YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again • Hacker News Board

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#11

Post by mu53 » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 9:17 PM UTC

Telaneo wrote: post #3

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 realisti…

increasing friction for ad blockers will increase ad views will increase revenue.

It is pretty easy for a company whose existence depends on ads to see people that use ad blockers as leeches or freeloaders or other derogatory terms to justify making their lives more difficult.

Youtube premium is around $15, and depending on people's video usage, it pays for itself

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#12

Post by commiepatrol » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 9:25 PM UTC

jokoon wrote: post #8

I wonder what is the proportion of users using an adblocker 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.

Wut?

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#13

Post by tene80i » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 9:28 PM UTC

Telaneo wrote: post #3

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 realisti…

The goal is to increase revenue, and one way to do that is to make the experience worse for people blocking ads. Some, like you, will keep finding new ways to bypass them. Others will give up and allow the ads, or pay for ad-free. They don’t need to stop all the ad-blocking users, just more and more each time. And if you’re a die-hard who will never allow ads, they probably don’t care what you do at all. Why should they? It’s not personal - they just want to keep increasing revenue, and it’s not coming from you no matter what, so they don’t care what your experience is like.

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#14

Post by roscas » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 9:34 PM UTC

"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.

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#15

Post by 1over137 » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 10:08 PM UTC

mu53 wrote: post #11

Telaneo wrote: post #3

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 realisti…

increasing friction for ad blockers will increase ad views will increase revenue. It is pretty easy for a company whose existence depends on ads to see people that use ad blockers as leeches or freeloaders or other derogatory terms to justify making their lives more difficult. Youtube premium is around $15, and depending on people's video usage, it pays for itself

But thats even less private. If you log in, they know exactly who you are.

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#16

Post by roscas » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 10:11 PM UTC

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.

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#17

Post by sanswork » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 10:15 PM UTC

roscas wrote: post #14

"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 protectio…

Why should you have the right to dictate that no one is allowed to pay for their services by watching ads? You're suggesting cutting off services for the majority of the planet because you are in a financial position to pay for what you want.

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#18

Post by general1726 » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 10:16 PM UTC

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.

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#19

Post by sanswork » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 10:19 PM UTC

roscas wrote: post #16

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.

How many seconds of your life were wasted reading an article about YouTube ads then commenting here multiple times?

If you need medication to sleep after seeing a single ad that seems like a pretty serious problem that warrants avoiding media entirely.

Re: YouTube steps up fight against ad blockers again

#20

Post by Telaneo » Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 10:27 PM UTC

mu53 wrote: post #11

Telaneo wrote: post #3

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 realisti…

increasing friction for ad blockers will increase ad views will increase revenue. It is pretty easy for a company whose existence depends on ads to see people that use ad blockers as leeches or freeloaders or other derogatory terms to justify making their lives more difficult. Youtube premium is around $15, and depending on people's video usage, it pays for itself

This is the reflex/instinct approach though. Sure, they increase friction for people with adblock, and then 5 minutes later, uBlock Origin does an update to undo Youtube's friction, and we're back to square one. No gain for anyone, no thought of what happens long term, just busywork.

I'll pay for Youtube Premium the day they bring back a pre-2015-ish Youtube web layout, tone down the ads accordingly for those who can't pay, community subtitles, dislikes and annotations. I have no intentions of paying for a service that grows worse year over year, which I constantly have to counteract with either browser add-ons, or separate programs like yt-dlp and Freetube. I'll pay for the content if need be, but that's what Patreon is for in most cases. Youtube's a middleman I'd rather not have to deal with, but which we're stuck with.