies to combat unauthorized data access in recent months, including blocking the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine and initiating legal action against artificial intelligence companies. Simultaneously, the company has negotiated licensing agreements with major technology firms for legitimate data usage. Despite previous commitments to maintaining Old Reddit, executives determined that enhanced security measures were necessary following observations that the legacy platform was being exploited by those engaged in spam and scraping activities.
Moderation accounts will retain the ability to access Old Reddit without meeting the recent activity requirement. Additionally, Reddit provided updates regarding its developer platform transition, announcing that applications and bots relying on public data API access must register by January 12th, 2027, with all remaining public API access scheduled to terminate in March 2027.
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