Reddit is making login mandatory for all users of the platform. In a lengthy post, the Reddit chief explained that the company is moving to a permanently logged-in experience because it wants to offer users more personalization, helping them find content that’s more relevant to their interests and tastes.
The core idea, according to the company, is to nudge users into joining more communities and engaging with content through comments, votes, and more. The company, however, assures that the change won’t affect anonymity, which has long been one of the platform’s core appeals. The sign-up flow isn’t changing either. You won’t be required to submit any information beyond what’s already needed to create a Reddit account.
“We don’t need your name. We don’t need to know who you are. We don’t need to know your identity. Honestly, we don’t want to know. Reddit doesn’t require this,” writes Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman.
So, what happens to logged-out browsing on the platform that’s often called the “front page of the Internet”? Well, it’s not going anywhere. Huffman says the company has rebuilt incognito mode and is bringing it back to the Reddit mobile app.
However, you won’t be able to post or engage with content or other users in incognito mode. It’s a read-only experience, designed to make sure incognito browsing stays truly private. For lurkers who simply want to scroll through threads without leaving a trace, that should be good enough.
The company says the login-only experience will enter testing in a few overseas markets in the coming months. There’s no word yet on when, or if, it will roll out globally. But if the tests go well, it’s likely only a matter of time before logged-out Reddit becomes a thing of the past. Another core reason behind this shift is scraping by AI bots, according to Reddit. It says that a logged-in experience will allow it to attract better ads and monetization opportunities, while protecting its proprietary user data.