Reddit blocks Internet Archive to end sneaky AI scraping
12 days ago
- #Internet Archive
- #AI Scraping
- Reddit is blocking the Internet Archive (IA) from indexing popular threads due to AI firms scraping data from IA's archives.
- Previously, IA's Wayback Machine archived Reddit pages, profiles, and comments, but now only screenshots of the homepage will be saved.
- This change limits the archive's usefulness for tracking deleted posts, subcultures, or user activity.
- Reddit has not named the AI firms involved but confirmed violations of platform policies via Wayback Machine scraping.
- Reddit suggests IA could take steps to prevent AI scraping, possibly leading to lifted restrictions.
- Reddit is also addressing privacy concerns, noting that Wayback Machine archives deleted user content, justifying the restrictions.