Reddit plans to start requiring users to log in to view posts and navigate the platform. This change marks the end of nearly twenty years during which much of the content was available directly on the web, without the need for a user account.
CEO Steve Huffman announced this change during the presentation of the third-quarter 2026 financial results. According to The Verge, initial tests will take place in the coming months in specific markets outside the United States, with no set timeline for a global rollout.
Huffman mentioned that the company wants to experiment with various ways to limit browsing without being logged in before defining the definitive operation of the new system. Currently, many forum pages can still be accessed without any type of authentication or registration.
As an option for those who do not wish to link activities to their personal profile, Reddit is also reforming the anonymous mode within the official app.
One of the main arguments presented by the company is the need to protect its data against unauthorized scraping performed by artificial intelligence. According to Huffman, most of this unwanted access occurs through pages open to non-logged-in visitors.
The organization seeks to hinder automated collection by bots and other external services but will maintain content access permission through established commercial agreements. Reddit has licensing contracts, including with Google and OpenAI, which allow information from forum posts to appear in chatbot responses.
Furthermore, Huffman emphasized that logging in will help the company comply with security standards and provide a more personalized experience to users.
Reddit recognizes that this transition will affect the advertising sector but anticipates a positive impact. Huffman reported that over 80% of Reddit's revenue comes from daily active users who use the app or are logged in. In the third quarter, the company's advertising revenue grew by 54% compared to the previous year, reaching US$ 847 million (approximately R$ 4.5 billion).
The executive clarified that the company does not need to know the real identity of each individual, but having a session linked to an account facilitates understanding navigation and allows for the display of more relevant ads. This announcement also coincides with a reduction in visits from search engines, such as Google; in October, search referrals decreased by an average of over one million per week.


