Reddit to Test Logged-In Browsing Outside the US

Reddit plans to test a primarily logged-in experience in selected markets outside the US during the fourth quarter. The company has not set a date for a global rollout or decided how much content people without accounts could still view, including through shared links and search results.

CEO Steve Huffman said the change is intended to help users find relevant communities, improve ad targeting and protect Reddit’s data from scraping. He said most unauthorized access to Reddit’s content occurs when people are logged out. The company will continue to make data-licensing agreements, and Huffman said logging in would not require users to disclose their identity. Reddit is also rebuilding its app’s incognito mode.

The move comes as search referrals weaken. Reddit said referrals from search fell by more than 1 million per week on average in October, after search traffic was already down significantly in the third quarter. Huffman said a continued decline could bring a low-double-digit percentage drop in daily users during the fourth quarter, compared with the company’s roughly 130 million base.

Reddit’s global daily active users reached 130.3 million in the third quarter, up 12% year over year, while US daily active users fell 2% year over year to 50.7 million. Revenue rose 53% from a year earlier to $895 million, including $847 million in advertising revenue. The company said app users and logged-in users generated more than 80% of its monetization.