Reddit says it has to cut back access to ‘Old Reddit’ because of AI bots
The Verge Jay Peters ● Covered by 2 sources
Reddit is tightening access to Old Reddit to block bots and scraping. Soon you may need to log in and have used it recently to keep the classic view.
Based on reporting by The Verge, Jay Peters — read the original for the full story.
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Reddit is closing another door on Old Reddit, the stripped-down version of the site that many longtime users still prefer. The company says the change is meant to fight scraping and automated traffic, which have become a bigger headache across the web.
The first step has already landed: users now have to log in to use Old Reddit at all. That used to be one of the few parts of the site that still felt open. Not anymore.
The next step goes further. In the next few months, Reddit says people will have to be logged in and must have used Old Reddit within the previous six months once the change takes effect. If you’ve been away from the classic interface for too long, the company wants you pushed toward the newer version.
Reddit says that six-month rule covers the vast majority of Old Reddit users. It didn’t spell out every detail, but the target is obvious enough: make life harder for bots without fully cutting off the humans who still cling to the old layout.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is the modern internet in miniature: the nicest, simplest versions of a product get walled off because machines ruined the party. Reddit is choosing friction over openness, which is probably the right call if the alternative is endless scraping. But every new login gate is also a little eulogy for the web people used to browse without being interrogated.
Read more about this at: The Verge