New warning from YouTube to ad-blocker users

Google-owned YouTube has further strengthened its fight against those using ad blockers.

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In line with its long-term efforts to prevent ad blocking via third-party browser extensions, the company has also closed a security vulnerability that was particularly utilized by Firefox users.

IS THE ERA OF AD-FREE YOUTUBE COMING TO AN END?

YouTube first began its fight against ad blockers in May 2023. At that time, users started receiving warnings that they were using an ad blocker. Over time, these warnings turned into stricter measures, and some videos began not playing at all.

Despite this, users managed to bypass these bans by finding various loopholes. In particular, thanks to Firefox and certain extensions, the blocks could be disabled for a while longer. Now, however, it appears YouTube has closed another one of these loopholes.

NEW WARNINGS HAVE BEGUN TO SPREAD

Many users have started receiving the following warning from YouTube again: "The use of ad blockers violates YouTube's terms of service."

This latest move by YouTube has created a significant obstacle to efforts aimed at ad-free viewing. However, not all users are affected by this new implementation. It is observed that ad blockers are still working, particularly in Southeast Asia and some European countries. This indicates that the update is being rolled out gradually worldwide.

In March, YouTube made a similar policy change, targeting those using uBlock Origin, particularly with the Opera GX browser. At that time, some Firefox users had also encountered warnings.