Reddit plans to test requiring people outside the U.S. to log in before accessing its platform, a significant change for a service long open to anonymous browsing. CEO Steve Huffman linked the move to a sharp decline in referrals from Google, as AI Overviews and other AI features alter how search directs people to websites. Reddit has not set a date for a broader rollout or decided what logged-out visitors will still be able to view. Its strategy is to build direct visits, app use and logged-in activity, which are more valuable for ad targeting and less dependent on search traffic.
The announcement came alongside third-quarter results that beat expectations: revenue was $895 million and earnings per share were $1.40. Revenue rose 53% year over year, while daily active unique users increased 12% to 130.3 million, below analyst forecasts; U.S. daily users fell 2% to 50.7 million. Average revenue per user exceeded expectations, and data-licensing revenue grew 35% to $48 million. However, Reddit forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $1 billion to $1.03 billion, short of the $1.05 billion analysts expected, and its shares fell more than 15%. Huffman said the company will keep spending on marketing to counter weaker search referrals and is still negotiating with Google over its data-licensing agreement.
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Reddit plans to test requiring users to log in, starting in select non-US markets in Q4, before deciding whether to expand the change globally. CEO Steve Huffman says logins will improve ad targeting, engagement, and data protection as search referrals decline. (arstechnica.com)
Google’s Custom Search JSON API stopped accepting new customers, and existing users must migrate by January 1, 2027. The guide compares replacement options and explains how to switch to Google Web Search or an Apify Actor that returns search results as JSON. (blog.apify.com)
Reddit will test making its experience primarily available to logged-in users, aiming to improve engagement and ad targeting while limiting AI scraping of its data. Search visitors can still view linked posts, but Reddit warns that declining search traffic could reduce daily users. (axios.com)
Sudo is a browser-based interactive experience that takes visitors through a wooded scene. After walking through the trees, the page shows a blank white screen. (sudo.com)
Cormac McCarthy’s Library site uses Anubis, a proof-of-work challenge designed to make large-scale AI scraping more expensive. The page says its JavaScript challenge failed to load and recommends reloading or disabling certain browser extensions. (cormacmccarthy.lib.utk.edu)
Reddit will test requiring users to log in to browse in select non-US markets during Q4, then use the results to guide a possible global rollout. CEO Steve Huffman says the change will improve ad targeting, engagement, and data protection as search referrals decline. (arstechnica.com)
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