Is Reddit Safe?
An independent privacy and security review of reddit.com. All claims sourced from official privacy policies, regulatory actions, and credible research.
Reddit collects standard account and usage data, but the major privacy concern is its AI data licensing deals. Reddit signed multi-million-dollar deals with Google and OpenAI to license user-generated content for AI training — content users created for community discussion, not AI development. The FTC investigated Reddit's data licensing practices before its 2024 IPO. In October 2025, Reddit sued Perplexity AI for unauthorized scraping, while simultaneously licensing the same type of data to Google and OpenAI. Reddit's data collection is less invasive than Meta or TikTok, but the AI licensing issue is a significant emerging privacy concern.
📊 What Reddit Collects About You
Based on Reddit's privacy policy (2024 (Reddit Privacy Policy)):
🔍 Tracking & Third-Party Data Sharing
Reddit uses cookies and tracking for advertising and analytics. It serves interest-based advertising and shares data with ad partners. However, the bigger privacy story is Reddit's AI data licensing: the company has signed deals worth tens of millions to license user content to AI companies for model training.
- Reddit signed a $60 million annual content licensing deal with Google for AI training, disclosed before its 2024 IPO
- Reddit signed a similar partnership with OpenAI in May 2025, allowing OpenAI to use Reddit content for training
- The FTC investigated Reddit's AI data licensing practices before the company's IPO in 2024
- EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) called the AI licensing a violation of user expectations 'at industrial scale'
- In October 2025, Reddit sued Perplexity AI for unauthorized scraping of user content — while licensing similar access to Google and OpenAI
🔓 Breach History
Reddit has experienced one significant data breach.
⚖️ Regulatory Actions & Fines
⚠️ Key Privacy Risks Specific to Reddit
🛠️ Privacy Controls Available
Reddit offers reasonable privacy controls for a social platform, and notably allows pseudonymous accounts. However, there is no way to opt out of having your public posts licensed to AI companies.
- Pseudonymous accounts: No real name required
- Delete posts and comments (though archives and AI training data may retain them)
- Opt out of personalized advertising
- Control profile visibility and online status
- Request data download (GDPR/CCPA)
- Account deletion available
- No way to opt out of AI content licensing for public posts
🛡️ How to Protect Your Privacy on Reddit
1. Use a VPN — Hides your IP address and encrypts your connection, preventing Reddit from linking your activity to your real location and ISP.
2. Use a privacy browser — Firefox with strict tracking protection or Brave blocks many third-party trackers. Consider browser extensions like Privacy Badger (EFF) or uBlock Origin.
3. Check your browser fingerprint — See how uniquely identifiable you are with our Browser Fingerprint Test.
4. Check for breaches — See if your accounts have been compromised with our Email Breach Checker.
5. Review your settings — Tighten Reddit's privacy settings and disable data collection where possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Reddit safe to use in 2026?
Reddit is a legitimate service used by millions, but its data collection practices raise privacy concerns. Our analysis rates its privacy risk as "moderate" based on data collection scope, tracking practices, breach history, and regulatory actions. Whether it's "safe" depends on your personal comfort with data exposure.
Does Reddit sell my data?
Most major services claim they don't "sell" data in the traditional sense. However, they may share data with advertising partners, use it for targeted advertising, or monetize it through data-driven ad platforms. The functional result for users is often similar whether data is technically "sold" or used for ad targeting.
How do I delete my Reddit data?
Most services offer a data download and deletion option in their account settings, typically under "Privacy" or "Your Data." Under GDPR (EU), you have the legal right to request full data deletion. In the US, some states (California, Virginia, Colorado, and others) offer similar rights. Check Reddit's privacy settings for data download and account deletion options.
When was this review last updated?
This review was last verified on 2026-02-16. We check the privacy policy at https://www.reddit.com/policies/privacy-policy and update our review when significant changes occur. See our methodology page for details on our review process.
📎 Sources
- Reddit Privacy Policy (effective 2024 (Reddit Privacy Policy))
- The Record — 'FTC investigating Reddit plan to sell user data for AI model training' (Mar 2024)
- CNBC — 'Reddit accuses Perplexity of stealing user posts' (Oct 2025)
- The FTC opened an investigation into Reddit's AI data licensing deals ahead of the company's IPO, specifically the practice of selling user-generated content for AI model training — Reddit SEC filing; The Record (2024)