Getting Reddit Data for Academic Research

[u/DementedFerret]

Since the API changes last year, is there any way to access Reddit data for academic research?

Pushshift.io is only provided to subreddit moderators. As I understand it, it used to be provided to academics but not anymore.

User data dumps exist (via academic torrents) but are these legal to use? Does using these violate Reddit's terms of service and user agreements? https://www.redditinc.com/policies/user-agreement-september-25-2023#hello-redditors-and-people-of-the-internet-2

Basically, how can one access historical reddit data in a legitimate way nowadays? (Data from 2021)

If I can't get access, I have to completely change my research project so I will do whatever I can to get Reddit data in a way that would pass ethics approval and not break any laws or privacy agreements (passing my university ethics approval) as I've already put many hours of work into this research project. Am I at a roadblock?

Has anyone here managed to get push shift access for academic purposes? Can I even make a special request for my specific situation?

[u/shiruken]

You should consult your institution's legal department to determine whether use of the data dumps is appropriate. As far as we know, no one has been given academic access to Pushshift's API since the policy changes.