I'd be fine with ads, but Google's policy is only superficially about ads. They want surveillance and user profiling, not ads. Ads are just a way to deliver these. Over my dead body.
this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2023
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I know I can't escape Google's Orwellian surveillance entirely but I limit what I can, and adblockers/ trackerblockrers play a huge part in this.
I have to play devil's advocate here. Are you really fine with the current level of ads? Fine with some past/historical level less than now? What level is ok exactly?
To me the current level of youtube ads is unhinged. Even minus the privacy issues it's not usable. And it got that way (to me, at least) as soon as skip wait timers (remember when that was all we had to deal with?) became a thing.
Now? With unskippable ads, huge wait timers, and ads injected into the middle of 8-minute videos? Nope nope nooope. Not a chance in hell would I watch unblocked or non-premium youtube.
Fair enough, let me rephrase. I'm willing to negotiate about ads, the exact boundaries yet to be discussed. My privacy and my data are absolutely off limits, especially if they're gonna pretend it's not even about these.
YouTube started nearly (or completely?) ad-free and stayed that way till all of their competition was dead, people were addicted to it and there was no alternative. Then they started turning up the ad knob - gradually to avoid people leaving for something newer, until it was so obnoxious that ad blockers became common among even nontechnical users. Now they're gas lighting ad block users as if they are committing a crime.
YouTube wouldn't be in a position to make these unfair demands if they didn't use their enormous wealth to create a video hosting monopoly and subjecting their users to bait and switch. F*** Google and their pretend morality. F*** them for destroying the web experience. F*** them for destroying web access and livelihood for many by banning their accounts and neglecting all appeals. I'm sure not going to create revenue for a very abusive, unethical and evil corporation.
If content creators want to get paid, start a patreon account or something. Or join a paid subscription service like nebula. I'm open to all those. I just don't want a disgusting leech in between.
Even ignoring the surveillance aspect of ads, which I could go on a massive rant about, Google and other ad platforms themselves doesn't seem to care about harming people with malvertising and scam ads. Why should I care about their revenue?
I was a premium subscriber for a long time, and probably still would be if Google hadn't turned so evil that I can no longer in good conscience pay them any money.
But what pushed me over the edge with an ad blocker was a page I got to where every paragraph had a video ad in between. That was it.
I'm sure other people don't mind ads. Yeah fuck that, I'm gonna ad block till the day I die.
Which is a fine take to have. I block all ads almost all the time. But web hosting does cost money. So I see enabling ads on those who asked nicely has been what I see is donating my time and my annoyance with ad to a service that I value and should donate to. I have been burned a couple of times. But I still do it because hosting content on we costs money.
well I hope there's more people like you to counteract me, cuz I never do that lol
You're a criminal! Nice customer relations there.