The ongoing ‘war’ between YouTube and adblockers, highlights Google’s control over the internet. The users of uBlock Origin, a popular adblocker, have created a website to track the state of this ‘adblock war’. However, the uBlock Origin team has chosen not to speak to the press about this sensitive topic, preferring to communicate about the issue publicly on its GitHub or Reddit platforms. AdGuard, another major adblocker, has updated its software to evade YouTube’s detectors and has publicly stated that YouTube is waging a “war against ad blockers”.
Adblockers are specifically being used to block ads on YouTube, which is one of the largest websites globally and owned by Google. Interestingly, Google has previously paid AdBlock Plus to serve ads to its users, and AdBlock Plus has experimented with delivering “acceptable ads” to its users. AdBlock Plus’s parent company, Eyeo, recently hosted the Ad Filtering Dev Summit, a conference about ad blocking, which Google sponsored. AdBlock Plus has acknowledged the issue on its Chrome Store description, stating “Block YouTube ads” as the first words. The company has expressed that while they don’t have a solution at the moment, they are working hard to figure out what they can do in light of these changes.
YouTube’s Terms of Service (ToS) state that when users block ads on the platform, they are in violation of these terms. The platform’s stance is that ads support the creators and allow billions of people worldwide to use the service. If users continue to use ad blockers, YouTube may block their video playback. To avoid this, users are asked to allow ads on YouTube or sign up for YouTube Premium, which offers an ad-free experience.
However, it’s important to note that YouTube’s ToS(Terms of Service) do not explicitly disallow ad-blocking extensions, which remain legal in many jurisdictions, including the US and Germany. The language in the ToS does state that users may not “circumvent, disable, fraudulently engage with, or otherwise interfere with any part of the Service,” which could be interpreted to include ads.
Despite this, many users have expressed dissatisfaction with YouTube’s stance on ad blockers, with some threatening to boycott the platform entirely and subscribe to alternative services. Some users have found ways to bypass YouTube’s adblock detection, such as using specific commands in the uBlock dashboard or installing user script managers.
In response to the use of ad blockers, YouTube has been rolling out a new anti-adblock policy that can’t be bypassed with the usual software like uBlock Origin and Pi-Hole. This policy has been slowly implemented, and users have reported seeing warnings asking them to turn off ad blockers and watch ads or pay for a YouTube Premium subscription.
In summary, while ad blocking is not explicitly prohibited by YouTube’s ToS, the platform has made it clear that it views the use of ad blockers as a violation of these terms. This has led to a contentious situation between YouTube and its users, many of whom rely on ad blockers for a more streamlined viewing experience. This recent move by Google portrays the ongoing struggle between YouTube and adblockers as a demonstration of Google’s powerful influence over the internet. It highlights the efforts of adblocker companies to circumvent YouTube’s ad detection mechanisms and the complexities of the relationship between Google and these companies.
