Live data from Hacker News

The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

youtube.com

131–140 of 147 posts

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#131
post #97
post #18

I know this is just a fun little easter egg, but features like this seems a little risky to me. It calls attention to the fact that Youtube isn't just serving me videos neutrally, it knows what is being said in those videos at the exact moment it is said. It highlights how much Google analyses the content of its videos in a way that more neutral features like automatic transcripts don't and in turn how much that can…

That's not an easter egg, that feature probably increased the number of likes in videos since it made the button easier to spot when users were looking for it (which is when it is mentioned on videos). So that sweet engagement KPI is positively impacted and Youtube's CRO/experiment/Ab testing team gets their cookies. There are probably various small tweaks like this in the UI.

Interaction reminders were actually against YouTube guidelines before this change has been implemented.

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but that's not how Googs makes money

What does that have to do with anything? The text transcript for the video already exists on the client, implementing this behavior is trivial with that in mind. Whatever creepy analysis YouTube is doing (which I don't doubt they are), this feature isn't evidence of it.

you honestly think that Googs spend the time and money to develop automatic transcription/translation for anything other than figuring out ad sales to videos? anything else they've done with it is just bonus features from the work on how to direct ads. how is that difficult to grok?

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Up Next and recommended videos don't require understanding the content of the videos. They could, as an example, find other users that watch similar videos and pick a video you haven't seen out of the things the other users have watched. It wouldn't surprise me if they use transcripts, but neither feature strictly requires it. I think the real risk here is users extrapolating from "YouTube can automatically respond t…

They need it anyway to enforce copyright. Simple content hashing tricks don't work because people upload slightly cropped or mirrored copyrighted content. Understanding the content is ultimately the only way to properly enforce and discriminate IP theft vs. fair use at scale. And the Senate wants that feature as the IP lobby is strong.

Aren’t there fancy hashing algos that are resistant to that? I feel like I remember PhotoDNA still being able to match even after a surprising array of modifications. I want to say cropping and reversing could still match, but I don’t really recall and would strongly prefer to not have “how to beat PhotoDNA” in my search history.

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#134
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Up Next and recommended videos don't require understanding the content of the videos. They could, as an example, find other users that watch similar videos and pick a video you haven't seen out of the things the other users have watched. It wouldn't surprise me if they use transcripts, but neither feature strictly requires it. I think the real risk here is users extrapolating from "YouTube can automatically respond t…

It speaks to the fact that things that are most beneficial to Google have been finetuned to exploit eyeballs and pocketbooks. If they wanted to, or if their hand was forced, they’d be able to do the things that benefit the greater good. Don’t get started with the “it’s a slippery slope” kind of shit. Short of living in some society where it’s every man for himself, kids shouldn’t be playing lotteries

There are significant differences in difficulty, but I do agree with the sentiment. Grepping for “like button” in a transcript is much easier and cheaper than training an LLM to check whether a lottery is legal or not.

It also helps that there’s no counterparty risk with the like button. I don’t think anyone is trying to “trick” that feature, and it wouldn’t matter if they did.

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#135
post #18

I know this is just a fun little easter egg, but features like this seems a little risky to me. It calls attention to the fact that Youtube isn't just serving me videos neutrally, it knows what is being said in those videos at the exact moment it is said. It highlights how much Google analyses the content of its videos in a way that more neutral features like automatic transcripts don't and in turn how much that can…

comments like these are the same thing as wolf is coming and one major reason why more and more people ignore about encroaching on privacy by corporations

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They need it anyway to enforce copyright. Simple content hashing tricks don't work because people upload slightly cropped or mirrored copyrighted content. Understanding the content is ultimately the only way to properly enforce and discriminate IP theft vs. fair use at scale. And the Senate wants that feature as the IP lobby is strong.

Aren’t there fancy hashing algos that are resistant to that? I feel like I remember PhotoDNA still being able to match even after a surprising array of modifications. I want to say cropping and reversing could still match, but I don’t really recall and would strongly prefer to not have “how to beat PhotoDNA” in my search history.

Yes there are quite a few algos and YT already uses many of them but it only takes one person to find a workaround then publish it and it again opens the floodgates.

All the different mechanisms that youtube has used is an interesting rabbithole but its ultimately an unwinnable cat and mouse game unless you have an algo that understands the actual content.

Even the human reporting has become weaponized. Don't like the message of a video? have a bunch of youtube accounts flag it and it gets demonetized.

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My TV's YT app is useless and buggy. It doesn't have automatically generated & automatically translated subtitles. The YT app on my mi-box does. So it wouldn't be impossible to have the VTT prescan the audio and "if VTT has the phrase so-and-so then display animation lalala.gif" (I use the VTT on my Firefox, I use IDM to download the auto-generated English language scripts for lengthy videos). I remember listening to…

why would these auto generated subs be the apps purview? wouldn't it be YT platform doing all of this work and providing a CC button if the data is available. i can't imagine this being done in real time and not just some post process that is run against new content at time up upload processing.

It could as well be done the few secs after one uploads to the time it becomes available, and the same applies to all translations (to all languages).

It is one of those things I don't care (at all) to know how it is technically set up :)

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#138
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It calls attention to the fact that Youtube isn't just serving me videos neutrally, it knows what is being said in those videos at the exact moment it is said. It highlights how much Google analyses the content of its videos in a way that more neutral features like automatic transcripts don't and in turn how much that can teach Google about me based on the videos I watch. How else do you think the "up next" and "re…

Up Next and recommended videos don't require understanding the content of the videos. They could, as an example, find other users that watch similar videos and pick a video you haven't seen out of the things the other users have watched. It wouldn't surprise me if they use transcripts, but neither feature strictly requires it. I think the real risk here is users extrapolating from "YouTube can automatically respond t…

> The Mr Beast thing is still blowing up, could they automatically identify illegal lotteries?

OotL; Mind sharing a link or two?

Familiar with MrB but no idea about anything blowing up. Quick search doesn't make the referenc obvious.

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Up Next and recommended videos don't require understanding the content of the videos. They could, as an example, find other users that watch similar videos and pick a video you haven't seen out of the things the other users have watched. It wouldn't surprise me if they use transcripts, but neither feature strictly requires it. I think the real risk here is users extrapolating from "YouTube can automatically respond t…

> Could they identify things that aren't suitable for YouTube Kids but end up there anyways? I sure wish they did.

They would detect that Avenue Q looks so much like Sesame Street and put that on Youtube Kids.

Re: The YouTube like button glows when you say "smash that like button" [video]

#140
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it understand it or does it have a regex for "smash that subscribe button"?

It doesn't work, at least not on my channel or on an unlisted video. I tried "Press the 'Subscribe' button", "Smash the 'Subscribe' button", and "Smash the 'Like' button."

It isn't rolled out to every channel yet. Back when the chapters feature was added to Youtube not every video would have it even if they had the correct syntax in their description. I happened to upload a video around that time and happened to put that syntax in my description and got it to work despite having a channel with almost 0 subscribers, making me think feature rollouts like these are essentially just random. Anecdotally, I suspect videos with these new features are also given an algorithm boost: My video where I had this feature randomly trigger early got over a million views despite that not being my intent and despite my channel being otherwise near non-existent in terms of activity.
Post reply on HN