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STORY: Thousands of popular communities on Reddit went dark on Monday, locking out their users in protest over the company's plan to charge for access to its data.

Starting in July - developers using the social media platform's vast troves of data will have to pay a price.

And the changes would affect players across the spectrum, from big companies like Open AI to smaller developers.

One popular app, Apollo, has said the charges will cost it $20 million a year.

So, why is Reddit making the changes?

One reason is generative AI.

Reddit’s forums have a lot of data that could be used to train tools like ChatGPT – and Reddit’s CEO Steve Huffman said in April that he doesn’t want to “give that value to some of the largest companies in the world for free."

Most subreddits have planned a 48-hour blackout, but others with millions of users like r/Music plan to protest indefinitely.

Huffman has acknowledged the frustration among moderators and communities but said the company needs to be a “self-sustaining business.”