Reddit Forces Protest Communities to Reopen Amid Ongoing Blackout Tensions
Reddit threatens to remove moderators and reopen subreddits by force as protests against new API pricing continue. While many large communities have reluctantly reopened, several major subreddits remain private and CEO Steve Huffman considers letting users vote out protest leaders.
Many Reddit communities reopen as the company threatens to remove protest leaders and take over subreddits by force. Volunteer moderators state they have no choice but to end their participation in the blackout or risk losing their administrative powers entirely.
Despite these forced reopenings, several massive subreddits with millions of followers remain restricted or private. The ongoing blackout originally shuts down vast sections of the website to protest new API pricing that forces third-party app developers to pay for previously free access.
Reddit shows no signs of backing down from these controversial policy changes. CEO Steve Huffman compares the protesting moderators to a "landed gentry" and reveals that the company explores options to let regular users vote out the volunteer leaders who organize the platform-wide demonstrations.