“New Reddit Feature Lets Users Block Disliked Advertisers for 1 Year”

Reddit users can report ads that go against policies, with the advertiser being blocked for a year. Despite controls, more ads are expected on the platform, including in comments and via contextual ads.

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A spokesperson for Reddit emphasized that users have the option to flag an advertisement if they believe it violates the platform’s guidelines. Flagging an ad will also result in the advertiser being banned from targeting the user for a year.

Reddit already allows users to block ads related to various categories such as alcohol, dating, gambling, politics, pregnancy, parenting, religion, and weight loss. Despite this system, some users have raised concerns about its effectiveness.

Additionally, Reddit offers users in the US and certain other countries the ability to disable personalized ads. The company enforced personalized ads in specific regions in September 2023, making it a mandatory feature.

Although there are controls in place for ads, Redditors can expect to encounter more advertisements on the platform in the coming years. Reddit executives have indicated a potential increase in ads within comments and a focus on contextual ads based on surrounding content. These ads will be more challenging for users to avoid due to the crackdown on third-party apps, limiting access to Reddit outside of its official apps or website. In 2024, advertising accounted for 92 percent of Reddit’s revenue, marking a 60 percent yearly growth.

It is worth noting that Advance Publications, the majority shareholder in Reddit, is also the parent company of Ars Technica’s owner, Condé Nast.

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