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An experiment that could become permanent:
YouTube's annoying ads often push those who don't want to pay $120 for YouTube Premium to use ad blockers. But Google isn't happy about this potentially lost revenue, and has decided to experiment with a feature that urges ad-blocker users to think again.
Redditor Sazk100 posted a screenshot earlier this week showing a YouTube popup warning that ad blockers are not allowed on the platform. It notes that ads allow YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide, and that an ad-free experience is available via the paid-for YouTube Premium. The message finishes with two options: Allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium, which is $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year for access to original programs and no ads.
Some users who've seen it say they have been able to simply close the pop-up and continue blocking ads on YouTube, but it's likely that Google will clamp down on this, or make the pop-up appear regularly enough to be a distraction.
The moderators of the YouTube subreddit wrote that an employee had confirmed the ad-blocker message was an experiment by YouTube. A Google spokesperson expanded on this in a statement to IGN.
"We're running a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium," they said. "Ad blocker detection is not new, and other publishers regularly ask viewers to disable ad blockers."
While most online companies make their revenue from ads, some complain that YouTube has gone too far, citing its increasing number of unskippable and extended mid-roll ads.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Thexalon on Friday May 12, @01:09PM (7 children)
YouTube apparently hasn't detected my ad blocker (yet).
Because there are 2 arms races going on:
1. Websites want to force ads through ad blockers. Ad blockers want to block the ads the websites are forcing through.
2. Websites also want to force people to turn off their ad blockers to make it easier to force their ads through. Ad blockers want to get better at avoiding detection by websites so that doesn't work.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12, @01:18PM (6 children)
Which ad blocker is that (the one that YouTube doesn't find)?
I'm using EFF Privacy Badger (blocks trackers) and it's sort of the other way, some sites claim I have an ad-blocker installed (I don't).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12, @01:29PM (1 child)
The usual Adblock Plus works fine, but that could change because they haven't rolled out these updates to all users. You can get the real info you need about privacy addons here: https://digdeeper.club/articles/addons.xhtml [digdeeper.club]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Saturday May 13, @02:27AM
Ever since ABP and NoScript got into their dickwaving contest, and it became widely known that ABP has a whitelist, I've moved off of them. uBlock Origin person here.
Everything in life goes to shit sooner or later, in the case of companies these days usually within 10 years max. How long has AdBlock Plus been around now?
Make the thing nice for free, enjoy several years of success, then monetize it and flush it down the crapper.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Friday May 12, @02:03PM (1 child)
uBlock Origin, which seems to do a pretty good job with minimal hassle.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Saturday May 13, @03:13AM
I use UBO also, and while I don't see the ads, I do often get a momentary gap, or occasionally a fail and have to reload the page -- pretty sure those are ads vs UBO, because sometimes it will keep crashing the page until I skip forward a couple minutes.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Friday May 12, @02:23PM (1 child)
I use the Brave browser, which blocks ads by default. It seems to be pretty good at avoiding detection.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday May 12, @04:41PM
I tried Brave for a bit, but I've been using Mozilla since it's infancy. Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge(Good 'ol ME style there) have always been their own brand of bad. Except now ME is also Chrome kind of bad. Pretty much the only good choice is to choose something that's not Microsoft or Google controlled. I would say Apple, but if you're using Apple may as well Apple.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"