this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
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I know the topic of whether adblock is piracy is debated, but I am guessing there are a lot of adblock users here and I was wondering if anyone has seen the youtube adblock warning message in the wild. I use ublock origin and still haven't seen it once.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I don’t see how YouTube can be abusive

Do you also not see how a Tyrant boss that screams and belittles their employees is being abusive? The employees are free to quit and find work elsewhere right? Oh wait, freedom to avoid abusive behaviour doesn't make that behaviour non-abusive!

I'll also add that Youtube's ads aren't the only way you 'pay' for the service. They gobble up all the data they can glean from your interactions with them. So much data most people don't even really understand how much they're giving away. This data is sold sure, but it is also used to inform the algorithm on how to make the service more addictive to the users. That is to say, some of the abuse is insidious. Are drug dealers paragons of virtue when they offer free samples?

No other service advertises as obtrusively as Youtube does. Twitch comes close. The reasons they get away with this are:

  • the service is designed to be addictive, and

  • they have an effective monopoly. No other free service (and paid for that matter) comes close.

Both easily defined as abusive.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Personally, I don't see how YouTube can be abusive. It is their platform and they can do whatever they want with it. It is your choice if you use it or not. If you think the ads are out of control, you can pay for their subscription or use free services.

Personally, I don't see how people using adblockers can be abusive. It is their computer and they can display whatever content they want with it. It is their choice whether an ad plays on it or not. If YouTube thinks the adblockers are out of control, they can start paying people money to watch content on YouTube's computers.