Philly subreddit goes offline amid Reddit protest
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Philly’s popular subreddit is dark today as its moderators join a protest over changes from Reddit headquarters.
Why it matters: Philly’s subreddit, r/philadelphia, is among the largest communities on the platform with 448,000 subscribers — nicknamed “Jabronis.”
- Thousands log on daily to dish, rant and query about all things Philly, including parking woes, news, politics, bird photos and unusual happenings.
Catch up fast: The protest is over Reddit’s new pricing structure for some third-party apps to use its back-end technology (API) starting July 1.
- Reddit will enforce rate limits on API usage, charging the apps to access the data.
- Developers say the new rules could put them out of business, while Reddit disagrees, contending the vast majority of users will not have to pay for access, per Axios’ Carlie Kollath Wells.
Between the lines: Reddit’s Data API, launched in 2008, allows developers to build third-party games and user utilities that work with Reddit, like those that help the blind and visually impaired community access the platform.
Zoom in: The Philly subreddit moderators say they rely heavily on third-party apps to moderate their site, SweetJibbaJams wrote in a post on behalf of the moderators.
- Plus: They contend third-party apps have been a source of support for the visually impaired, an issue they say corporate Reddit has failed to adequately address.
What Reddit is saying: "We spend multi-millions of dollars on hosting fees, and Reddit needs to be fairly paid to continue supporting high-usage third-party apps," Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt tells Axios.
What’s next: Philly subreddit will also go dark Tuesday.