Reddit Is Blocking the Wayback Machine From Archiving Posts
The move comes as Reddit tightens its grip on user data. The company doesn't mind AI firms training their models on Reddit posts, but they have to pay first. Reddit previously said it wouldn't restrict 'good faith actors' like the Internet Archive, but now it believes some are helping AI firms dodge licensing fees. Reddit's sudden change of stance highlights how data licensing has become a major revenue source in the AI era.
The Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a vast digital library of websites and other online content. So far, it has archived billions of web pages, along with millions of books, videos, and software programs. Its signature tool, the Wayback Machine, lets users save snapshots of webpages and revisit them later to see exactly how they looked on a specific date.
Reddit says it has evidence that some AI companies are exploiting the Wayback Machine to bypass its policies and scrape user content without permission.
'Internet Archive provides a service to the open web, but we've been made aware of instances where AI companies violate platform policies, including ours, and scrape data from the Wayback Machine,' a Reddit spokesperson told Gizmodo in an emailed statement. 'Until they're able to defend their site and comply with platform policies (e.g., respecting user privacy, re: deleting removed content) we're limiting some of their access to Reddit data to protect redditors.'
Reddit told The Verge that the Wayback Machine will no longer be able to crawl post detail pages, comments, or profiles. Instead, it will only be allowed to index Reddit's homepage. The restrictions begin 'ramping up' today, and Reddit says it gave the Internet Archive a heads-up beforehand.
The Internet Archive did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Gizmodo.
Reddit has been tightening control over access to its data in recent years. While the company is open to licensing its data, it's cracking down on companies that haven't paid up. The company has already struck multimillion-dollar deals with Google and OpenAI. In the Google deal, Reddit partnered with Google for both search indexing and AI training data, then began blocking other search engines from surfacing recent Reddit posts in their search results.
In June, Reddit sued AI startup Anthropic, accusing it of unauthorized scraping.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Record highs, bond benefits, volatility wanes: Market Takeaways
After the closing bell on Tuesday, August 12, Yahoo Finance Markets and Data Editor Jared Blikre shares his takeaways of the trading day, including stocks' positive reaction to July's consumer price index (CPI) report, the investor opportunity in the bond market, and falling volatility. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mamdani calls on Cuomo to release list of consulting clients in new campaign video
NEW YORK — Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is calling on mayoral rival Andrew Cuomo to release a list of his consulting clients, even trying to tie Cuomo to Jeffery Epstein in a new video as mudslinging between the candidates ramps up. In the video, posted Tuesday afternoon, Mamdani questioned Cuomo's consulting work, including on a crypto firm that pleaded guilty to operating illegally in the U.S. and on a luxury marina in Puerto Rico. 'That's the thing about Andrew Cuomo: once you think you've learned all the scandals, you find out there's another. And another. And another,' Mamdani said in the video. 'And if the disgraced former Governor thinks that's unfair – well, there's an easy way to clear this all up. Habibi – release your client list.' The New York Times reported in June that Cuomo had looked into helping his friend, real estate investor Andrew Farkas, build the marina. Epstein, who killed himself in 2019, was formerly a business partner on the marina project. However, the project never went forward and Cuomo was not paid, according to his spokesperson. 'He didn't know Epstein, but you can smell the desperation from conspiracy-peddling Zohran seep through your screen,' Rich Azzopardi, a rep for Cuomo, fumed. The spokesperson slammed the video as 'nothing more than a temper tantrum from an insecure child of privilege who knows his tenuous lead is slipping away.' Mamdani's attack comes after Cuomo went after the assemblymember's residence in a rent-stabilized apartment despite his income level. The democratic socialist also pointed out that the former governor failed to disclose $2.6 million in stock options on his city filings. Azzopardi said the campaign fixed the mistake the same day it was flagged for them. Cuomo formed a consulting firm, Innovation Strategies LLC, after resigning as governor in wake of the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him, which he denies. In 2024, the former governor reported making over $500,000 from the firm. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board does not require him to list individual clients, although some candidates have chosen on their own to do so. Azzopardi said that if Cuomo were to become mayor, he would work out any potential issues or conflicts with COIB. _____
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Says He May Allow Lawsuit Against Powell Over Fed Renovation
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he is weighing a lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over the renovation of the central bank's headquarters, a project whose cost overruns have drawn scrutiny. Trump in a social media post on Tuesday resumed his criticism of the Fed chair over the central bank's decision to hold interest rates steady and again hammered Powell over the renovation work. Sunseeking Germans Face Swiss Backlash Over Alpine Holiday Congestion New York Warns of $34 Billion Budget Hole, Biggest Since 2009 Crisis To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in 'Living Shorelines' Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels' Colonial Statues Remain For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets 'The damage he has done by always being Too Late is incalculable. Fortunately, the economy is sooo good that we've blown through Powell and the complacent Board,' Trump said. 'I am, though, considering allowing a major lawsuit against Powell to proceed because of the horrible, and grossly incompetent, job he has done in managing the construction of the Fed Buildings.' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked if the administration was considering suing the Fed chair over the renovation, responded 'that's what the president is saying.' 'He's considering a lawsuit,' she told reporters at a briefing later Tuesday, adding that she would not speak on the matter further. 'I will allow the president to do that himself.' Asked if a lawsuit would fix problems with the project, Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro in an interview Tuesday responded 'heck, yes.' 'I mean, look, it gets your attention. It's like, what is he doing there?,' Navarro said on Bloomberg Television's , accusing Powell of not paying attention to the cost of the work. The yield curve steepened after Trump's comments, with 10-year yields rebounding from the aftermath of Tuesday's consumer price index numbers and hitting a session high. Data released earlier Tuesday showed underlying inflation picked up in July, though prices of goods rose at a more muted pace, tempering concerns about tariff-driven price pressures and raising expectations for a Fed rate cut in September. The renovation work has become a flashpoint in Trump's pressure campaign against Powell and the central bank for not lowering borrowing costs and saw him tour the construction site last month in a rare presidential visit to the Fed's headquarters. That visit saw a brief detente between Trump and Powell and the president appearing to downplay some of his concerns over the work there. But that criticism resumed after Fed officials left interest rates unchanged in July, followed by a turbulent stretch in which Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a report earlier this month that showed a weakening US jobs market. Trump has repeatedly called for Powell to resign. At times, he has mulled whether he should outright fire him before saying he would wait out his term to avoid delivering a shock to markets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is running a search for a candidate to replace Powell when the chair's term is up in May with Trump expected to make his final announcement this fall, according to two administration officials. The president last week also seized on an earlier-than-expected opportunity to put his imprint on the central bank by tapping Stephen Miran, one of his top economic advisers, to serve as a Federal Reserve governor. Miran, who will need Senate confirmation, would only serve the expiring term of Fed Governor Adriana Kugler, which ends in January, allowing Trump more time to search for a permanent replacement. --With assistance from Hadriana Lowenkron. (Updates with Navarro remarks in paragraphs 6-7) Bessent on Tariffs, Deficits and Embracing Trump's Economic Plan Why It's Actually a Good Time to Buy a House, According to a Zillow Economist The Social Media Trend Machine Is Spitting Out Weirder and Weirder Results Dubai's Housing Boom Is Stoking Fears of Another Crash A $340 Million New York Office Makeover Is Converting Boardrooms to Bedrooms ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
