Google's anti-ad scripts are breaking browsers and privacy plugins. It could get worse because Google controls the ad market, Chrome, and the extension store.

Google’s anti-ad scripts are breaking browsers and privacy plugins. It could get worse because Google controls the ad market, Chrome, and the extension store.

    • rgb3x3@beehaw.org
      32·
      1 year ago

      This is a dumb take. Being behind a paywall means it’s not controlled by Google and its ad network.

      Are these webpages and people just supposed to work for free?

        • rgb3x3@beehaw.org
          2·
          1 year ago

          I pay for YouTube and I think people need to stop complaining so much about ads if they’re not willing to support the infrastructure or the creators they likely watch hours and hours of content from.

          I also think Google is charging too much and should decouple music from videos, but that’s another subject.

          • JWBananas@startrek.websiteEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            I also pay for YouTube. I just don’t normally bring it up because it usually results in a lot of rather unpleasant replies.

            It’s fascinating, really.

            Google gets a lot of hate for being a data collection behemoth. The whole “if you aren’t paying, you are the product” thing. And rightfully so.

            And pirates love to say that if companies would just charge a reasonable rate for an easy-to-use service, then they would just pay instead of pirating.

            But when it comes to YouTube, a lot of people seem to want to have it both ways.

      • the w@beehaw.orgEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        404 media in particular do great work. They’re all defectors from Motherboard (vice) and I think supporting them is both worthwhile and worth it.

      • PM_ME_YOUR_ZOD_RUNES@sh.itjust.works
        6·
        1 year ago

        I haven’t logged out since they started this push and I don’t get them with just Firefox/uBlock. I was getting them for a bit and they even blocked me completely at one point. But I just cleared my uBlock cache and updated and it’s been working fine.

      • LadyLikesSpiders@lemmy.ml
        2·
        1 year ago

        Yes I am. I even got the pop-ups for a couple days a week ago, but I just closed the pop ups and resumed the videos with no ads

        • money_loo@1337lemmy.com
          21·
          1 year ago

          Y’all have a strangely strong emotional reaction to me just informing you that paying for the product works well as well.

          Sometimes you pay for a product and it’s not what you expected or it sucks.

      • Free Palestine 🇵🇸@sh.itjust.works
        71·
        1 year ago

        Opera GX 🤢🤮

        Use a proper browser like Firefox or preferably LibreWolf with a proper adblocker like uBlock Origin. LibreWolf even comes with uBO preinstalled. It also makes many other significant privacy security improvements compared to normal Firefox.

        • TowardsTheFuture@lemmy.zipEnglish
          02·
          1 year ago

          Literally say I have uBO on so lol chill. It works fine so I see no need to swap. Been using opera since before it went chromium and it’s been fine so no real need to swap. Haven’t run into issues with being told to use chrome/edge I’ve seen people post on here, haven’t run into issues with having to update uBO or anything for it to work with YouTube so I’m fine. Plus workspaces and CPU/Internet limiters are nice.

          • Free Palestine 🇵🇸@sh.itjust.works
            4·
            1 year ago

            I do actually see a need for you to switch, Opera is one of the shadiest browsers owned by some weird Chinese company. It collects all of your data and sends it right to China, I wouldn’t be comfortable using this, it’s far worse than Chrome or even Edge. They also run really weird ads and marketing campaigns, just use Firefox or LibreWolf, the latter has uBlock Origin preinstalled and it’s pre-configured for maximum privacy. I can only recommend it!

            • TowardsTheFuture@lemmy.zipEnglish
              01·
              1 year ago

              I mean I don’t really care if China has my data. Rather them than a US company. Not much china’s government can do about me (and not like I’m gonna be some high priority target for them so, whatever. If they wanted my data that bad they could just buy it from every American company anyways. )

              Understandable though if you don’t want china having your data. I just have mostly given up on caring about it. Someone is gonna have my data anyways.

              • jamyang@lemmy.ml
                1·
                1 year ago

                Don’t fund their army with your data dude. Switch to some Firefox fork ASAP.

              • Fluffery@lemmy.ml
                1·
                1 year ago

                Its not the point of China having your data. Its the point of opera sells that data, and they have it in the first place

          • Dogeek@sh.itjust.works
            3·
            1 year ago

            The problem is that it is chromium based, hence giving Google more power in deciding internet standards (like their web environment integrity API proposed a few months ago)

  • DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.ml
    11·
    1 year ago

    Use noscript it’s the best. You will have to learn what’s useful while being real and what’s fake but that’s the best part. It disables YouTube’s scripts for advertising.

    • Gestrid@lemmy.caEnglish
      18·
      1 year ago

      Or just use uBlock Origin? It blocks YouTube’s ads (and their adblocker-blockers) right out of the gate. It’s also available on Firefox for Android.

        • Gestrid@lemmy.caEnglish
          6·
          1 year ago

          Have you followed the instructions in the devs’ Reddit thread? (At the bottom of the thread, they also have a section of instructions for people who’ve already gone through the process of purging their filters before.)

          Also, make sure nothing else (ex. another adblocker, including your browser’s built-in adblocker) is causing issues.

        • dracul104@lemmy.sdf.org
          13·
          1 year ago

          It’s too much of a pain to use for me personally. I really don’t want to spend time figuring out which scripts to enable every time I visit a new site. Adblock I can just turn on and forget with minimum effort.

          • vaionko@sopuli.xyz
            31·
            1 year ago

            I have never had to touch anything on uBlock origin. Well, before this youtube stuff when I sometimes have to manually update a block list when YT gets a new adblocker blocker

            • dracul104@lemmy.sdf.org
              1·
              1 year ago

              I already use uBlock Origin. I haven’t had any issues with it. I was replying to the person who said NoScript was better.

            • Ulu-Mulu-no-die@lemm.eeEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              I never had to touch anything in uBlock Origin, not even once, I just have to remember to check for updates every now and then. I see some people saying sometimes they still get ads on youtube, not sure if it’s youtube testing new targeting, but I’ve never seen ads on YT anyway, I guess I’m not interesting enough to them XD

          • Trihilis@feddit.nl
            21·
            1 year ago

            Download Firefox. Look up “ublock origin firefox” in search engine of choice. Click install. Done!

            It’s that easy…

  • walkercricket@sh.itjust.works
    10·
    1 year ago

    Honestly, I think it’s great: if it annoys people enough, they will move out from Chrome and install Firefox (or one of its forks) with good extensions for blocking ads on YouTube. It seems to be the only solution to break the monopoly of Google on browsers. So go Google, I believe in you!

    • drcabbage@lemmy.ml
      131·
      1 year ago

      Nah, most people are dumb, they will just continue to complain and assume there is nothing they can do.

      • iturnedintoanewt@lemm.ee
        2·
        1 year ago

        Yeah but even dumb people when annoyed enough will listen to alternatives. Specially when this one is so damn easy. It’s not like editing config files or changing partitions, it’s just using another damn browser.

        • ElNuevo@lemmy.lemist.de
          1·
          1 year ago

          The key is “annoyed enough”. I personally know many people who have never used adblockers and don’t see why they’re necessary.

      • sic_1@feddit.de
        2·
        1 year ago

        Nope it doesn’t. Mine works without any modifications but I heard that it happens occasionally. There are some easy steps to set up FF to work again, should be easy to look up.

        • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          0·
          1 year ago

          I went through the instructions with the removing other extensions and resetting things and pasting filters etc. multiple times but it kept breaking, ended up switching to FreeTube. Maybe they’ve got it by now but I’m going to wait until it all shakes out more, too much hassle.

          Plus if you read the article, you can’t tell how it works overall just because it works for you, because YouTube is treating different groups of users differently here.

          • Player2@sopuli.xyz
            1·
            1 year ago

            I had it pop up a couple times in Firefox, but it went away when I enabled the Annoyances filter in ublock settings. The videos just work now, no problem

  • CaptObvious@literature.cafe
    1·
    1 year ago

    So far a Firefox workaround seems to be copying the URL into a fresh private browser window.

    It may not be enough to matter, but a not-insignificant number of users will simply abandon YouTube if this keeps up.

    • MiddledAgedGuy@beehaw.org
      2·
      1 year ago

      a not-insignificant number of users will simply abandon YouTube if this keeps up.

      I regetfully disagree. I think very few people will leave the platform and that the additional revenue generated from those that use adblockers but allow YouTube ads will easily cover the difference of those that do.

      I don’t say this to discourage boycotting. Fuck google, do it if you want to!

    • badelf@lemmy.ml
      0·
      1 year ago

      Allready done. 😃 Some puts a YouTube link, I just scroll past. Can’t be that important if it’s on boobtube

  • 1984@lemmy.today
    11·
    1 year ago

    FreeTube works fantastic on desktop. No ads and instant playback and high quality. Amazing app.