Reddit Is Removing the Ability to Opt Out of Ad Personalization

pcmag.com:

Reddit is removing the ability to opt out of ad personalization based on app activity.

The news comes amidst several other changes to the privacy section. As Reddit Head of Privacy Jutta Williams explains, that includes clearer descriptions of settings, consolidating some preference options, and adding the ability to opt out of certain ad categories. But the most eye-catching change is what Reddit is taking away.

Some countries will still be able to opt out, but Williams declined to specify those locations. Reddit justified the decision based on how little personal information it currently collects:

"Reddit requires very little personal information, and we like it that way. Our advertisers instead rely on on-platform activity—what communities you join, leave, upvotes, downvotes, and other signals—to get an idea of what you might be interested in.

The vast majority of Redditors will see no change to their ads on Reddit. For users who previously opted out of personalization based on Reddit activity, this change will not result in seeing more ads or sharing on-platform activity with advertisers. It does enable our models to better predict which ad may be most relevant to you."

Although Reddit says the new settings won't roll out for a few weeks, commenters are already threatening to rely on ad-blockers to avoid ads altogether.

As one user put it: "Why are you removing options from us? Is your intent to drive us to use more ad-blockers? Because I'll certainly be recommending users ad-blockers more frequently. Especially since the reddit admins refuse to help deal with rule-breaking ads. I've reported specific ads to r/modsupport as well as the ads team multiple times, and they still appear in our subreddit, despite