Reddit locks public data, requires a contract to allow access

Reddit has just announced a new policy “Public Content Policy” to balance between licensing content to large technology companies like Google and protecting user privacy. This policy supplements Reddit’s existing privacy and content policies, guiding how commercial organizations and other partners access and use Reddit data. Along with that, Reddit also introduced a dedicated subreddit for researchers working with their data.

This announcement came shortly after Reddit went public, showing that the company is aiming to increase revenue not only from on-platform advertising and developers’ API usage fees, but also from its huge data warehouse. giant. In its IPO filing, Reddit said it earned $203 million through data licensing agreements and expected this number to increase over time.

Previously, Reddit did not block access to data for AI training, but this changed last year. CEO Steve Huffman told The New York Times that it doesn’t make sense for Reddit to continue providing “all that value to some of the world’s largest companies for free.” This signals Reddit’s plans to enter the data licensing market.

The new Public Content Policy will tighten Reddit’s access to data without an agreement. Reddit wrote on its blog that “a growing number of commercial organizations are illegally accessing or misusing authorized access to collect public data in large quantities, including Reddit’s public content.” .” “Worse, these organizations claim they are unrestricted in their use of that data, and they do so without regard for user rights or privacy, ignoring legal requirements, security and proper removal. While we will continue to work to block known bad actors, we need to do more to limit access to Reddit’s public content at scale for with trusted partners who have agreed to follow our policies. But we also need to continue to ensure that bona fide users, moderators, researchers, and other non-commercial parties have rights. access.”

In other words, access to Reddit’s data for research and other non-commercial activities will continue, but organizations that want to use Reddit’s data for other purposes – including AI training – will must pay a fee. In the blog chart, Reddit makes it clear that businesses interested in using Reddit’s data to “power, enhance, or improve your products for any commercial purpose” need to have a contract.

Meanwhile, advertisers are directed to the advertising API to manage campaigns and track performance.

Since Reddit is essentially just one large website, indexable by search engines, this new policy aims to lock Reddit content from any unauthorized collections while respecting users’ rights. use.

For example, Reddit requires its partners to respect users’ decisions to remove content. So if users don’t want their personal posts to become data for future AI tools, they can opt out. The new policy also restricts partners from using Reddit’s content to identify individuals or personal information, including targeted advertising. Partners also cannot use Reddit’s content to spam or harass their users, or to perform “background checks, facial recognition, government surveillance, or to help law enforcement carry out any illegal activities.” any of the above.”

The policy also limits access to adult content and states that Reddit will not sell users’ personal information. The company also notes that it will never license non-public content such as private messages or non-public account information, such as a user’s email or browsing history.

To help researchers who want to use Reddit’s data for non-commercial purposes, the company has established a new subreddit, r/reddit4researchers. Reddit said it is working with OpenMined to develop a mentorship program and promote collaboration of researchers with Reddit.