Key facts
- Reddit will require users to be logged in to access old.reddit.com.
- The change is part of an effort to "tighten how automated systems access Reddit."
- The logged-out experience on old.reddit.com is identified as a source of abusive scraping and automated traffic.
- The new requirement will take effect over the next month.
- Logging in provides more signal to detect and block rule-breaking traffic.
Reddit is set to begin requiring users to log in to access its older interface, old.reddit.com, within the next month. The decision, announced by a Reddit employee named boat-botany, is aimed at curbing abusive scraping and automated traffic that exploits the legacy site.
According to boat-botany, the logged-out experience on old.reddit.com has been a significant source of problematic automated activity. By mandating logins, Reddit aims to gain better signal to identify and block accounts that violate platform rules, including those that interfere with normal use or break API regulations.
Some long-time Reddit users may be displeased by the change, as they have relied on old.reddit.com for its familiar navigation and have preferred viewing content without logging in for convenience or privacy reasons. The employee noted that while New Reddit is less frequently scraped, the evolving nature of malicious traffic and the older interface's security stack present ongoing challenges.
As of the announcement, users could still access old.reddit.com without logging in.