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Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

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541–550 of 608 posts

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#541

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Youtube premium is ad free.

I know this isn't technically youtube's fault, but pretty much every video I watch has a 30 second sponsor segment (Hello Fresh anyone?). There's Nebula for some creators and Patreon for others, but not everyone has an ad free way to watch them. Also Patreon can really begin to add up. And yeah there's that extension that can skip sponsored segments but that's blocking ads, not paying to avoid them.

This is Youtube's fault, as they could (should) require video creators to identify the start and end timestamps of sponsor segments, and then their player should just skip those automatically for logged-in, paying subscribers.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#542
post #541

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know this isn't technically youtube's fault, but pretty much every video I watch has a 30 second sponsor segment (Hello Fresh anyone?). There's Nebula for some creators and Patreon for others, but not everyone has an ad free way to watch them. Also Patreon can really begin to add up. And yeah there's that extension that can skip sponsored segments but that's blocking ads, not paying to avoid them.

This is Youtube's fault, as they could (should) require video creators to identify the start and end timestamps of sponsor segments, and then their player should just skip those automatically for logged-in, paying subscribers.

Only if video creators get a cut, otherwise it won't work.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#543
post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Within the context of people who know what uBlock origin is, given that was the original comparison, 'most' sounds accurate.

That was not the context. 4 posts up: "I really don't understand how most people can stand to browse with all the ads "

Read the first sentence

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#545

Some extremely privileged takes in here which don't consider a basic truth today: the ad supported web allows information to be accessible to a vast number of relatively poor people who would rather spend their limited discretionary income on something other than online content. It's not good or great or perfect, but the downside of the demise of ads, tracking, ad networks on the web would be a more information impov…

the majority of the best information on the web is free

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#546
post #70
post #16

There is a legitimate problem with malware that hijacks all traffic via VPN. Maybe you should hear other side before making judgement!

There is also a legitimate problem with malware being transmitted through ads.

It's so bad, that even the NSA and CIA recommend an ad blocker.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ypke/the-nsa-and-cia-use-a...

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#547

Firefox for Android with ublock origin makes my mobile web browsing sane again. Highly recommended.

The experience is so awful when I browse on my iPad, instead of my Android phone with Firefox+UBlock. I really don't understand how most people can stand to browse with all the ads. The modern web is so much worse than the pop up ads of the old web.

Have you tried installing the safari extension Purify on iOS? It has removed the majority of ads for me.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#548

Some extremely privileged takes in here which don't consider a basic truth today: the ad supported web allows information to be accessible to a vast number of relatively poor people who would rather spend their limited discretionary income on something other than online content. It's not good or great or perfect, but the downside of the demise of ads, tracking, ad networks on the web would be a more information impov…

the majority of the best information on the web is free

I don't think I agree with that. Not even Stack Overflow nor Reddit are free in this context since they make money through ads.

I don't think any of my staple websites would be around if all we could rely on was their charity, and frankly that's not the internet I want to force on people. I want the people who enrich my life to be able to dedicate their time/energy to that end.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#549
post #543
post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was not the context. 4 posts up: "I really don't understand how most people can stand to browse with all the ads "

Read the first sentence

First sentence just explains why the commenter is experiencing both adblocked vs not adblocked web.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#550
post #534

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think online advertising as we know it will be essentially dead by the end of the decade. Because most businesses are paying for google ads, you're basically paying a highway toll for the organic traffic you would get for free anyway, and advertisers haven't figured out the ruse. This whole idea that people search for A and are going to be willing to instead click on B if you put it at the top is super overblown --…

> And when people _are_ shopping around, they search for things like "best vpn providers 2022" Which coincidentally a number of VPN "review" sites were purchased and the lists "updated" to recommend a certain owner that I'm fairly certain at this point is a honeypot. https://restoreprivacy.com/kape-technologies-owns-expressvpn... https://www.techradar.com/news/pc-mag-owner-j2-global-buys-s... Kape Technologies was fo…

IIRC, there are quite a few review networks set up like that. John Oliver's Drug Rehabilitation episode pointed out that the same thing happened with "independent" reviews of drug rehabs.
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