Reddit sues Anthropic, accusing it of illegal data use

Reddit sues Anthropic for using its data illegally, citing over 100,000 visits.

: Reddit has initiated a lawsuit against Anthropic, accusing the company of using Reddit's data without authorization. Specifically, Reddit claims that Anthropic's AI bots accessed its platform more than 100,000 times since 2024, violating Reddit's user agreement. Despite positioning itself as ethical, Anthropic has faced multiple legal challenges, including this lawsuit. Reddit has previously secured content licensing deals with companies like Google and OpenAI, but Anthropic allegedly failed to adhere to a similar model, prompting this legal action.

On June 4, 2025, Reddit filed a lawsuit against AI startup Anthropic, alleging that the company illegally scraped Reddit’s user-generated content to train its Claude chatbot. The complaint states that Anthropic’s bots accessed Reddit servers over 100,000 times since July 2024, despite previous claims that such scraping had stopped. Reddit argues that this violates its user agreement and threatens its commercial licensing deals with partners like Google and OpenAI.

Reddit emphasized that its licensing partnerships include safeguards for user privacy, such as honoring deleted content and preventing misuse. In contrast, the lawsuit claims Anthropic refused to enter a licensing deal and used Reddit data without consent—including deleted posts—to train its models. Reddit is seeking damages and a court order to block Anthropic from using its data.

Anthropic, which is backed by Amazon and Google, has denied the accusations and said it will defend itself in court. The company insists its model training practices comply with the law and that it respects data usage policies. However, the case brings renewed focus to the larger debate over who owns online content and how it should be used in AI development.

The lawsuit also raises questions about Reddit’s dual role as a platform for open user discussion and as a data gatekeeper. Some critics argue that Reddit has long profited from community content without compensating users, making its stance in the case complex and potentially controversial.

As the case proceeds, the outcome could set a major precedent. A ruling in Reddit’s favor could empower platforms to exert greater control over their data, while a win for Anthropic may strengthen arguments that publicly available content remains fair game for AI training.

Sources: AP News, The Wall Street Journal, Investopedia, Business Insider, The Verge

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