Initially, the controversial decision taken by the popular video platform led to many users uninstalling related ad blocking software and extensions. According to an article by Wired, hundreds of thousands of users removed ad blockers like Ghostery and AdGuard from Chrome in October. This step coincides with the start of YouTube blocking related programs.
Ghostery representatives reported seeing three to five times the number of installs and uninstalls in the past month. They found that more than 90% of uninstalls specifically cited the failure of their YouTube app to work as the reason for uninstalling the software. Likewise, AdGuard typically sees about 6,000 Chrome uninstalls per day, a number that rose to 11,000 per day from October 9 to 31, and peaked at 52,000 on October 18.
On the other hand, the restrictions also prompted a record number of users to switch to more capable ad blockers. Although “simple” Ghostery ran into difficulties on YouTube, its paid version was immune to bans. After users realized this, installation numbers rose to 60,000 on October 18 and 27.
The alternative version of AdGuard for Microsoft Edge saw a 30% increase in installs from previous Chrome users who were also looking for a solution. Some users have even turned to open source alternatives to YouTube, such as Newpipe, which can play videos ad-free by default.
So, while YouTube’s ad-blocking app’s expanded limitations led to an initial wave of uninstalls, it also inadvertently drew more attention to premium solutions that can get around the new limits. Extensions like uBlock Origin or advanced versions of Ghostery and AdGuard still succeed where other YouTube ad blockers now fail.
Industry experts like Ghostery’s Krzysztof Modras have warned that these cat-and-mouse tactics by YouTube may prompt ad blockers to use more sophisticated and unintended techniques to circumvent the restrictions. These methods can open up potential security vulnerabilities as unintended side effects.
Regular users of the service have several options available to them to bypass ads. This includes switching to alternative ad-free platforms, paying for YouTube Premium to remove ads, or finding advanced ad-blocking apps that can bypass YouTube’s actions.
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