I would just caution anyone that blocking ads while logged into your Google account is probably a bad idea if you care about still watching videos there. Google will grow more desperate to show tracked ads to users.

The only ling term solution is to seek to watch YouTube e videos in a private way. Freestone is a good start. New piped and individuals look promising as well. I'm still researching a good long term solution.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Front-ends and streaming platforms are several outsite, but Google also is blocking those, its not a solution for a long term. I was recently using FreeTube as a desktop client, but it has become unusable. I recently replaced VLC with SMPlayer, MMplayer like VLC but way better, also FOSS, this allows me to watch, among others, streaming videos from different sites, among others also from YT so far without problems. I also use an extension (FOSS) that allows me to record the audio of the active tab and save it as mp3, that is, with this it does not matter whether it is a music video from YT or from other sources and with this outside of Google's control.

A good option is also IMDB, or better its online service, Odysee, which allows you to import subscriptions and playlists from YT, it is somewhat complicated to do, but it is guided. Odysee is not related to Google, it has a UI similar to YT and a good number of videos of all kinds, many have already moved to this platform. In my opinion it is the best direct alternative to YT.

In any case, at least so far, this userscript works wonderfully and I think it will continue to work, since it prevents YT from discovering that you use an adblocker, not like other anti adblock killers whose script I also have in the Vivaldi blocker list, since these do block the YT detector, which naturally has already been discovered, however this script does not block the YT detector, but surrounds it by putting a "mask" over the video, with which the detector passes underneath without discovering anything.

The risk that YT discovers it and blocks me? Yes it does anyway if I continue using an adblocker and I prefer to suck my elbow before deactivating the ad- and all the other blockers on YT and swallowing all the garbage of ads, clickbaits and the other shit that YT is full of (a single music video, blocked 12 ads and more than 20 trackers and without the Clickbait Remover, YT completely changes the thumbnails it shows, which mostly have nothing to do with the content). No, thanks

[–] spark947@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, I definitely agree, and haven't looked into all the options yet. It is pretty logical that they would catch on to stuff like free-tube very quickly. But I still think the only reasonable posture is to view video content anonymously, until google goes the twitter route and demands that you identify yourself to watch a video. They kind of already do that for mature content.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

I know, there still videos blocked for NSFW content, where you need to identify you, eg the music video from Harakiri for the Sky - Funeral Dream is flagged as such, but you can still warch it from an other upload, Also not a problem to watch it in Andisearch or SMPlayer. But this filter has nothing to do with the current adblocker problem, age restricted vids in YT are exist since several years.

[–] gila@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Google's desperation to show tracked ads is but one vector in the equation which determines longterm viability for watching Youtube ad-free for free. There are also other vectors to consider like the level of obtrusion required to actually effectively adblock-block, and its related effect on the userbase. And also just the level of inconvenience presented by ads, determined by their length, skippability etc.

The proportion of the userbase blocking ads is still relatively negligible, and this is an outcome manufactured by Google toeing the line between too obtrusive and too ineffective. Any measure I can imagine which would actually capture a significant portion of users blocking ads would also significantly skew the balance in favour of obtrusivity, which they would pay for in lost users.

As long as many users are happy to continue being vigilant in blocking ads, IMO this balance will ensure blocking ads will remain feasible.

[–] spark947@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Long term, google will demand our identity to serve video data to us, even if only out of principle. I just think that service will degrade in the pursuit of more price extraction.

I have a longer term project to decouple my identity and property from online services. Part of the reaso thnat I am also on lemmy in the first place. With google products, it is becoming clear that anonymous use is really the only answer.

[–] gila@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In general I would agree, but as it pertains to Youtube adblock blocking - there is no gradual slide into degradation (apart from perhaps to do with the implementation of ads itself, though I'd argue they're less obtrusive now than in their original implementation many years ago).

There is fundamentally no way to adblock-block today which does not involve collecting info in a way that causes obvious privacy concerns. It's not somewhere Google can get to by taking little steps. The adblock-blocking that's been happening to date is easily circumvented. Logically an arms race between adblockers and adblock-blockers will ensue, except in practice it'd be like raising the stakes from a civil war re-enactment to actual nuclear war

[–] spark947@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Right. That is why I am saying: beocme anonymous now before google demands your identity to watch videos. That is where I believe this is headed.