Reddit will force everyone to log in

Reddit plans to move toward a logged-in-only service, ending the broad public browsing that has been available for about 20 years. CEO Steve Huffman says the company will first test the requirement in selected markets outside the US in the coming months, then assess its effects on users, the business, and the wider Reddit community before deciding how far to extend it. The company has not specified a full rollout date or what people without accounts will see when they open shared links. Reddit is also relaunching the app’s incognito mode.

Huffman argues that requiring sign-in will improve the user experience, support advertising, and protect Reddit’s data from unauthorized scraping and automated traffic. He says most unauthorized access occurs when people are logged out, while stressing that Reddit does not need to know users’ identities simply to confirm they are signed in. The shift comes amid declining search referrals: Reddit reported a substantial drop in search traffic in its third-quarter results, and referrals fell by more than one million per week on average during October. Huffman says app users and signed-in daily visitors generate over 80 percent of Reddit’s monetization. The company still intends to license data to partners such as OpenAI and Google, deals it made in 2024, even as it restricts open access.