On June 4, 2025, Reddit initiated legal action against Anthropic in California Superior Court, alleging that the AI company accessed Reddit's servers over 100,000 times since July 2024 to collect user-generated content without permission. Reddit contends that this activity violates its user agreement, which prohibits commercial exploitation of its content without a licensing agreement. Unlike companies such as OpenAI and Google, which have formal data licensing deals with Reddit, Anthropic reportedly proceeded without securing such an agreement.
The lawsuit emphasizes Reddit's commitment to protecting its users' privacy and the value of its data. Reddit is seeking compensatory damages and a court order to prevent Anthropic from using any technology derived from Reddit’s data. Anthropic has stated that it disagrees with Reddit’s claims and intends to defend itself vigorously.
This case highlights the growing tensions between content platforms and AI companies over data usage rights, underscoring the need for clear guidelines and agreements in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
