Like it or not, Reddit wants to "improve ad performance."
Reddit rolled out some changes this week as its continues its push for revenue and profitability jumpstarted by its API rule changes in July. Among the most controversial, the company will no longer allow users to opt out of ad personalization based on their Reddit activity and started a program that lets users exchange virtual rewards for their posts for real money.
On Wednesday, Reddit announced plans to “improve ad performance,” including by preventing users from opting out of personalized ads except for in “select countries.” Reddit didn’t specify which countries are excluded, but the exceptions could include countries falling under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. Reddit spokesperson Sierra Gamelgaard declined to provide further clarification when reached by Ars Technica for comment.
Reddit’s announcement, authored by Reddit’s head of privacy, going by “snoo-tuh” on the platform (Reddit has refused to confirm the identity of admins representing Reddit on the site), said that its advertisers look at “what communities you join, leave, upvotes, downvotes, and other signals” to gauge your interests.
Snoo-tuh wrote:
For users who previously opted out of personalization based on Reddit activity, this change will not result in seeing more ads or sharing on-platform activity with advertisers. It does enable our models to better predict which ad may be most relevant to you.
Still, Reddit users have expressed concern over suddenly losing a privacy control they’ve long had. Meanwhile, Reddit’s policy update aligns with its outspoken goals to become profitable and its plans to eventually go public. Reddit has already sacrificed other aspects of the user experience, as well as some community trust, in an effort to drive revenue. Reddit declined to provide comment regarding privacy concerns related to this latest update.
Other privacy policy changes announced Wednesday include allowing users to choose to see “fewer” ads regarding alcohol, dating, gambling, pregnancy and parenting, and weight loss. Reddit didn’t commit to all ads being removed initially since its system of “manual tagging and machine learning to classify the ads” may not be totally accurate at first. Snoo-tuh said things should get more accurate “over time,” though.
Reddit’s Contributor Program
Also this week, Reddit announced its Contributor Program, launching in the US only for now. Reddit users with 100–4,999 karma can earn $0.90 per gold received. Users with over 5,000 karma can get $1 per gold received. Users can pay for gold to award to other users.
The scheme is reminiscent of the Creator Ads Revenue Sharing program by X, formerly Twitter, where premium subscription members can get a portion of ad revenue generated from their posts. Elon Musk announced the program in February, and it launched in July.
X’s program has been criticized for potentially encouraging spam-y, bait-y posts and posts that are controversial and offensive, just for the sake of generating reactions and comments that will lead to the user making money. But that hasn’t stopped Reddit from enacting a user payment scheme of its own (after all, Huffman has said Musk’s X is an example for Reddit.)
However, clickbait and shock value posts are a strong deviation from what people tend to treasure most about Reddit: real human advice, discussions, and insight.
In an interview with BBC, social media analyst and consultant Matt Navarra noted that Reddit was incentivizing and providing opportunity for its top users but that it could also jeopardize Reddit’s content quality.
Navarra told BBC:
[X’s ad sharing program] incentives X users to post content that sparks the most replies, and the characteristics of content that typically generates the most replies is content that is divisive, polarizing, provocative, and controversial… exactly the sort of content that brands do not want to have their ads placed amongst. This has been problematic for Elon Musk, and it could become a new problem for Reddit’s founders too.
When I reached out to Reddit about these concerns, spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt pointed me to Reddit’s blog post about the program. It says that users have to be at least 18 years old and verified by Reddit to participate and that:
All monetizable contributions are subject to Reddit’s User Agreement and Content Policy. In addition, Reddit will take the same enforcement actions against contributions breaking Reddit’s rules and withhold any earnings on content that violates the Content Policy or the new Contributor Monetization Policy and Contributor Terms for the program.
A support page says Reddit’s Contributor Program will avoid “fraud, spam, bad actors, and illegal activities” by putting users through Persona’s Know Your Customer screening. It also points to “Reddit internal safety signals,” “new monetization policies with enforcement and repercussions,” “daily gold purchase limits,” “automated detection and monitoring via Reddit’s safety tools and systems,” “user reporting,” and “admin auditing.”
lol
Reddit already has a pretty bad bot problem, especially after the API debacle. Give people a way to make money and it’s just gonna be pages and pages of AI generated trash being posted.
I don’t get it. Even the most greed blind person in the world should be able to recognize how damaging this is going to be. There’s nothing on Reddit worth paying money for, the only users that will stick around are going to be bots and people paid to farm content like gallowboob. I know spez is a fucking idiot, but is he really THIS devoid of awareness? Has he really just not spoken to a single human being outside his inner circle that could tell him he’s lost his fucking mind?
Twitter had it’s fair share of absolute chaos and tomfoolery by Elon, and somehow the Twitter userbase still seems alive and haven’t lost that much users by ℅. Emphasis on seems, because I only saw userbase statistics, that maybe won’t paint the big picture.
I’m not trying to be a conspiracy theorist or anything, but like perhaps a coordinated effort to destroy large scale social media platforms in order to slow down social unrest around the world…oh shit I’m a conspiracy theorist damn
“preventing users from opting out of personalized ads except for in “select countries.” Reddit didn’t specify which countries are excluded, but the exceptions could include countries falling under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.”
That being said, when I tried to change my country, it started pulling this loop of taking me to new Reddit layout to change my country, then when I switched back to old Reddit view it blanked my choice, which by their documentation probably means IP address location. Repeated that about 3 times before I gave up.
Ehh, unfortunately it still aint ready. Beehaaw is considering moving off it actually, lemmy.world, kbin, beehaw have all sorts of defederations or domain blocks between them so you can’t even get by with a single account anymore, and feature-wise its still years behind reddit in terms of mod tools.
Reddit is gonna stay simply because for 99% people its still better than the other options.
I’ve been using Lemmy daily since I left Reddit when RiF stopped working and I don’t feel this at all. Every day there is more discussion in threads and voting going on than the day before. I, personally, feel like it’s growing at a great rate.
It’s definitely growing but it seems like communities are buckling under that weight and can’t actually maintain the instances properly anymore, that’s the issue. If even a few % of reddit decide to move and be active here instead, it will kill servers (and moderators) all over again.
Reddit spokesperson Sierra Gamelgaard declined to provide further clarification when reached by Ars Technica for comment.
Meanwhile, Reddit’s policy update aligns with its outspoken goals to become profitable and its plans to eventually go public.
Other privacy policy changes announced Wednesday include allowing users to choose to see “fewer” ads regarding alcohol, dating, gambling, pregnancy and parenting, and weight loss.
However, clickbait and shock value posts are a strong deviation from what people tend to treasure most about Reddit: real human advice, discussions, and insight.
A support page says Reddit’s Contributor Program will avoid “fraud, spam, bad actors, and illegal activities” by putting users through Persona’s Know Your Customer screening.
Advance Publications, which owns Ars Technica parent Condé Nast, is the largest shareholder in Reddit.
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Sounds like more reasons to not use Reddit. No sympathy for those this effects.
Reddit started with just bot posts, and it will die as just bot posts
lol
Reddit already has a pretty bad bot problem, especially after the API debacle. Give people a way to make money and it’s just gonna be pages and pages of AI generated trash being posted.
I don’t get it. Even the most greed blind person in the world should be able to recognize how damaging this is going to be. There’s nothing on Reddit worth paying money for, the only users that will stick around are going to be bots and people paid to farm content like gallowboob. I know spez is a fucking idiot, but is he really THIS devoid of awareness? Has he really just not spoken to a single human being outside his inner circle that could tell him he’s lost his fucking mind?
Twitter had it’s fair share of absolute chaos and tomfoolery by Elon, and somehow the Twitter userbase still seems alive and haven’t lost that much users by ℅. Emphasis on seems, because I only saw userbase statistics, that maybe won’t paint the big picture.
I’m not trying to be a conspiracy theorist or anything, but like perhaps a coordinated effort to destroy large scale social media platforms in order to slow down social unrest around the world…oh shit I’m a conspiracy theorist damn
It happens quick
Something definitely seems to be going on right now.
It doesn’t make sense that basically all social media platforms seem to be making absolutely horrid decisions right now, like, just downright stupid…
I think we chose a great time to jump ship lads and ladies.
Aye Cap’n
pretty sure most of this is still neutered by uBlock Origin
I think even Facebook lets you opt out of personalized ads or is it like that only in Europe as well?
Well, not quite…
https://nrkbeta.no/2023/09/28/datatilsynet-vil-utvide-et-forbud-mot-meta-til-hele-europa/
You will have to use some translation to read the article though.
Every day I’m not on Reddit anymore, is a day that reinforces I made the right choice. (Insert happy kid at a party meme, you know the one…)
Welcome new lemmy users!
They’re really Spezzing the shit out of things…
The Spazzening
Isn’t that a violation of GDPR? Lol
it says it’s only rolling out to certain countries so pretty safe to assume not the ones that have privacy laws
“preventing users from opting out of personalized ads except for in “select countries.” Reddit didn’t specify which countries are excluded, but the exceptions could include countries falling under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.”
Literally the second paragraph. Reading is fun.
I actually protest Reddit so hard I don’t read any more so I don’t even say “I read it.”
That’s what I thought when I read this “except for in select countries”. Thank goodness for laws that actually protects people.
That being said, when I tried to change my country, it started pulling this loop of taking me to new Reddit layout to change my country, then when I switched back to old Reddit view it blanked my choice, which by their documentation probably means IP address location. Repeated that about 3 times before I gave up.
A very convenient technical glitch there….
Why don’t people learn? They will come and then abandon this place.
And repeat…
If they can’t hang, then maybe we’re better off with them gone.
Prepare for an incoming 2nd wave of Rexxit.
maybe we’ll actually stay this time lol
Ehh, unfortunately it still aint ready. Beehaaw is considering moving off it actually, lemmy.world, kbin, beehaw have all sorts of defederations or domain blocks between them so you can’t even get by with a single account anymore, and feature-wise its still years behind reddit in terms of mod tools.
Reddit is gonna stay simply because for 99% people its still better than the other options.
I’ve been using Lemmy daily since I left Reddit when RiF stopped working and I don’t feel this at all. Every day there is more discussion in threads and voting going on than the day before. I, personally, feel like it’s growing at a great rate.
It’s definitely growing but it seems like communities are buckling under that weight and can’t actually maintain the instances properly anymore, that’s the issue. If even a few % of reddit decide to move and be active here instead, it will kill servers (and moderators) all over again.
you aren’t wrong, but i also wish you were lol
Spez is really trying to turn Reddit into 9gag, huh?
What happened to 9gag?
In Steve’s case it would be more like 9gargle.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Reddit spokesperson Sierra Gamelgaard declined to provide further clarification when reached by Ars Technica for comment.
Meanwhile, Reddit’s policy update aligns with its outspoken goals to become profitable and its plans to eventually go public.
Other privacy policy changes announced Wednesday include allowing users to choose to see “fewer” ads regarding alcohol, dating, gambling, pregnancy and parenting, and weight loss.
However, clickbait and shock value posts are a strong deviation from what people tend to treasure most about Reddit: real human advice, discussions, and insight.
A support page says Reddit’s Contributor Program will avoid “fraud, spam, bad actors, and illegal activities” by putting users through Persona’s Know Your Customer screening.
Advance Publications, which owns Ars Technica parent Condé Nast, is the largest shareholder in Reddit.
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