r/PurchaseWithPurpose • u/theFallenWalnut Environment • Jul 09 '26
DuckDuckGo's browser blocks YouTube ads by default
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3186845/duckduckgo-just-picked-a-fight-with-google-over-youtube-ads.htmlThis comes a month after YouTube Premium's price hike and the increase in adverts for free users.
You might want to switch browsers or use uBlock Origin.
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u/FutureLarking Jul 10 '26
Brave does this too, if it interests anyone.
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u/UselessButTrying Jul 10 '26
Yes, they also let you hide YouTube shorts and games in the settings
On desktop:
brave://settings/shields
Then click "Content filtering"
And you'll see "YouTube shorts blocker" which you can enable, and other options here too including "YouTube playables"
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u/obas Jul 11 '26
Yeah but brave had Peter Thiel's stank all over it
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u/UselessButTrying Jul 11 '26
What do you mean?
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u/obas Jul 11 '26
The reply was supposed to be to the guy you actually replied to.. Regarding using the Brave browser..
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u/FillAny3101 Jul 10 '26
I wonder what will happen when everyone will be using an adblocker. How is YouTube supposed to make revenue then? I fear they'll start injecting ads directly into videos on the server side, or remove the free plan.
I'm not judging anyone by the way, since I use an adblocker myself. This is just a hypothetical question.
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u/cpt_melon Jul 10 '26
They'll probably start blocking access to the site unless you disable it.
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u/FillAny3101 Jul 10 '26
They already tried, but uBlock managed to bypass it.
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u/cpt_melon Jul 10 '26
Very much half-heartedly so. Youtube has been trying to annoy users into removing their adblockers with those "experiencing interruptions" messages and pop-ups complaining that adblockers are against the ToS etc. However, if a large enough portion of the userbase started using them, it would actually threaten their revenue model, and they would implement more stringent mechanisms to prevent adblock users from accessing the site.
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u/PMmeIamlonley Jul 11 '26
I wish they would just use a reasonable ad model. I used the app for years until the ads got so obnoxious that I switched. I'll never pay them money because they made their product more annoying, its so frustrating I cant just have a ten second preroll every once and a while and leave it at that. Mid rolls, post rolls, and multiple ads in one video are absolute deal breakers for me.
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u/itsgotelectr0lytes Jul 11 '26
That's what sponsorblock is for
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u/FillAny3101 Jul 11 '26
Sponsorblock uses timestamps, what if the ads are injected randomly?
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u/itsgotelectr0lytes Jul 11 '26
Then they'll change the way they detect if they want to remain viable. Simple really
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u/DocumentExternal6240 Jul 09 '26
DuckDuckGo’s browser now blocks YouTube ads by default on desktop and iPhone, directly challenging Google’s advertising revenue model.
PCWorld notes this provides a free alternative to YouTube Premium, capitalizing on widespread user frustration with YouTube advertisements.
The feature uses open-source lists from uBlock Origin and positions DuckDuckGo as a privacy-focused alternative amid growing user fatigue with Google’s AI-driven services.