Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error • Hacker News Board

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#71

Post by abtinf » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 10:46 PM UTC

josteink wrote: post #25

This means that anti-tracking measures are working. This is good news.

My initial thought was this shows the anti-tracking measures aren’t working. But upon further consideration, I think you are correct.

The amount of friction this inflicts on the site and users makes this strategy non-viable for site operators. If any significant fraction of users start using browsers with similar capabilities, sites will be forced to change their practices, otherwise they will lose too many users.

I think the situation parallels the introduction of UAC in Windows. For the first year or so after its introduction, UAC triggered a huge number of annoying confirmation pop ups. Now they are much more rare, usually only when an app really needs to manipulate a system level thing.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#72

Post by zouhair » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 10:47 PM UTC

mankash666 wrote: post #22

unstatusthequo wrote: post #8

Another site I won't miss I guess

Another user CBS won't miss, I guess

I think you should leave, this is childish.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#73

Post by pavel_lishin » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 10:50 PM UTC

tdb7893 wrote: post #53

pavel_lishin wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> blocking ads will harm the industry Which industry?

It harms all the industries where the content is ad supported, which is the majority of the Internet right now. For just what I use every day Facebook, Spotify, Google, almost all news, Youtube, Reddit, and xkcd are all add supported. I get why people don't like ads but it's clearly how an absolutely massive portion of the modern Internet is monetized right now

> I get why people don't like ads

I don't like ads.

But I positively loathe underhanded tactics ad networks utilize, all the way from the "I can disagree but see their point of view" tracking, to "what the fuck are you doing" drive-by malware installs.

Fuck them, unequivocally. They're incapable or unwilling of effectively policing the content they serve, so they don't get to serve it to me.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#74

Post by anonymousab » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 10:55 PM UTC

I've found it amusing that a few news sites disable their atrocious autoplaying videos (and often, the preview window that follows you when you scroll an article) when they detect ad blocking or tracking protection.

They're purposely giving me a better experience for blocking, rather than an inferior one.

But I guess the metrics must show or are being interpreted to show that most users prefer the obnoxiousness.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#75

Post by tomrod » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 10:57 PM UTC

anonymousab wrote: post #74

I've found it amusing that a few news sites disable their atrocious autoplaying videos (and often, the preview window that follows you when you scroll an article) when they detect ad blocking or tracking protection. They're purposely giving me a better experience for blocking, rather than an inferior one. But I guess the metrics must show or are being interpreted to show that most users prefer the obnoxiousness.

This is probably due to the atrocious state of causal inference in tracking within the digital industry generally.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#76

Post by anonymousab » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 10:58 PM UTC

EduardoBautista wrote: post #65

arghwhat wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great, then I can easily see that I do not wish to access your website! Ads should be blocked relentlessly until companies realize what reasonable, secure and tasteful ads look like, instead of the intrusive malware-ridden pile that interrupt our lives at the current time. Tracking, on the other hand, will never have a place in this world.

I mean, if you stop using their website wouldn't it be a good thing for bandwidth heavy sites like YouTube? It's kind of like a restaurant showing you the door and then saying "I didn't want to eat here anyways."

I would be happy to accept denied access to most sites before loading their content.

It'd be cool if browsers could send some sort of do not track header, that sites could then use to refuse to serve you any content.

Assuming that they actually do want none of those users to consume their content in that way.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#77

Post by monochromatic » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 11:02 PM UTC

acdha wrote: post #68

SargeZT wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not the case with CBS. You can absolutely pay for CBS All Access.

Do they turn off the ads if you pay? Many sites don’t offer a no-ad option at any price.

Even if they don’t display the ads, I’d expect them to keep tracking.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#78

Post by andybak » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 11:03 PM UTC

dang wrote: post #59

mankash666 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's this bull-shittery supposed to evoke? Sympathy for your lack of understand of copyright law, or your bull-shit entitlement to CBS' content, or just how disconnected you are from content economics? Ever run a content business? I bet no. Ever run any business? I guess not - fundamental rules of economics relies on a quid-pro-quo transaction that you seem to not understand. Or, since geniuses like you have cracke…

Since you've persisted in posting flamewar-style comments after we asked you several times to stop, we've banned this account. If you don't want to be banned, you're welcome to email hn@ycombinator.com and give us reason to believe that you'll follow the rules in the future. That means posting civilly and substantively, or not at all.

I have my occasional niggles (mostly about pedantic editing of post titles) but goddamit sometimes I love the mods on HN.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#79

Post by albertgoeswoof » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 11:06 PM UTC

anonymousab wrote: post #74

I've found it amusing that a few news sites disable their atrocious autoplaying videos (and often, the preview window that follows you when you scroll an article) when they detect ad blocking or tracking protection. They're purposely giving me a better experience for blocking, rather than an inferior one. But I guess the metrics must show or are being interpreted to show that most users prefer the obnoxiousness.

> most users prefer the obnoxiousness

Most people aren’t looking to read the news- they’re bored and looking for entertainment. So they LOVE all this crap that autoplays, especially when it queues up more clickbaity crap that sounds more interesting than today’s headlines.

Re: Turn off tracking protection to resolve “video is currently unavailable” error

#80

Post by Someone1234 » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 11:07 PM UTC

If anyone is interested in CBS All Access, you can also buy it for the same price via Amazon Digital as an "Add-On Channel."

In essence you get CBS All Access's content but via the Amazon Digital Web-Site/Apps, it is a massive improvement in reliability and performance. CBS's actual streaming player and web-site is a hot mess.