The volunteer-based community on Reddit, known as r/TranscribersOfReddit, has announced its closure due in part to recent changes made to the platform’s API. The community, which transcribes media from approximately 100 subreddits, will cease operations on June 30th, just one day before Reddit begins charging for API access.
The main objective of r/TranscribersOfReddit was to provide temporary solutions to accessibility features that were lacking on Reddit, such as alt text, while urging the company to address these deficiencies. Rebekah Ginsburg, a moderator of Transcribers Of Reddit and chair of the Grafeas Group, a nonprofit that provides the technology supporting much of the community’s transcription work, expressed disappointment in Reddit’s response.
“In light of recent events, we now recognize that Reddit corporate has demonstrated a severe lack of willingness to fix core issues with the platform,” Ginsburg wrote. “It is clear that these problems are coming from the top, and we do not believe they can be fixed. Unfortunately, while this was an extraordinarily difficult decision for us, these circumstances mean that we can no longer operate this project.”
