Google pushing "Ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service" banners on YouTube

[harlan4096]

It has been almost a year since Google started to implement changes on YouTube to block content blockers on the platform.  The fight against adblockers started in 2023 with "Ad blockers are not allowed by YouTube" banners being shown to affected users.

Google has been testing new implementations since then, including server-side ads that break adblockers, or by throwing jabs against competing browsers like Firefox.

A new banner



Reports on Reddit and other online forums suggest that Google has started to intensify its fight against content blockers once again on YouTube.

The new banner resembles the old. It is shown to users when they use content blockers. The text is slightly different, as it now says "Ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service".

The options are identical to last year's banner: allow ads on YouTube or subscribe to YouTube Premium. No word on YouTube Premium Lite, a cheaper subscription option that promises fewer ads on YouTube as well though.

Not everyone appears to be affected by this. Google, is likely testing the waters on a small percentage of YouTube visitors to collect data and make sure that false positives are low.

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