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I don’t think many people argue it is unfair for YouTube to show ads. They argue it is wrong for them to be tracked aggressively across the web. So where is th

I don’t think many people argue it is unfair for YouTube to show ads. They argue it is wrong for them to be tracked aggressively across the web. So where is the front end I can use to still give YouTube ad views without being tracked? I’m saying this as a YT premium subscriber.

judge2020 5y ago
That's just an issue with it being associate with Google, though - recommendations are based on your viewing habits and that's done server-side. Most people use recommendations at least somewhat, and don't find absolutely all of the videos via just the subscription and search features.
lancesells 5y ago
Think of how different everything would be if YouTube wasn't a part of Google. They would no doubt have ads but the entire Google universe wouldn't have access to the viewing habits of 2 billion people.
- Pako 5y ago
  It also probably wouldn't exist anymore. last time I heard anything about it YouTube was in the red and only sustained with income from other Google services. (I might be wrong on that, if so please correct me)
  - ExtraE 5y ago
    Haven’t checked if this is a reputable source, but: https://www.tubics.com/blog/youtube-revenue/ https://www.tubics.com/blog/youtube-revenue/
  - IX-103 5y ago
    I heard that Google was able to get it to break even after a substantial investment to improve efficiency (custom ASICs for transcoding, machine learning models for prioritizing allocation of storage and computing resources). I think I agree that it probably wouldn't exist. Not very many companies would invest that much to just to break even.
  - Rd6n6 5y ago
    I forget the source, but years ago I tried to look it up and it seemed that YouTube was extremely profitable
blondin 5y ago
> They argue it is wrong for them to be tracked aggressively across the web. sums it up. a long time believer of seeing ads here. that way, i don't have to subscribe to bazillion of platforms i tend to visit. but this view started to shift when i started seeing ads from my alma mater's football team everywhere. the "why am i seeing this ad" link told me that "i gave my information to the advertiser". of course i did, i went to school there!
mgraczyk 5y ago
The frontend that does this is youtube.com You can completely, 100% opt out of personalized ads. Go to https://adssettings.google.com/ https://adssettings.google.com/ (edit to fix url)
- ffffwe3rq352y3 5y ago
  I don't want to make a google account so they still track me ;(
  - mgraczyk 5y ago
    You can still opt out even without an account. The opt-out will be remembered until you clear your browser history. https://adssettings.google.com/ https://adssettings.google.com/
    - pabs3 5y ago
      Did you mean cookies instead of history?
      - mgraczyk 5y ago
        yes
    - ffffwe3rq352y3 5y ago
      Hey thanks! I've seen that link thrown around a million times but I've just dismissed it. I appreciate you actually finding a useful one for me!
    - autoexec 5y ago
      Ah, the old "Let me track you using this cookie so that you don't have to sign in and let us track you" trick! I'm guessing between IPs, browser fingerprinting, and usage/viewing habits it's beyond trivial for google to know the computer opting out at 3:00pm today is the same one that opted out this morning before clearing their cookies, and the same one that opted out yesterday for 16 hours and the same one the day before that, etc As for me, I'll stick to youtube-dl
numpad0 5y ago
Is the tracking part not a cover argument? For me I went full adblock because forms of ads became obnoxious and contents unpleasant. I wouldn’t mind being manipulated into buying a clunky life improvement gadget that I use exactly once as much as being forced to watch a guy screaming at me for 15 seconds. On second thought, isn’t the latter straight up jumpscare?

judge2020 5y ago

That's just an issue with it being associate with Google, though - recommendations are based on your viewing habits and that's done server-side. Most people use recommendations at least somewhat, and don't find absolutely all of the videos via just the subscription and search features.

lancesells 5y ago

Think of how different everything would be if YouTube wasn't a part of Google. They would no doubt have ads but the entire Google universe wouldn't have access to the viewing habits of 2 billion people.

Pako 5y ago
It also probably wouldn't exist anymore. last time I heard anything about it YouTube was in the red and only sustained with income from other Google services. (I might be wrong on that, if so please correct me)
- ExtraE 5y ago
  Haven’t checked if this is a reputable source, but: https://www.tubics.com/blog/youtube-revenue/ https://www.tubics.com/blog/youtube-revenue/
- IX-103 5y ago
  I heard that Google was able to get it to break even after a substantial investment to improve efficiency (custom ASICs for transcoding, machine learning models for prioritizing allocation of storage and computing resources). I think I agree that it probably wouldn't exist. Not very many companies would invest that much to just to break even.
- Rd6n6 5y ago
  I forget the source, but years ago I tried to look it up and it seemed that YouTube was extremely profitable

blondin 5y ago

> They argue it is wrong for them to be tracked aggressively across the web. sums it up. a long time believer of seeing ads here. that way, i don't have to subscribe to bazillion of platforms i tend to visit. but this view started to shift when i started seeing ads from my alma mater's football team everywhere. the "why am i seeing this ad" link told me that "i gave my information to the advertiser". of course i did, i went to school there!

mgraczyk 5y ago

The frontend that does this is youtube.com You can completely, 100% opt out of personalized ads. Go to https://adssettings.google.com/ https://adssettings.google.com/ (edit to fix url)

ffffwe3rq352y3 5y ago
I don't want to make a google account so they still track me ;(
- mgraczyk 5y ago
  You can still opt out even without an account. The opt-out will be remembered until you clear your browser history. https://adssettings.google.com/ https://adssettings.google.com/
  - pabs3 5y ago
    Did you mean cookies instead of history?
    - mgraczyk 5y ago
      yes
  - ffffwe3rq352y3 5y ago
    Hey thanks! I've seen that link thrown around a million times but I've just dismissed it. I appreciate you actually finding a useful one for me!
  - autoexec 5y ago
    Ah, the old "Let me track you using this cookie so that you don't have to sign in and let us track you" trick! I'm guessing between IPs, browser fingerprinting, and usage/viewing habits it's beyond trivial for google to know the computer opting out at 3:00pm today is the same one that opted out this morning before clearing their cookies, and the same one that opted out yesterday for 16 hours and the same one the day before that, etc As for me, I'll stick to youtube-dl

numpad0 5y ago

Is the tracking part not a cover argument? For me I went full adblock because forms of ads became obnoxious and contents unpleasant. I wouldn’t mind being manipulated into buying a clunky life improvement gadget that I use exactly once as much as being forced to watch a guy screaming at me for 15 seconds. On second thought, isn’t the latter straight up jumpscare?