Reddit is removing the ability for users to opt out of personalized ads based on their site activity. The change, which is expected to take effect over the next few days, will apply to all users except those in “select” countries that Reddit has not yet specified.
In a post to the r/reddit subreddit, Reddit’s Head of Privacy, Jutta Williams, explained that the change is being made to “make ad personalization and account visibility toggles consistent.” She also wrote that the vast majority of users will see no change to their ads as a result of the update, and that users who previously opted out of sharing on-platform activity will not see more ads.
As expected, users are concerned about the loss of control over their ad personalization settings. Some have also expressed worries that Reddit is not being transparent about the change, as it has not yet specified which countries will be exempt from the new ad policy.
In what looks like an attempt to assuage these concerns, Williams wrote that Reddit does not share user information or activity with third parties for advertising outside of Reddit. She also said that the change does not change the way that Reddit collects or shares data.
Users further argue that the change is simply a way for Reddit to make more money from advertising, and that it is being made without the consent of users.
The sources for this piece include an article in Engadget.