Major Community Response: r/Cybersecurity to Go Private in Protest of Reddit’s API Changes

In an important move reflecting the concerns of community members, the r/cybersecurity subreddit will temporarily transition to a private status from June 12th to June 14th. This decision comes in light of overwhelming feedback regarding Reddit’s recent alterations to its API policy, which significantly impacts third-party applications.

After careful review of community feedback and discussions through modmail, it is clear that a substantial portion of our members believe that Reddit should reconsider its decision to limit third-party applications and impose restrictions on API access. Consequently, unless Reddit reevaluates these changes, r/cybersecurity will partake in a 48-hour blackout.

During this blackout, access to the subreddit will be limited to current members only, as new users and unauthenticated visitors will not be able to participate. We urge everyone in our community to refrain from browsing Reddit during this period. Your opinions matter, and we welcome any suggestions on how to maximize the effectiveness of this protest. Some ideas could include restricting new posts or comments or creating threads that introduce alternative social media platforms such as Mastodon, Lemmy, or Bluesky.

The future is uncertain: Reddit may choose to reverse its decision, but there remains the potential for further actions that could undermine community trust, such as removing moderators or insisting on keeping the subreddit publicly accessible. Regardless of the outcome, it has been a privilege to serve this community.

For more insights into the situation and its implications, check out the following resources:

As we prepare for this expected transition, we encourage all members to voice their thoughts and suggestions on how we should move forward together. Thank you for being an integral

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