"Over the last few years, YouTube has quietly been making it harder and harder to use ad blockers on its site. Thanks to continuous updates to its ad algorithm, most ads on YouTube are able to bypass ad blockers, subjecting users to 30-second commercials before they watch the trailer for Neagley, the new Reacher spin-off. Now, some users are reporting that YouTube has made using an ad blocker even harder, disabling some core site features until they turn their ad blocker off."
"Within the past week, several Reddit threads sprung up with users reporting that comments were turned off on every video they watched. On some of them, even the video description had disappeared. One poster updated his initial complaint with a revelation: "I turned off my ad blocker and they're turned on again." Even people who paid for ad-free YouTube Premium got hit with the restriction if they were using an ad blocker."
"One person found that YouTube straight up disabled playback entirely until they turned off their ad blocker. Another even compiled a list of restrictions people reported facing, including adding additional 30-second load times and fully locking users out after watching three videos. "I have a feeling they're going to scorch the earth over ad blockers," the user wrote. That same user reported being hit with an ad for YouTube Premium immediately upon turning their ad blocker off,"
YouTube has increasingly made it harder to use ad blockers by updating its ad algorithm so most ads bypass blockers, exposing users to long commercials. Users report that YouTube disables core features for those running ad blockers, including comments, video descriptions, and in some cases playback. Some users experienced extra 30-second load times and full lockouts after watching a few videos. Even YouTube Premium subscribers using ad blockers saw restrictions. Users who disabled ad blockers encountered immediate Premium subscription ads, prompting suspicions that the restrictions aim to drive subscriptions to the $13.99/month plan.
Read at Men's Journal
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