Reddit may block Google and limit access to its content

Reddit intends to prevent third parties from using its content to train artificial intelligence models. Company threatened to block search trackers from Google and Bing if generative AI companies won’t pay for the data. If confirmed, the decision will have a significant impact on your visits and advertising revenue.

According to a report from Washington Postgroup News organizations are in talks with OpenAI to license their content. Major newspapers don’t want tech companies training models like GPT-4 based on their online publications. That is why they have closed free access through blockers and require payment for access to data.

In addition to media companies, the newspaper mentions that Reddit has met with generative artificial intelligence companies to try to reach an agreement. The company is demanding fair payment and has threatened to block search trackers if it does not receive a positive response. This means Reddit will prevent links to discussions on your forums from appearing in Google and Bing results.

The move seems risky, although the company has no problem taking drastic measures. If we learned anything from the moderator protest, it’s that Reddit doesn’t fold its arms and will take extreme measures. This was reported by a source close to the negotiations. Reddit can survive without Google search.

Reddit will require you to log into your account to access its forums.

One solution proposed for blocking content is to limit its access to registered users. Reddit you will need to be logged in to read any forum, a measure that X (Twitter) temporarily introduced mid-year. Elon Musk then said that artificial intelligence companies had stolen so much data that it was affecting the user experience.

Reddit’s strategy is not fully defined. This was reported by a company representative Edge that “nothing changes”, although this does not guarantee that everything will continue the same. The report mentions that unless there is an agreement with artificial intelligence companies, links to subreddits will disappear from Google and Bing.

One of the sources assured that Reddit can survive without search engines. Steve Huffman, CEO of a technology company, is doing everything he can to combat write-off using bots and artificial intelligence tools. Proof of this is the price adjustment of its API, which meant the end of third-party applications and a massive outcry from its moderators.

Like other industry giants, Reddit’s main business is advertising. Closing the door on search engines will have a significant impact on your future income. Even if Reddit can survive without Google, the question is for how long.