Reddit Plans 'Changes' for Legacy Old Reddit Site

Reddit has signaled impending modifications to its long-standing legacy desktop website, old.reddit.com, a platform favored by many users for its simpler interface and lack of aggressive content recommendations. In a recent blog post, the company outlined plans to implement "changes" to the 21-year-old site, primarily driven by the need to combat abusive scraping and spam. This move follows a late July decision that began requiring users to log in to access old.reddit.com, a step attributed to mitigating automated traffic and scraping.

The company stated that these adjustments are crucial for safeguarding its platform, business, and users. "Over time we plan to make changes involving Old Reddit," the blog post read, adding that in the short term, efforts will focus on migrating essential bots and moderator workflows to the modern infrastructure. These initial steps aim to disrupt malicious activities and allow time for planning more significant follow-up actions. The stated goal is to "strengthen Reddit’s foundation, ensure the platform is ready to support thriving communities for future generations, and preserve what makes Reddit uniquely human." When pressed for specifics on what these "changes" entail, a Reddit spokesperson, Rosa Kim, indicated that the company is "exploring different options" but offered no concrete timeline, assuring that developers, moderators, and communities dependent on the legacy systems would be kept informed.

API and Automation Policy Shift

This development is situated within a broader context of Reddit’s aggressive stance against unauthorized data extraction. The company has previously engaged in legal battles, including a lawsuit against Perplexity and Anthropic, and has taken measures such as blocking the Internet Archive and restricting access for search engines lacking formal agreements. A significant policy shift occurred in 2023 when Reddit began charging for its API access. This initiative, initially framed as a measure to prevent generative AI companies from training large language models on Reddit data without compensation, led to the discontinuation of most third-party apps. Reddit is now further tightening its API regulations by restricting new access requests and mandating that third-party applications transition to Reddit’s Developer Platform. The company envisions an ecosystem where "all good, trusted automation on Reddit runs within an ecosystem that allows us to offer support and enforce our policies consistently," according to its blog. Developers aiming to create third-party mobile apps will still need to seek explicit API approval from Reddit, which has not yet set a deadline for the universal adoption of the Developer Platform. Kim clarified that this transition would encompass "all API apps except the ones we explicitly grant exceptions to." This strategic move aims to consolidate control over data access and ensure a more regulated environment for automation on the platform, a move that could significantly alter the user experience for those reliant on the older interface and custom tools.

The company's largest shareholder, Advance Publications, which also owns Ars Technica’s parent company Condé Nast, appears to have an interest in these platform-wide strategic decisions. The ongoing evolution of Reddit's infrastructure and API policies reflects a company focused on monetization and data control, potentially at the expense of legacy user preferences. The future of old.reddit.com remains uncertain, but the current direction suggests a gradual phasing out of the older interface in favor of a more modern, controlled, and potentially more profitable platform.