# YouTube "forbidding" ad blockers. Concerns, if any? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493 "2023-10-13T04:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/281 "2023-11-10T04:54:18Z")
Thank you, I see how to do that now. It didn’t help, youtube is now blocked for me, but I appreciate the information. The website said they’re still working on the Opera filters, so I’ll wait for that. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/282 "2023-11-10T04:57:07Z")
Try Incognito Mode. Try another browser (if only to watch videos…I was using Firefox). Be sure to get uBlock on them. Oh! I forgot! Opera has a built-in ad-blocker. You need to disable that and let uBlock do its thing. Opera’s blocker will not get you past YouTube stuff these days. You need ONLY one blocker working. If YouTube sees another ad-blocker it will fritz. This is for uBlock only. Others may work but I don’t know how they work. In a real pinch I used Slack to watch some videos. Somehow embedded videos seem to work fine. So, I would post a link in Slack to myself, watch a video and then delete it. A bit of a fuss but not all that bad and it worked every time. Did that till uBlock got things sorted. I use Firefox now because it is the only browser (I think) not based on Chromium (i.e. Google’s tech and they own YouTube). ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/283 "2023-11-10T17:05:29Z")
Today I seem to be back in business. I disabled the built-in Opera ad block, updated my Ublock filters one more time, and now, no warnings, no blocking. Temporary yay. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/284 "2023-11-10T22:57:03Z")
I think it’s an insidious plot. Every click of a youtube video is like gambling now. When you don’t get blocked… JACKPOT! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/285 "2023-11-15T12:18:32Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > . What’s next, I wonder. (Sorry, I haven’t read much of the thread to see if this is already discussed.) I have had the message ‘your browser is not connected to the internet’, which I have to refresh, sometimes several times. Thankfully that has stopped. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/286 "2023-11-16T02:29:01Z")
UBlock is still working here with updating every few days. But I’m seeing slow starting and freezing/rebuffering with a message suggesting I “restart my device”. Then it starts working. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/287 "2023-11-16T03:22:40Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I have had the message ‘your browser is not connected to the internet’ I just had that one. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/288 "2023-11-17T08:40:42Z")
The ads started trying to hit with me this week. There is a definite pause, as AdBlockPlus fights them off, but nothing too annoying. Occasionally a word or two escapes from the beginning of the commercial. So far, so good. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/289 "2023-11-22T06:00:04Z")
More bad news: > Users on [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/17zdpkl/this_behaviour_from_google_is_beyond_disgusting/?context=3) and [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38345968) are complaining that **YouTube seems to have inserted an intentional five-second delay before video pages will load** in Mozilla’s Firefox and occasionally some other browsers. YouTube tells _The Verge_ that these users are right about the delay, but the browser has nothing to do with it — it’s part of the company’s efforts to quash ad blockers across all platforms. > **[YouTube says it’s not slowing down Firefox — just ad blockers](https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/21/23970721/google-youtube-ad-blocker-five-second-delay-firefox-chrome)** > > The long load times will continue until ad blocker use improves. > The one part of Manifest V3 that everyone can agree on is that it will hurt ad blockers. Google is adding a completely arbitrary limit on how many “rules” content filtering add-ons can include, which are needed to keep up with the nearly infinite ad-serving sites that are out there… Google originally went with a completely crippling limit of 5,000 rules, and after the widespread outrage during its first attempt to push Manifest V3, the company upgraded filtering to a “more generous” limit of 30,000 rules. uBlock Origin comes with about 300,000-plus filtering rules you can enable, _and_ you can also import additional blocking lists and have that number skyrocket. > **[Google Chrome will limit ad blockers starting June 2024](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/11/google-chrome-will-limit-ad-blockers-starting-june-2024/)** > > The "Manifest V3" rollout is back after letting tensions cool for a year. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/290 "2023-11-22T06:07:28Z")
The time has come for a new, totally undetectable ad blocker. The browser fetches the ads as usual and plays them for the expected duration. But a browser extension mutes them and overlays cute cat videos instead. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/291 "2023-11-22T06:14:49Z")
More reason to move to Firefox (I already have…Chrome is still on my PC and I will use it for things like Google Docs but otherwise I’ve given up on that browser). Honestly, I don’t think most people will notice a difference. Firefox works perfectly fine. I doubt anyone would be fussed by a change (a tiny learning curve to learn a slightly different interface). I mention Firefox in particular because it is one of the few browsers that is not run on Chromium (which is built by Google). And then I hope the EU saves us from Google abusing a near monopoly. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/292 "2023-11-22T06:18:22Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Honestly, I don’t think most people will notice a difference. They will if they crank the delay from 5 seconds up to 20 seconds or a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/293 "2023-11-22T06:26:11Z")
I can only hope that: - Firefox and/or extension makers figure a way around it. - The EU howls and busts Google for abusing a monopoly (the US should too but I doubt ever will). ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/294 "2023-11-22T15:33:36Z")
As I noted up-thread, I’ve been following this thread since Day One, and going to YouTube regularly to see if/when I will be affected. I still have yet to see any of the behavior described in this thread. Including the five-second delay. I’m running Firefox with UBlock Origin (no custom filters) on Kubuntu. I also just tested Brave again, which I haven’t been doing as often. Nothing. Ads are blocked, YouTube isn’t complaining. I’m using nothing but the built-in ad blocking that comes with the browser. ETA: I don’t mean this to come across like I’m bragging. I’m genuinely confused as to why this issue seems to be affecting everyone but me. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/295 "2023-11-22T15:42:54Z")
I had experienced the 5 second thang, but assumed it was on my end (perhaps a cache that has gotten too big, since it duplicated said effects that I have witnessed on other browsers on past machines of mine). ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/296 "2023-11-22T16:07:14Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I also just tested Brave again So far, I’ve had no issues with Brave either – no delays, no ad blocking warnings. On my Chromebook, after a warning I reported it as an issue, saying blockers were turned off, and so far I’ve been left alone for a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/297 "2023-11-22T17:19:19Z")
Someone upthread mentioned the experience of using the YouTube app on “smart TVs where there is no ad blocking capability.” For the record, if you have a smart TV with an Android-based OS, you should be able to dive into your settings and jigger things so you can side-load alternative apps not available in the Google Play store. I have been using a third-party youtube-like client on my Phillips TV for a couple of weeks now, with no issues. It’s beautifully designed; even aside from the ad removal, it’s a superior user experience compared to the standard YouTube UI. So it can be done. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/298 "2023-11-22T17:23:12Z")
All of those that recommended uBlock … thank you. I use AdBlock but youTube was detecting it. Now with uBlock added it is just like old times. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/299 "2023-11-22T17:30:06Z")
I’ve gotten the delay but assumed it was YouTube being (unintentionally) shitty. Which is kind of funny since, I won’t pretend I was on the cusp of subbing or anything, but if I WAS that would make me LESS likely to pay them. “Sub $15/mth for _this_? They can’t even load the videos half the time!” ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493/300 "2023-11-22T21:40:14Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I’m running Firefox with UBlock Origin (no custom filters) on Kubuntu. I too use Firefox with UBlock Origin on Linux, and I’ve not had a problem at all with YouTube, nor seen any ads. Admittedly, that is not the platform I use for my recreational YouTube viewing, but I have probably watched 10+ videos on it in the last two weeks with no inconveniences. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-forbidding-ad-blockers-concerns-if-any/991493.md?page=16)