YouTube may now completely disable your video playback if you're using an ad blocker

YouTube may now completely disable your video playback if you’re using an ad blocker،

YouTube began its fight against ad blockers in July when users began noticing a warning when the app detected use of one. Today, YouTube is reportedly stepping up efforts to eliminate the use of these blockers and encourage users to go ad-free with the Premium plan.

In a statement to The edge, YouTube’s head of communications, Christopher Lawton, confirmed that the company is indeed launching a “global effort” to rid the platform of ad blockers in order to support its creators and diverse ecosystem. Instead, YouTube wants you to watch the video as intended with ads, or choose to sign up for YouTube Premium if the ads really bother you.

Credit – Reddit_n_Me

The company has been testing new ways to detect and block ad blockers for months, and is now rolling out these changes more widely. Previously, the above notice appeared, but it was still possible to watch videos without ads. It appears that for some users, videos are now completely disabled unless the ad blocker is disabled or youtube.com is whitelisted.

Additionally, the company claims that ad blockers directly violate YouTube’s terms of service and deprive the platform’s creators around the world of revenue they would otherwise get from Adsense. This is a tricky situation because the platform recently implemented changes that make ad breaks longer but less frequent, thus affecting users’ online experience.

YouTube isn’t the first company to try to block ad blockers. Other streaming services, like Hulu and Netflix, have also attempted to do this. However, these efforts largely failed as users found ways to circumvent the blocks.

It’s unclear how effective YouTube’s new ad-blocking measures will be. However, it’s clear that the company is committed to upholding the rules and doing right by its creators, even if it inconveniences some.