Reddit is shutting off RSS feeds and killing public API access, pointing the finger at AI bots.
Reddit confirmed it is ending support for RSS feeds, the lightweight protocol sites and apps have used for years to pull in Reddit content without logging in. The company says the move is part of a broader effort to lock down access to its user-generated content as AI bots increasingly scrape the site. Public API access is going away too. Reddit has not said what, if anything, will replace these access points.
This is the latest step in a years-long squeeze that started with Reddit charging developers for API access in 2023, a change that forced popular third-party apps to shut down. Reddit has also struck paid licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, a pattern that suggests the company would rather have AI firms pay for structured access than scrape it for free.
If you want Reddit's data now, the message is clear: license it, don't scrape it.