Stop letting Google dictate web standards and accept that they plan on removing adblocking from Chrome.
Firefox is the last widely available, cross-platform browser that isn't based on Chromium. The only other is Safari for macOS/iOS which is not generally cross-platform.
Firefox uses Gecko/Quantum
Safari uses WebKit
Chrome/Chromium uses Blink
Drop any browsers that use Blink as the rendering engine, and yeah, it's most of them.
Google has made it completely clear where they stand on this war, which is that they will remove your access to content if you don't agree to see their ads.
I've been on Firefox since way back. I understand they've made a lot of missteps and I'm not going to defend some of their worst decisions, but they're at the very least not an advertising company that wants to remove adblocks from how the web works.
Stop using the word 'Google' instead of saying 'Search'. Take offense if anyone tells you to 'Google' something - fuck them!!!
Set Firefox as your default - don't keep 'defaulting' to chrome, or chromium based browsers (as this code mostly comes from Google).
Be sure to become more acquainted with more platforms, keep shortcuts handy and use them when they have content...
If you must use Youtube, use it signed out - find your channel and add it to an RSS reader. Avoid using the Youtube interface and avoid the algorithms. Search for any channels you watch on alternative platforms.
Firefox Focus is also a lovely little mobile browser for random queries and such. It's effectively always in private browsing mode; anytime you close it, it clears its cache.
I definitely use it more often than "regular" Firefox on mobile. I only really use regular Firefox if I need some sort of persistence or login.
Well, fair enough point. But Google is preparing to actually become actionable and start issuing sweeping user bans.
I’m a dev. I know people who’ve run afoul of Google and had their accounts banned. They lose access to everything with zero recourse.
And it means they have to find new jobs because enterprise Google accounts are also affected. Especially if they are Android developers.
Google also has methods to trace people down if they make new accounts. That presumably extends to people accessing information without accounts. People are incredibly easy to finger print with just their browser and all the data it surrenders as a standard.
I know people who’ve run afoul of Google and had their accounts banned. They lose access to everything with zero recourse.
That reminds me, gotta go pick up my Google Takeout.
But would they really only go after people who are logged into their Google account? Because then it's a simple matter of opening an incognito tab. And then they either let it go, or take it to next level by banning anonymous visitors by IP, or tip their hand and reveal that they spy on you in incognito tabs. Either way it's gonna go well with popcorn.
It’s well within reason to fight it just like it’s within reason that users will find other ways. I don’t think it makes Google evil to try to stop people from blocking their ads, but this is the internet and people will always find another way around it.
a) Linux, Firefox + uBlockOrigin + Enhancer for YouTube;
b) Android, Firefox + uBlock Origin + Video Background Play Fix;
c) I never ever use any account or login into the youtube. Playlists? Got favorites/bookmarks in browser :) Voting, comments? I don't care. Native youtube android apk? Never. So, no tracking and stats for you and no dumb auto recomendations for me. Thanks.
P.S. oh, and all cookies are auto deleted on last tab close. Bye.
So, war with or strike me how? Close whole site or put everything under paywall and die? Hahaha
NewPipe's whole gimmick is the fact it fakes being a browser as far as YouTube is concerned, and the fact that until now Google wasn't crazy enough to block visitors who aren't logged in. If they're willing to go that far there's nothing any app can do, the ad either plays and then tells YouTube it played, or it doesn't.
Google made $7 billion from YouTube in 2021^1, might I remind you by running ads on other peoples's content. Now of course Google does provide the platform for that content, but the point still remains.
Users and content creators are what make YouTube, not the other way around. Companies like Google need to careful not to let their pursuit of profit upset the good thing they have going for them.
And of all the content delivery networks they are one of the more equitable ones in terms of monetisation (I'm looking at you TikTok). I'm sure creators get more income per view on platforms like Nebula but it's hard to get the scale of reach of YouTube.
Of course I hate ads, but I pay my Premium fee to avoid them safe in the knowledge creators get a bigger slice of revenue per premium supported view vs ad supported. I also wouldn't give my kids access to YouTube without something to stop the ads.
I'm all for alternative distribution channels but for creators to get paid they will need to run ads, more brand integrations or have some sort of subscription setup. Most people can only avoid to sponsor a small proportion of the content they enjoy.