YouTube looks to be testing server-side ad injection to counter ad blockers

AnActOfCreation@programming.dev to Technology@lemmy.world – 615 points –
YouTube looks to be testing server-side ad injection to counter ad blockers
9to5google.com
  • YouTube is testing server-side ad injection to counter ad blockers, integrating ads directly into videos to make them indistinguishable from the main content.
  • This new method complicates ad blocking, including tools like SponsorBlock, which now face challenges in accurately identifying and skipping sponsored segments.
  • The feature is currently in testing and not widely rolled out, with YouTube encouraging users to subscribe to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.
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I'm pretty sure ads will likely be different audio level or light level that would be detectable. If there is no option to detect the ad via API that would be one way to know when the ads begin and end.

The idea here is that ads will be unskippable, aka, you skip ahead 10-20 seconds but can’t. They’re will be controls that appear to catch this. If they incorporate ads and I can just fast forward, then who cares. This is google, they want to watch ads.

Even if it becomes impossible to block the ads out I will cover my ears, close my eyes and shout 'lalala' to avoid them.

If it becomes impossible to block ads I'm blocking the site, because at that point it's unbearable