Reddit Plans Mandatory Login to Curb AI Scraping and Boost Users

Reddit is preparing to end the open browsing that let people read almost any discussion without an account. CEO Steve Huffman confirmed that the platform will gradually move to a model in which logging in is the main way to use its content.

Huffman announced the change in the shareholder letter accompanying third-quarter 2026 results, published on 29 October. Tests are due to start this year in selected countries outside the United States. The company has not named them, and the results will shape the global version.

Logged-out visitors will not be shut out entirely. Reddit wants to keep the home page and at least some content reached from search engines or shared links available. How far someone can browse before hitting a login prompt has not been decided.

Scraping and falling search traffic

Huffman said the vast majority of unauthorized data collection happens through pages that do not require sign-in. Reddit is not opposed to AI companies using its discussions: it has commercial data deals with Google and OpenAI. The target is those that take the content without permission or payment. In October 2025 Reddit sued Perplexity and data-scraping firms, accusing them of circumventing protections.

Economics play a role too. Reddit said search-driven traffic dropped noticeably in the third quarter, with roughly 1 million fewer weekly visits from search in October, mostly among logged-out users. Huffman pointed to AI-generated answers in Google as a likely cause, since users get a summary and skip the original thread.

The platform averaged 130.3 million daily active users in the quarter, but only 53.5 million were logged in. More than 80% of revenue tied to user activity comes from the app and logged-in users, and accounts also allow more precise ad personalization, which Huffman listed as a benefit.

Pseudonyms stay, incognito returns

Reddit says it will not require real names. It is preparing a refreshed incognito mode in the app that lets people browse without affecting account history or recommendations, though commenting and voting will be disabled.

It is still unclear when mandatory login will reach all users or how strict the limits will be. For people who routinely add "Reddit" to Google queries, the change could mean meeting a sign-in wall far more often.