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YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

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Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#11
post #10
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not very hard to see when particular web requests did not happen, or particular JS did not execute.

you can make the request and hide the result from the user

Which defeats about 75% of the reason to use the adblocker.

Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#12

I don't think this argument has any legs. You request a page from a web server, the server gives you back some html and some javascript, you execute the javascript which detects if you are using an adblocker. There is no tracking involved, if you believe the js you got back is spyware you can refrain from running it and you can't watch the vid. Should every website ask for your consent to serve you javascript now?

> Should every website ask for your consent to serve you javascript now?

Ideally, yes.

Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#13
post #12

I don't think this argument has any legs. You request a page from a web server, the server gives you back some html and some javascript, you execute the javascript which detects if you are using an adblocker. There is no tracking involved, if you believe the js you got back is spyware you can refrain from running it and you can't watch the vid. Should every website ask for your consent to serve you javascript now?

> Should every website ask for your consent to serve you javascript now? Ideally, yes.

Please don't give the EU any more ideas.

Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#14

From the linked EU memo in the YouTube description: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/MEMO_1... Can users still use ad blockers? The proposal does not regulate the use of ad blockers. Users have the freedom to install software on their devices that disables the display of advertisement. At the same time, the Commission is aware that 'free' content on the internet is often funded by advertisement r…

Sounds like this video is trash then?

Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#15

I don't think this argument has any legs. You request a page from a web server, the server gives you back some html and some javascript, you execute the javascript which detects if you are using an adblocker. There is no tracking involved, if you believe the js you got back is spyware you can refrain from running it and you can't watch the vid. Should every website ask for your consent to serve you javascript now?

It allows them to create a profile of the users. Same reason android no longer has an api to detect which apps are installed along side yours.

Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#16
post #5

How does Youtube detect adblock anyway? Is that documented anywhere?

It's not very hard to see when particular web requests did not happen, or particular JS did not execute.

That doesn't seem to be what is happening, because then uBlock Origin couldn't work around it.

Also things like Newpipe and embedding can be used to bypass the block as well.

I find all of this weird because it seems all so lacking in fundamentals. I'd expect indeed checking whether the content was actually downloaded. That'd be much harder to work around.

In turn that should result in an ad blocker that downloads content but doesn't show it, completing the circle.

I think properly doing it would require a specialized web browser, capable of keeping two separate models, one which it pretends to render, and one which is actually renders.

Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#18
post #12

I don't think this argument has any legs. You request a page from a web server, the server gives you back some html and some javascript, you execute the javascript which detects if you are using an adblocker. There is no tracking involved, if you believe the js you got back is spyware you can refrain from running it and you can't watch the vid. Should every website ask for your consent to serve you javascript now?

> Should every website ask for your consent to serve you javascript now? Ideally, yes.

uMatrix implements that. Highly recommend.

Re: YouTube's Adblock detection might break the law in the EU

#20
post #14

From the linked EU memo in the YouTube description: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/MEMO_1... Can users still use ad blockers? The proposal does not regulate the use of ad blockers. Users have the freedom to install software on their devices that disables the display of advertisement. At the same time, the Commission is aware that 'free' content on the internet is often funded by advertisement r…

Sounds like this video is trash then?

Depends on the definition of 'appropriately' really doesn't it.
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