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For me, yes, they're bad. I get it's not the end of the world, but a lot of the ad copy in sponsor segments really grates on me, like VPN ones. I try to get r

For me, yes, they're bad. I get it's not the end of the world, but a lot of the ad copy in sponsor segments really grates on me, like VPN ones. I try to get rid of ads from my life where I can, this is part of it. And for me, a lot of the videos I download are played back, audio only, while I go for walks or am otherwise away from the Internet. YouTube lets you download videos, but my audio comes from multiple sources, YouTube is just one source. I can integrate yt-dlp into my feed reader so I don't need to think about the source anymore than I need to worry about going to a random podcast's website to listen to those. In the end though, a tool like SponsorBlock is just another way I remove the annoyances from the modern Internet.

arghwhat 5y ago
Ugh, the blatant lies in VPN ads. "MAKES IT SO YOUR ISP CAN'T SEE YOUR TRAFFIC" - yeah, congrats, now it's just another ISP that sees your traffic, which was probably protected by TLS anyway... Heck, they even keep recommending the utility of Terms of Service violations like accessing contents from other regions. VPN companies are scammy as hell.
- skinkestek 5y ago
  > Heck, they even keep recommending the utility of Terms of Service violations like accessing contents from other regions. You mean helping helpless US companies who doesn't understand that Europeans can understand English? Or actually get the full database of movies when we pay the full price for Netflix? Yeah, shame on us. PS: I don't use VPNs to access Netflix, I just don't care to look at it anymore and one day I'll cancel it. No way I want to pay for the new stuff. Edit: disagreement is acceptable but I'd like to see an explanation if possible.
  - arghwhat 5y ago
    Not that I personally care if individuals violate terms of service, but using that in a sales pitch seems akin to advertising for piracy services. Abiding by the terms of the agreement which you enter into with the company providing the service is a requirement to continue service and/or avoid liability, irrespective of whether it includes completely idiotic and archaic business practices and irrespective of whether this causes harm. And yes, I also find Netflix to have extremely limited value. This isn't the right way to overturn stupidity.
    - skinkestek 5y ago
      What is the right way to overturn stupidity then?
      - arghwhat 5y ago
        Legal means. Not paying for a service whose terms you disagree with in areas you disagree. Using alternative services that do not have those terms. Demonstrating against the business practice. Petitioning for law that renders the terms illegal or invalid. Finding way to challenge the parasitic middlemen that are to blame. And so forth.
  - Cederfjard 5y ago
    I think you know that geo-blocking is due to licensing agreements with copyrights holders, which is a tangled mess in itself, not that streaming platforms believe that the content won’t be appreciated by foreign audiences. Most of what’s on them over here is already in English anyway. Besides, I don’t think Americans have access to 100% of the content available on Netflix worldwide, either. That said, I agree that it’s ridiculous if you take a step back, and in a sane world we wouldn’t have these types of restrictions. But it’s an artifact of an old, complicated system and isn’t something Netflix or anyone else can unilaterally fix. I also agree with arghwhat that marketing your service as a way to violate another business’ terms of service doesn’t come across as serious, even if it’s not something I’d necessarily have a problem with personally.

arghwhat 5y ago

Ugh, the blatant lies in VPN ads. "MAKES IT SO YOUR ISP CAN'T SEE YOUR TRAFFIC" - yeah, congrats, now it's just another ISP that sees your traffic, which was probably protected by TLS anyway... Heck, they even keep recommending the utility of Terms of Service violations like accessing contents from other regions. VPN companies are scammy as hell.

skinkestek 5y ago
> Heck, they even keep recommending the utility of Terms of Service violations like accessing contents from other regions. You mean helping helpless US companies who doesn't understand that Europeans can understand English? Or actually get the full database of movies when we pay the full price for Netflix? Yeah, shame on us. PS: I don't use VPNs to access Netflix, I just don't care to look at it anymore and one day I'll cancel it. No way I want to pay for the new stuff. Edit: disagreement is acceptable but I'd like to see an explanation if possible.
- arghwhat 5y ago
  Not that I personally care if individuals violate terms of service, but using that in a sales pitch seems akin to advertising for piracy services. Abiding by the terms of the agreement which you enter into with the company providing the service is a requirement to continue service and/or avoid liability, irrespective of whether it includes completely idiotic and archaic business practices and irrespective of whether this causes harm. And yes, I also find Netflix to have extremely limited value. This isn't the right way to overturn stupidity.
  - skinkestek 5y ago
    What is the right way to overturn stupidity then?
    - arghwhat 5y ago
      Legal means. Not paying for a service whose terms you disagree with in areas you disagree. Using alternative services that do not have those terms. Demonstrating against the business practice. Petitioning for law that renders the terms illegal or invalid. Finding way to challenge the parasitic middlemen that are to blame. And so forth.
- Cederfjard 5y ago
  I think you know that geo-blocking is due to licensing agreements with copyrights holders, which is a tangled mess in itself, not that streaming platforms believe that the content won’t be appreciated by foreign audiences. Most of what’s on them over here is already in English anyway. Besides, I don’t think Americans have access to 100% of the content available on Netflix worldwide, either. That said, I agree that it’s ridiculous if you take a step back, and in a sane world we wouldn’t have these types of restrictions. But it’s an artifact of an old, complicated system and isn’t something Netflix or anyone else can unilaterally fix. I also agree with arghwhat that marketing your service as a way to violate another business’ terms of service doesn’t come across as serious, even if it’s not something I’d necessarily have a problem with personally.