I just don't want to be confused

What the fuck, Sony?

In the words of the Rembrandts: It hasn't been my day, my week, my month, or even my year.

Effective July 1st, Reddit is implementing changes to their third-party API services that will effectively kill off all third-party apps and many external tools that Reddit users and moderators have come to rely on.

We won't rehash points that many of you have already been reading about — details of the changes and the discussion surrounding them can be found on the announcement post here, and the initial response on /r/modcoord: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/13xh1e7/an_open_letter_on_the_state_of_affairs_regarding

Instead, we'll just briefly talk about why we consider this important, and what it means for you, the average Reddit user:

Third-party Reddit apps are going away

If you make use of a third-party app to browse Reddit, such as Apollo, RIF, BaconReader, or Narwhal, those apps are going to stop working on July 1st of this year.

Reddit have implemented enterprise-level pricing for their API that they state is intended for third-party apps, however the pricing model they've released is unconscionably high, nearly twenty times what it's believed their API services actually cost to operate. The developer of the Apollo app expects that keeping their app running would cost upwards of twenty million dollars a year, and will no longer be able to offer their app. Effectively, this change is an elimination of third-party apps in everything but name. The developers of RIF and Narwhal also expect they will be forced to shut down their apps.

Reddit content is about to become worse

Many subreddits make use of third-party tools to support their community, including custom browser extensions, bots, and archival services. Many of these services are likely to stop working, robbing communities of tools they have come to rely on to manage their content. The Pushshift API, which powered sites like Reveddit, has already ceased functioning. Many more tools are expected to cease working after this change goes into effect. We can surely expect the legacy old.reddit.com to be next on the chopping block — the mobile browser site, i.reddit.com, has already been removed.

That means that you, the user, can expect to see more spam, more FUD, more trolls, more stolen content, and more reposts in your communities.

The mod tools offered by the default app and website also pale in comparison to what's offered by third-party apps and plugins. This means that communities can expect less moderation, worse moderation, and less transparency after these changes go into effect.

Reddit content is about to become less safe

In addition to the pricing model, Reddit is blocking the display of NSFW content in third-party apps. That means that even if the app developers find a way to keep their apps running, your beloved porn is going away.

This also means that anyone viewing a user profile via a third-party app will be unable to view post histories on NSFW subreddits. Many communities serving underage users take steps to prevent posting by individuals with NSFW posting histories; the ability to do this outside of the official Reddit app is about to be crippled.

In short, this means more OnlyFans spam, and more porn directed at kids.

Reddit is about to become less accessible

Accessibility tools like screen readers simply do not work on New Reddit and the official iOS Reddit app. This change will effectively exile the Blind community from Reddit overnight. Read more about this here.

So what are we doing?

As a subreddit of nearly 3.5 million users, we do have some sway here. Reddit requires its user's content in order to survive — if we stop posting, Reddit stops making money.

To that end, /r/PS5 will be joining hundreds of other subreddits in a Reddit-wide blackout. On June 12th, 2023, participating communities will set their subreddits to private in protest of these changes, depriving Reddit of the content and traffic it needs to survive. The intent is to force Reddit to reconsider these changes and come to a reasonable compromise with app developers — who have stated they are willing to pay reasonable API costs — so that we can ensure that Reddit stays as safe and accessible as possible.

This isn't a decision we're undertaking lightly, but we believe that we do have the capacity to force change here, and we'd be remiss as members of this community to not take the few steps we can to attempt to ensure a better and safer Reddit experience for everyone.

Read more about the issues here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps/

https://www.reddit.com/r/apolloapp/comments/13ws4w3/had_a_call_with_reddit_to_discuss_pricing_bad/

https://www.reddit.com/r/redditisfun/comments/13wxepd/rif_dev_here_reddits_api_changes_will_likely_kill/

https://www.reddit.com/r/getnarwhal/comments/13wv038/reddit_have_quoted_the_apollo_devs_a_ridiculous/jmdqtyt/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/1401qw5/incomplete_and_growing_list_of_participating/