I'm glad there's enough bureaucracy inside Google to make these measures roll out slowly with long breaks between changes. It gives the add blockers enough time to update their blocks, before the anti-blocking measures even make it out to all users.
I wonder what the end goal is for Youtube. I doubt they have one, and they're just doing this on instinct/reflex. Not to mention they probably wouldn't have seen a need to to this as much if they didn't go down the path of shoving more and more ads down people's throats.
If Youtube stops working with uBlock Origin, I'll just download the videos wholesale and watch them that way instead, and I doubt there's a realistic way to completely block that, and there will be/already is a large community of people who are willing to make that experience as smooth as it can be, if need be. I don't see an end that works out significantly worse for adblockers in the long run, so everything in the short term is just busywork.
"About 11% of YouTube users openly say they use ad blockers.
Some communities report 40-60% of viewers use ad blockers.
Overall global ad blocker usage is around 42.7% for all internet users."
So, almost half of people online use adblockers. I know some use adblockers that have white lists. Everyone should use uBlock Origin as it does not have white lists to allow "some" ads and it is the best adblocker and protection to be online on every site.
First we have to close every company that depend on ads to survive. All of them.
If your business is ads, you need to close. That simple.
A company that depends on ads, lives by using you. Your data. Your information. Your privacy.
Remember that first thing to do before open any site is to install uBlock Origin and then spend some time learning how to install a Pi-Hole for a network block on network level.
What about uMatrix; some might argue it is even better than uBlock Origin, at least one can use both at the same time; if "security issues" are a concern, the so-called "modern" browser is a gigantic target that sources and runs Javascript from the internet automatically; there is also the choice of not using one (hence no need for uBlock or other extensions); Javascript isn't required for downloading or watching YouTube videos but YouTube of course wants everyone to use their "Javascript player" so they can monitor people's behaviour at the computer with telemetry and other unsolicited connections
"A company that depends on ads, lives by using you."
Ad services. The company acts as an intermediary (middleman), sitting between two parties, e.g., a video producer and a video consumer, conducting surveillance, collecting data, serving ads, relying on other people to produce and upload video, for free, then targeting the people consuming it with ads; parasitic
Mozilla is the company's business partner, sending data about www users to the company
As such, their software seems compromised; they continually promote an "internet advertising ecocsystem"
There are other ways to avoid ads that do not require a so-called "modern" browser that runs Javascript; usually the so-called "modern" browser are distributed by the company and its partners or competitors; optimised for serving ads
In fact, usually internet ads rely on Javascript, so the "ad blocker" solution is using Javascript to counter Javascript
Some users might prefer to just not choose the so-called "modern" browser as their client, and not run Javascript
Also, not sure whether it is still true but Pi-Hole used to suggest the company's DNS service as "upstream", provide it as a choice, maybe even set it as a default
Nothing hands the company more control than using its public DNS service; the company's DNS cache is filled with IP addresses of tracking and ad servers; users will actually pay third parties like NextDNS to filter these addresses out while the company's hardware products hardcode their public DNS service into the products to allow phoning home to the mothership and free flow of telemetry, tracking and advertising
Talking about ads, just went in the living room and tv was turned on and there were ads. I never see any ads but let me take 30 seconds to see what is on tv.
Absolutly disgusting. Wasted 30 seconds of my life and now I need medication to sleep tonight after seeing the *it goes on tv.
I mean just try to sumarize ads running on YouTube: Lightsabers ad which is actually a torch - scam. Wooden cutting board as source of microplastics - scam. Muscular old geezer selling Tai-chi - grift and scam. Mobile games advertising a "playthrough" but real game is completely something else - scam. Palestinians having difficult life - propaganda. Israel delivering help to Palestine - counter propaganda.
I have seen so many ads on YouTube and so far it was either scam or propaganda.
I'm torn. I'm not a huge fan of ads and I don't have a lot of respect for the modern ad networks. However this culture of expecting websites to host the data then freeloading off it by blocking the tracking and ads is also a bit ugly.
There is an unwritten social contract here. Websites are willing to host and organise a vast number of content because that'll attract an audience for ads. If there are too may freeloaders resisting the ads then services won't host the content, and on the path to that the freeloaders are really just leeching off a system in an entitled way (unless their goal is to destroy the services they use in which case good on them for consistency and for picking a worthy target).
If people aren't going to be polite and accept that contract then fine, enforcement was always by an honour system. But strategically if a service's social contract doesn't work for someone then they shouldn't use that service - they'd just be feeding the beast. They should go make their own service work or investigate the long list of alternative platforms.
Engineers should not be worried. AI will first start to replace CEO and all managers. That will bring great value to companies.
At the same time, AI will replace politicians and become president. Just imagine a president that does the right things and no lies.
A prime minister that you can write and it will write you back with a proper decision. Government being efficient! Wow! And not someone being just an idiot trying to fake responsible spending or cut waste. And then no more contracts for their friends.
AI will be really for the people and not for the rich. End those "meetings" with all presidents and ministers who fake being really worried about something.
Any problem with the AI itself, Facebook will have a hot line where you can call... and talk to an engineer.
11 comments
[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 31.5 ms ] threadIf Youtube stops working with uBlock Origin, I'll just download the videos wholesale and watch them that way instead, and I doubt there's a realistic way to completely block that, and there will be/already is a large community of people who are willing to make that experience as smooth as it can be, if need be. I don't see an end that works out significantly worse for adblockers in the long run, so everything in the short term is just busywork.
I saw around me that many people are fine with ads, so I don't think it's much of a problem for YouTube
I read that people with either adhd or in the autism spectrum cannot tolerate ads.
So, almost half of people online use adblockers. I know some use adblockers that have white lists. Everyone should use uBlock Origin as it does not have white lists to allow "some" ads and it is the best adblocker and protection to be online on every site.
First we have to close every company that depend on ads to survive. All of them.
If your business is ads, you need to close. That simple.
A company that depends on ads, lives by using you. Your data. Your information. Your privacy.
Remember that first thing to do before open any site is to install uBlock Origin and then spend some time learning how to install a Pi-Hole for a network block on network level.
What about uMatrix; some might argue it is even better than uBlock Origin, at least one can use both at the same time; if "security issues" are a concern, the so-called "modern" browser is a gigantic target that sources and runs Javascript from the internet automatically; there is also the choice of not using one (hence no need for uBlock or other extensions); Javascript isn't required for downloading or watching YouTube videos but YouTube of course wants everyone to use their "Javascript player" so they can monitor people's behaviour at the computer with telemetry and other unsolicited connections
"A company that depends on ads, lives by using you."
Ad services. The company acts as an intermediary (middleman), sitting between two parties, e.g., a video producer and a video consumer, conducting surveillance, collecting data, serving ads, relying on other people to produce and upload video, for free, then targeting the people consuming it with ads; parasitic
Mozilla is the company's business partner, sending data about www users to the company
As such, their software seems compromised; they continually promote an "internet advertising ecocsystem"
There are other ways to avoid ads that do not require a so-called "modern" browser that runs Javascript; usually the so-called "modern" browser are distributed by the company and its partners or competitors; optimised for serving ads
In fact, usually internet ads rely on Javascript, so the "ad blocker" solution is using Javascript to counter Javascript
Some users might prefer to just not choose the so-called "modern" browser as their client, and not run Javascript
Also, not sure whether it is still true but Pi-Hole used to suggest the company's DNS service as "upstream", provide it as a choice, maybe even set it as a default
Nothing hands the company more control than using its public DNS service; the company's DNS cache is filled with IP addresses of tracking and ad servers; users will actually pay third parties like NextDNS to filter these addresses out while the company's hardware products hardcode their public DNS service into the products to allow phoning home to the mothership and free flow of telemetry, tracking and advertising
I have seen so many ads on YouTube and so far it was either scam or propaganda.
There is an unwritten social contract here. Websites are willing to host and organise a vast number of content because that'll attract an audience for ads. If there are too may freeloaders resisting the ads then services won't host the content, and on the path to that the freeloaders are really just leeching off a system in an entitled way (unless their goal is to destroy the services they use in which case good on them for consistency and for picking a worthy target).
If people aren't going to be polite and accept that contract then fine, enforcement was always by an honour system. But strategically if a service's social contract doesn't work for someone then they shouldn't use that service - they'd just be feeding the beast. They should go make their own service work or investigate the long list of alternative platforms.
At the same time, AI will replace politicians and become president. Just imagine a president that does the right things and no lies.
A prime minister that you can write and it will write you back with a proper decision. Government being efficient! Wow! And not someone being just an idiot trying to fake responsible spending or cut waste. And then no more contracts for their friends.
AI will be really for the people and not for the rich. End those "meetings" with all presidents and ministers who fake being really worried about something.
Any problem with the AI itself, Facebook will have a hot line where you can call... and talk to an engineer.