The issue highlights worldwide that some technical people use ad-blocking tools on YouTube videos and enjoy the paid ad-free version for free. In this regard, YouTube takes action against ad blockers who violate YouTube’s terms of service.
Recently, YouTube displayed a pop-up box when it discovered users were blocking ads. Users would be warned to quit using the platform, pay for YouTube Premium, or disable their ad blocker.
However, YouTube could not identify some ad blockers, presumably forcing the Google-owned company to employ more complex techniques to identify privacy-preserving gadgets.
Advertisements are injected directly into the stream by server-side ad injection, making them invisible to ad-blocking software. While YouTube’s server-side strategy is new for the online platform, the ad-blocking app AdGuard informed TechCrunch that the site has already implemented a similar approach on its mobile apps.
Ad Blockers Are Banned on YouTube. Why?
Ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service. Thus, the platform is taking strong action against them. Before taking action against third-party apps accessible on smartphones and tablets, Google focused on browser extensions shortly after the ban was implemented in 2017.
Speaking of Google’s revenue stream, “advertising is a huge part,” Sean Wright, head of application security at Featurespace, says it’s “hardly surprising” that YouTube is taking this approach.
Unfortunately, Wright notes that this most recent change will probably cause most, if not all, of the current ad-blocking techniques to stop working.
According to Wright, ad blocks now operate on the client side, either by permitting the browser to render or process advertising-related material, such as JavaScript or by going behind the network layer and preventing DNS requests to known advertising domains. Click Here
According to Wright, the client’s ability to prevent this from being rendered in the browser if done on the server side is limited, particularly if integrated into a video. For this very reason, to prevent any client-side tampering, it is well-established that security controls must be implemented on the server side.
How to Respond to YouTube’s Crackdown on Ad Blockers
Wright believes that someone might introduce an AI-powered ad filtering system in the future. But for now, Wright argues, consumers will probably have two options. “Either put up with the advertisements or pay the price for a subscription that does away with them.”
Unfortunately, YouTube’s crackdown on ad blocking is expected to continue, and it will undoubtedly worsen. You may always switch to another streaming service, like Vimeo or Dailymotion, but their content is typically less extensive, and they frequently charge for their services.
Also, YouTube Takes Action Against VPN Users
Be careful if you plan to try to use a virtual private network (VPN) to disguise your location to get a lower YouTube Premium membership. According to a TechCrunch article, YouTube looks to take more decisive
YouTube informed TechCrunch that the platform can detect dishonesty in the nation of registration, which will result in a system prompt requiring you to alter your payment details. action against Premium subscribers who try to use a VPN to access lower subscription costs in other nations. It happened after several Reddit users posted complaints about having their Premium subscriptions terminated after using a VPN to purchase a membership from outside of their country.
FAQ’s
Does disabling advertisements on YouTube result in bans?
Ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service. Thus, the platform is taking strong action against them.
Is it unlawful to use AdBlock?
To put it briefly, you can block advertisements in the paid version. However, it is illegal to block the ad through the ad-blocker tool.
Why aren’t YouTubers using AdBlock?
YouTube claims that because ad blockers prohibit video creators from receiving payment depending on the number of views, the firm does not want you to use them. Because they promote creators, the corporation views those advertisements as significant.
