# Reddit plans login requirement as Google referral traffic falls

_Published Friday, October 30, 2026 at 6:54 PM EDT · Products, AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Reddit plans login requirement as Google referral traffic falls — Primary](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/01kpHxCUvPxXPYsCgI5lyit/hero-image.fill.size_1200x675.v1793379272.jpg)

Reddit said it would soon require users to create accounts and log in to view content, a change intended to combat AI scrapers, Mashable reported. The company also told shareholders that search referral traffic fell meaningfully in the third quarter, with the decline accelerating later in the period.

Search traffic was dropping by more than 1 million referrals per week. Chief executive Steve Huffman blamed Google's AI Overviews in a CNBC interview and said Reddit would continue focusing on users who visit directly. Reddit had said last year that Google supplied 50 percent of its traffic.

## Sources

- [Mashable](https://mashable.com/tech/why-are-google-reddit-stocks-plummeting)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/JzgrabuWIKtIPfHz6vL_qo
Published: 2026-10-30T22:54:08.716Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-30T17:53:05.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-31T01:11:31.447Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)