YouTube blames ad blockers for slow load times, and it has nothing to do with your browser | The delay is intentional, but targeting users who continue using ad blockers, and not tied to any browse...
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from L4s@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 21 Nov 2023 16:00
https://lemmy.world/post/8565970
from L4s@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 21 Nov 2023 16:00
https://lemmy.world/post/8565970
YouTube blames ad blockers for slow load times, and it has nothing to do with your browser | The delay is intentional, but targeting users who continue using ad blockers, and not tied to any browse…::YouTube has clarified in a statement that users who use ad blockers will have a suboptimal experience regardless of their browser.
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The other day my wife asked me “what’s that pipe website you use to be able to watch YouTube videos” then I realized it was because she got blocked by YouTube haha
Yeah, sure. That’s why it happens on Firefox even without an adblocker, and goes away when using a user agent switcher to claim you’re using Chrome instead of Firefox while using an adblocker. Because it’s toooooooootally about adblocking.
I tried this exact scenario and didn’t see any difference in load times. I’m using an ad blocker and it’s definitely sluggish, but switching to a Chrome user agent made no difference.
It’s hard to tell these days when there’s so much A/B testing and stuff going on. I haven’t run into this at all personally.
Yeah, people seem to be having very different experiences with it. It might genuinely be them rolling out different versions to different people to bug test it or something like that. Even if that’s the case I still think its probably not unintentional that it hurts Firefox more. They do that too much for me to believe it’s an accident.
How thoroughly was this tested? Because you can summarize a lot of these types of timing differences with one word.
Caching.
And from my experience people tend to overlook this when running casual tests like this.
This is 100% anecdotal of course, but I’ve noticed weirdly inconsistent behaviour. I have one tab I permanently keep open for YouTube and that one loads videos really fast. If I open a second tab by following a link from that main tab, then it partly loads the site and sits there for a weirdly long time before any content even appears.
I’ve got a really fast connection too, and nothing else was having issues. This whole thing is bizarre.
It’s actually been confirmed that the 5-second wait happens regardless of browser. Even with Chrome.
Funny how soon it will seem as if chrome is the most used browser while it’s actually Firefox with a user agent change
ask the mainstream users if they using firefox lol
I can already imagine the bullshit wired articles about how users are Switching from Firefox to Chrome, remember how they tried to claim people were uninstalling ad blockers, when in reality they were switching to uBlock Origin, that was pretty funny.
I will stop using youtube before I stop using adblockers.
My opinion too. A lot of people say “Oh I couldn’t live without it, I’m constantly watching vids on there” so you ask for recommendations, look them up, and it’s 99% brain-rotting video porridge
What, you mean to tell me you don’t wanna watch MUTAHAR LAUGH COMPILATION AT FNAF FREDDIE FAZBEAR POOPING ON PURPLE GUY 3AM (GONE SEXUAL)?
Have you tried Odysee or Peertube yet?
So if I use Firefox I have a choice between a 5sec delay or a 5sec delay and ads. That seems like an easy choice.
I would assume the ad gives the creator some revenue while the delay doesn’t
the ad is poison to my soul tho so its still better to delay
That’s extreme lol, I barely notice ads, they hardly exist to me
Well, I have quite strong “anti spam filters” IRL. I often don’t even notice there are adverts around me or commercials in radio/television running somewhere in background. But youtube? Holy hell that’s another story. I just hate it when there are 5 unskippable 1+ minute ads in 10 minute video. It’s retarded and the only effect it has on me is I start to boycot the product/brand/service I see there.
There are other ways to give to creators. You can tip, many have stores, patreon and floatplane among other ways.
Of course, and if you support creators that way I respect it, but most people never do.
Even so, it is still more profitable than the advertising revenue a lot get. There are big creators that would prefer the views. They can also do sponsored spots.
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Whatever. Don’t give for free and claim after you need to get paid. That’s no business model, that’s something that currently works, a fad. And morally questionable at that.
I’d be OK with that if YouTube didn’t demonetize people all the time for utterly stupid reasons they refuse to explain and instantly give ad profits to anyone making a content claim whether or not the claim is valid.
Until they actually demonstrate competence in sharing profits with creators, they can fuck off.
If they really had guts… go full paywall mode. No freemium with ads bullshit.
Don’t pretend like hook and bait business model is not being used here.
If YT did that, another company would just come and steal their market share with the same freemium system
At this point, I welcome the day that actually happens.
I call bullshit on this
Why?
The only alternative is stuff like Nebula and Floatplane but I’m not convinced people are willing to actually spend $ on creator media
Sundar can diaf
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Brave, Orion and Vivaldi are also still standing.
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That is also true of Chromium browser is it not? Can you provide evidence of questionable or unethical privacy practices by Brave?
Here is what code Brave removes. 👍🏻
Where does most of Firefox’s financial support come from? 🤔
Yes it is also true of Chromium which is why it’s not a matter of finance or money. Brave is simply Chromium based, like Chrome, while Firefox is using its own engine.
Android TV: SmartTube
iOS (Sideload or Jailbreak): uYou+
MacOS/Linux/Windows: FreeTube
Every Browser: Invidious
Android: newpipe, libretube, clipious, skytube, revanced
Why does nobody ever list ReVanced for Android on these lists?
I’ve got Firefox and Ublock, and don’t see any delays, warnings, etc. It may have to do with the fact that I’m not signed in with an account.
This also appears to be in an A/B test or something similar. It isn’t happening for everyone (yet).
I’m using DNS level ad blocking, anyone else not experiencing anything weird?
Yeah it looks like they’ve switched away from the 5-second penalty for having ad blockers to counting down the number of videos you’ll be shown, then after 3-2-1 it’s ‘adblockers violate youtube’s toc’
To be clear that is not new, that was a thing already before. Like from around July some people were already getting that.
Remember that just like with everything YouTube doesn’t apply changes to all users across the whole site simultaneously. They always do gradual rollout with randomized user impact. So as to not upset or raise too many alarms at the same time. It’s been their MO for about 10 years now.
As has been the MO of many large sites for a while now. It’s called blue-green deployment.
Yeah and while I’m sure it is useful for minimizing outrage at controversial changes, it’s mainly to prevent rolling out major bugs to too many people
If that’s blue green deployment, then what is red yellow deployment?