YouTube has already pushed a number of users to uninstall their ad blockers, but the platform is going even further to encourage Internet users, by deliberately slowing down their browsing.
“ To great ills, great remedies “, says the proverb, and there is no doubt that YouTube has a certain know-how in this area, particularly when it comes to pushing its users to deactivate their ad blocker. Google’s video service has started to make its platform slower for those who use an ad-blocker, using the tactic of “sub-optimal viewing”, literally translated, which encourages users to turn off their ad blocker, or to subscribe to the YouTube Premium offer.
YouTube wages war on ad blocker users
As reported by our colleagues from 9to5google, YouTube is intensifying its battle against ad blockers by opting for a radical strategy, and that is a weak word. Each time a blocker is activated and it is detected by YouTube, the platform becomes slower, navigation slows down, to put it another way.
YouTube uses a clever technique to deliberately slow down the site when ad blockers are active. An artificial timeout in the code acts like a slow internet connection, degrading the user experience.
As you can imagine, the stated objective is to persuade users to abandon their ad-blocker(s) to favor the Premium experience, which, remember, offers ad-free browsing for 12.99 euros per month, without engagement.
A platform that wants to protect its model at all costs
YouTube remains steadfast in its defense of ads as a key driver of its ecosystem. Its decision is part of its desire to protect its main source of revenue, pre-roll ads (the ads you see before the video launches).
The platform emphasizes this point: advertisements support many creators and allow billions of people to access their favorite content for free. YouTube now considers using an ad blocker a violation of its terms of service.
Some defenders of freedoms and privacy have not said their last word against YouTube, which is the subject of a complaint to the European Union. Users are unhappy to see that the video service regains all its fluidity when the blockers are deactivated, which confirms the deliberate nature of the slowdown. The EU will have to judge the legality of such a process, faced with a company which remains sovereign, but subject to various regulations, such as the GDPR or the brand new DSA.
Source : 9to5google
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