Avast ye! If ye dare be blockin' ads, YouTube be makin' ye wait longer for its treasures. Arrr!
2023-11-21
Arrr, me hearties, YouTube be still giving a hearty blow to them ad-blockers! Users on non-Chrome browsers be sufferin' a five-second void on their precious videos. Aye, the battle rages on, me mateys!
Internet users have been experiencing a strange five-second delay when opening YouTube videos. The issue was first discovered on the YouTube subreddit, but the original clip was deleted by moderators. Copies of the clip show the delay occurring on non-Chrome browsers like Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Safari. Some users have also reported experiencing the delay on Google Chrome, although less frequently. Internet sleuths have identified a specific line of code in a YouTube Javascript source file as the primary cause of the delay, although this line couldn't be found by others.The delay appears to be YouTube's attempt to crack down on ad blockers. Users with ad blockers installed on their browsers may experience suboptimal viewing, and YouTube would prefer that users either allow ads or purchase a YouTube Premium subscription. The delay is caused by a new anti-adblock functionality being tested, primarily for third-party browsers. Users have criticized this as a lazy attempt to ensure ads are played for at least five seconds before the video loads. Browsers with tracking protection enabled, like Firefox, are also affected.
A workaround for the delay has been found for users with the uBlock Origin extension installed. By adding a certain filter to the extension's configuration, the delay can be reduced to 0.001ms. The steps to implement this workaround involve accessing the extension's dashboard, selecting My Filters, and adding the filter. It is unclear whether YouTube's crackdown on ad blockers will be successful in the long run, as previous attempts have caused users to uninstall their extensions en masse. As users seek ad-free alternatives, YouTube may implement stricter tactics, leading to a cat-and-mouse game.
For more information on ad blockers, TechRadar provides a list of the best ad blockers of 2023.