this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023

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YouTube's Ad Blocker Crackdown Is Getting Harder to Dodge (gizmodo.com)

submitted 8 months ago by L4s to c/technology

150 comments fedilink hide all child comments

YouTube's Ad Blocker Crackdown Is Getting Harder to Dodge::The video platform now requires users to disable their ad blockers with an immovable pop-up.

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[–] BombOmOm 171 points 8 months ago (14 children)

Currently without issue using Firefox and uBlock Origin. No complaints from YouTube nor ads.

[–] dual_sport_dork 143 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I'm certain that by "users" what they really mean is "people still using Chrome."

[–] Sludgehammer 20 points 8 months ago

I've been having intermittent problems while using Firefox. Of course, all I need to do is clear the Ublock's filters and re-load them.

Oddly, my brother who uses the same ad-blocker as me and Chrome hasn't gotten a anti-AdBlock nag screen for months. No idea why.

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[–] uwe 32 points 8 months ago (3 children)

It's being rolled out in waves. Seems like you haven't been hit yet.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago (2 children)

No as ublock has stated you are using other extensions that are tripping detection, ffs 😑

[–] whileloop 31 points 8 months ago

Nope, that's not what uBlock is saying. YouTube rolls out new adblock detection several times a day. uBlock can't stop it instantly, it takes time for the devs to adjust their code. So for a few hours, YouTube's detection works. If you haven't been caught yet, then it means you've been lucky to get the rollout after uBlock already had a fix. Some of us aren't that lucky. Last week, I got an early rollout several hours before uBlock had a patch. Turned off all my extensions, used default uBlock settings, all their suggestions, had no effect. A few hours later, uBlock had a fix and I didn't see YouTube's block anymore.

[–] Telodzrum 22 points 8 months ago

No, not at all correct. uBlock has stated publicly, on multiple channels, that YT is updating its detection script several times a day while they are racing to patch in a fix.

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[–] RojoSanIchiban 15 points 8 months ago

I was having issues requiring cache dump/updates daily both on a Windows 10 machine with FF/UO and on an ipad with Brave and Orion (which can use UO) including total cookie wipes. Win 11 machines never blinked.

The last couple days or so, I've not seen the block message anywhere. Fun stuff.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 8 months ago (4 children)

It really isnt getting harder to dodge past the initial recent push. "Go to settings, purge cache, refresh list, refresh youtube" is just as many steps today as it was when this recent push started

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I've still yet to see it.. not even had to do any of those things. Something about my setup I guess neutralises it.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Big thing that helps is switching off of Chrome. I've been seeing a lot of people say that we should stop using Chrome and I just hadn't gotten around to it. Once the YouTube adblocker started picking up Ublock Origin even after clearing the cache I hard switched to Fire Fox and installed Ublock Origin.

I have not cleared my cache once and I haven't seen a single ad.

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Fuck YouTube

[–] barbecue_sprinkler 17 points 8 months ago (3 children)

YouTube had a good humble beginning before monetization fucked everything up. It was a bad idea to begin with. For now, best stick with piped and all the apps that use piped as backend. NewPipe and LibreTube. Want to support a creator? Go buy merch or something. Dont give Google a second of your time.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (5 children)

I mean it’s a fine idea it’s just been capitalismed to death

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It wouldn't shock me if they removed ublock origin from the chrome store

[–] Gabu 124 points 8 months ago (33 children)

Just use Firefox. It's better as a browser, anyway.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I give it a year, tops, before they start serving ads in premium too.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago (2 children)

But that's the only benefit of premium (on YouTube itself). I guess there are still YouTube originals but that kind of died as far as I can tell.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yes. And? You think they care? Premium isn't there to benefit you, it's there to benefit Google. As soon as the money stops coming in, they'll look for other ways to squeeze it. We're already seeing it with streaming providers shoehorning ads into their paid services. It's not that much of a stretch.

[–] hypertown 11 points 8 months ago

The only benefit now, but what if they start to serve 30 non-skippable ads without premium and ONLY 5 with premium, what a deal! Right? If you hate ads you can just buy higher tier for ONLY $5 more.

Let's just keep fingers crossed for ublock...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

They'll introduce premium platinum for 2x the price, and then normal premium will be changed to YouTube supporter class, with select advertisements

But they'll do this very quietly, and everyone will get grandfathered into YouTube supporter if they don't do anything. So in public they'll still say YouTube premium has no advertisements, even though they've moved the goal posts

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This is scarily believable.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 8 months ago (15 children)

So they are cracking down on Adblockers and increasing the price of Premium as well.

I wish there was an alt platform that we could use, because even the FBI recommends using an Adblockers (and TBH what sane person would roll without one?)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I recommend Invidious.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 8 months ago

Switched to Freetube and convinced my dad too as well. No ads, no algorithms, no shit yt search that never works. We're chilling.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Probably jinxing myself here, but I have yet to have a single problem. Linux, Firefox, ublock origin.

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[–] Arthur_Leywin 15 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Are ads really that useful when the users subjected to them hate ads from the start?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Not to the advertiser, but to the one getting money for the ad.

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[–] zkfcfbzr 14 points 8 months ago

μBlock Origin works for me still (Firefox), but I had to remove my custom filter to remove Shorts from the Subscription page - seems like they can detect it if I have any YT-specific rules.

I've got FreeTube set up as a backup in case μBlock does ever fail - but its lack of tabs really make me not want to use it as my primary access yet. I think they could benefit a lot from creating a browser-based UI, kind of like what Plex has.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago

Freetube for the win. Built in sponsor block.

[–] Gekoloniseerd 11 points 8 months ago (4 children)

I’ve just installed Yattee for IOS. It works great. There was a post for this a day ago? Also for other platforms. Fuck YouTube.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

Stop using butt adblockers. There's a reason why UBO has the highest amount of downloads, is a recommended extension, and is the highest rated extension on both chromium and firefox.

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