If you’re not using Google as your search engine, you won’t find recent Reddit posts in your search results. This change comes after Reddit’s latest policy update, explained by spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt in a statement to The Verge.
Rathschmidt mentioned that Reddit has been negotiating with several search engines but hasn’t reached agreements with all of them. The main issue is that some search engines are unwilling or unable to make enforceable promises regarding the use of Reddit content, especially for AI purposes.
As a result, only Google will show recent Reddit posts, while other search engines like Bing will only display older content from the site.
Like many people, I often use ‘site:reddit.com’ in searches to get personal, human answers. For example, when seeking advice on video games or skincare, I might add ‘Reddit’ to my search query. However, if you do this on any search engine other than Google now, you’ll likely end up with outdated Reddit posts.
Earlier this year, Google made a $60 million deal with Reddit to allow its AI bots to access Reddit content. This deal followed a Reddit blackout last year, which was a protest against API changes and left Google without access to many subreddits.
It’s important to note that Rathschmidt clarified that this recent search result change is not related to the partnership with Google.
Reddit is taking a firm stance on data scraping, blocking AIs from freely using its content. They recently updated their robots.txt file to prevent web crawlers from accessing their data without permission. Microsoft, for example, respects the robots.txt standard and won’t use content from sites that don’t allow it for their AI models.
So, for now, if you want up-to-date Reddit content in your search results, you need to use Google. Other search engines may eventually have to pay for the privilege if they want to provide recent Reddit posts.
