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FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

freetubeapp.io

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Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#171

Post by nonrandomstring »

robertlagrant wrote: post #169
nonrandomstring wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's selfish to use the services of YouTube while removing their main source of revenue. The entire edifice of Capitalism, which we celebrate, is built on selfishness. And yet you use the word here as if it were a bad thing. I am confused :) > If you have a problem with YouTube's tracking, simply don't use it Why "simply" avoid a problem when with some effort you can improve it? In this case optimising the service…

There's a difference between people being able to make money based on them doing a good job, which is Adam Smith-style selfishness, and me wanting a Porsche, so taking one from someone, which is not.

There are not two 'kinds' of selfishness. You describe a difference in behaviours, but not in the underlying selfish motive. I remain unconvinced of the propriety of picking and choosing whether to extol or demean the same human condition depending on the ideology one is trying to prop-up.

Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#173

Post by empyrical »

capex wrote: post #110

My biggest gripe with Youtube right now is how they've left channel subscription just as a long list. I have hundreds of subscriptions, and they are clearly around a few of my interests...

They used to let you sort subscriptions into "Collections", but they removed this feature in 2015. I remember they teased they might bring it back in 2021, but I haven't seen much come of it. [1]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGSHPhR8k8g

Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#174

Post by lrvick »

the_third_wave wrote: post #140
lrvick wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Freetube has built-in support to proxy all content via Invidious.

Sure, but what is the advantage of using Freetube when you're running your own instance of Invidious? What extra functionality does it offer over what Invidious already offers? As far as I can see the advantages of hosting your own Invidious - or a similar application offering anonymous Youtube (etc.) access - outweigh those of using specific desktop/mobile applications like Freetube and Newpipe. I used to use Newpip…

I find freetube much nicer to use on a TV personally.

Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#175

Post by robertlagrant »

nonrandomstring wrote: post #171
robertlagrant wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a difference between people being able to make money based on them doing a good job, which is Adam Smith-style selfishness, and me wanting a Porsche, so taking one from someone, which is not.

There are not two 'kinds' of selfishness. You describe a difference in behaviours, but not in the underlying selfish motive. I remain unconvinced of the propriety of picking and choosing whether to extol or demean the same human condition depending on the ideology one is trying to prop-up.

I'm not trying to prop up an ideology. And I didn't say there were different kinds of selfishness; nor was I extolling or demeaning selfishness.

I'm not sure what's left to reply to once I exclude all of that from your comment.

Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#176

Post by dalbasal »

n4bz0r wrote: post #53

People here talking about how they don't want YouTube to make a profile of their preferences, and here I am, wishing YouTube had a better profile of my preferences. Lately, there is almost no new videos in my recommendation feed. It's mostly either the things I've already watched or new videos from the channels I'm already subscribed to. It really feels like I've exhausted the internet at some point. This can't possi…

So...

This is a conversation that needs to be had. Or rather, it's a conversation that should have been had before YouTube/FB/etc. gained control over the world wide web.

Podcasts are, and have long been the freeiest medium. The protocol itself worked well. Hosting was cheap & simple enough (compared to video) that "free hosting" didn't give the likes of Google an angle to centralise it under their control. It was also marginal and unprofitable enough that they didn't try hard.

That said, podcast discovery always sucked. It still sucks. Blogrolls, BITD, worked well for me. Recommendation engines better or worse, are at least something. Monopoly's understand instinctively that recommendation/discovuery is the key to the kingdom. Open systems tend to see the pursuit as dirty.

In any case, discovery is like hosting. It's a ford. Control it and you control the stream. Neglect it, and be defeated.

The puritanical rejection of tracking, profiling, recommendation & discovery has and is placing a low ceiling on open media initiatives. It's ceding ground to monopolies.

We need open, consensual ways of having profiling... advertising even, perhaps.

Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#177

Post by kdhfkhhhhh »

ramonezy wrote: post #25

I think as developers we have to be careful that we don't overstep logical boundaries. Youtube provides a free service that hosts immense volumes of video and creates an ecosystem allowing creators to earn a living. It's selfish to use the services of YouTube while removing their main source of revenue. If you have a problem with YouTube's tracking, simply don't use it

>It's selfish to use the services of YouTube while removing their main source of revenue.

I guess so.

>If you have a problem with YouTube's tracking, simply don't use it

You are yet to give me an actual incentive why I shouldn't. No, "it's immoral" doesn't work, because morals aren't real.

Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#178

Post by lrvick »

judge2020 wrote: post #115
cuttysnark wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IP addresses are frequently kept and stored to show users their active sessions. Are you sincerely doubting that a company like Google doesn't or can't use this information in other ways that support their core business? You don't have to call it "tracking", but I can't think of a better name.

What is a scenario where this actually happens, though? Imagine two people live in the same residence. One is extremely privacy conscious, doesn’t even have a Google account, and the other doesn’t even run an ad blocker. Both have the same phones on the same OS version, and for sake of argument, both are on the same ipv4. Does this mean that, if the privacy conscious person opens a private browsing session on their p…

Lookup pantopoclick. Surveillance capitalism companies are very good at uniquely identifying individual users based on a combination of unique device metadata, geography, networks, etc.

Tor Browser in Whonix in a Qubes VM is recommended when you need reasonable privacy while interacting with services purpose built to track users.

Re: FreeTube – A Private YouTube Client

#180

Post by lrvick »

soheil wrote: post #133
lrvick wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can route all traffic through community invidious instances so Google can not even track what content is consumed by your IP. It also automatically skips all ads, even sponsor segments in videos. You also avoid needing to have a Google account to keep up with subscriptions, and you avoid content suppression as the sponsor-prioritized advertiser-friendly algorithms are turned off.

Sounds like an extension that could proxy traffic by website would solve your problem? I don't know why you can't create a google account just for yt so your subscriptions are contained to the firefox yt container.

YouTube would still need my credit card details to disable ads, thus uniquely identifying all my viewing habits to me so they can adjust my feed and recommendations to the liking of their partners.

Also I do not use proprietary operating systems so I would be stuck using a webapp on my TV which is pretty awful UX.

Hard pass.

YouTube forces users to choose between privacy and supporting creators. I will not give up privacy, so it is up to creators to upload to privacy respecting platforms if they want my money.

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