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Linus Tech Tips uploaded a video showing how to block ads on Youtube. Which was removed by Youtube for community guidelines violations. (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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https://files.catbox.moe/a6111d.png / https://nitter.poast.org/LinusTech/status/1825956050685800834

If you go the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsjHMzGl-VY. You will see it's gone. So Youtube being Youtube.

Here's a Odysee mirror of the video, https://odysee.com/@jopec:7/linus-tech-tips-degoogle-your-life-part-2-adfree-youtube:0.

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[–] 66 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (83 children)

Funny, considering in the past he's gone on big rants about how adblocking is no different from piracy, and is theft.

But then again, its Linus we're talking about, its not like he has a particularly big issue with theft anymore.

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  • [+] 24 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (32 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 25 points 2 years ago* (5 children)

    This is correct, he both explained how ad blocking hurts creators, and how ultimately he doesn't mind because purchasing merch is way more beneficial to them then the adsense money.

    All he was saying is do what you want to do but don't pretend your actions don't impact other people. Do it with open eyes if you're going to do it.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago* (6 children)

    You’re bypassing payment (in the form of watching ads)

    By this argument going to the bathroom during a commercial break is piracy.

    This isnt "someone being offended when accused of piracy"

    This is " People getting upset when an idiot tries to blame end users, instead of holding the people who created the problem accountable"

    Cause adblock isnt a user problem.

    Its an ad service problem. They created a hostile environment where people had to run adblockers to protect themselves against unmoderated and unpoliced content and malicious/infected advertising.

    If you have issues, blame the people who caused it, not the end users trying to protect themselves.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago

    This is " People getting upset when an idiot tries to blame end users, instead of holding the people who created the problem accountable"

    Did Linus blame anyone though?
    No. He simply stated a fact.

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  • [+] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago

    Yeah, him calling it piracy or not doesn't matter, it's just a stupid semantic argument that doesn't matter at all to his overall point. And while I think it's a stupid take of him, it's also the reason people are still bringing up his opinion on the matter, so good job of him spreading his message I guess?

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    I think he mentioned that ad-blocking is priacy, but I don't recall he said piracy is theft or piracy is inheritly unethical.

    He mentioned many time that he pirates stuff, except he would pay for them first.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago* (42 children)

    Do you have a source? I've watched his videos for awhile but I don't remember hearing this take from him.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    It was on an episode of the WAN show a while back (I don't know which, I stopped watching a while ago). He said if you're not paying for the service or watching the Ads, it's the same as Piracy because your not paying what's owed.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (34 children)

    No, because that isn’t Linus’s take.

    I think he’s referencing a stream once upon a time where Linus discussed the arguments around streaming and it’s impact on creators, from a creator’s perspective .

    But because he uttered something in favor of ads on his videos-which is how they got paid-he’s now considered ultra pro invasive ads by the user above, who professes to not actually watching Linus

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  • [+] 27 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (33 children)
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  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago (19 children)

    I really don't get the hate he got for that take.

    Circumventing the method of payment could be argued as being a form of piracy. From that point of view, adblock is piracy.

    Like them or not, YouTube is not a charity and requires the serving of ads to continue funding the service. You could argue about how they go about it, but it's a fact they need some sort of income to continue to exist.
    Same goes for YouTubers. They get a percentage of that ad revenue. And they also need some form of income.

    But just because he said so doesn't mean he doesn't understand why adblock is used. He didn't say "don't use adblock." He's shown how to use adblock before and since. He's also mentioned that buying something from their webshop gives them a lot more money than turning off adblock.

    Saying "watching movies for free is pirating" isn't the same as saying "you shouldn't pirate movies".
    Using adblock isn't engaging with YouTube on YouTube's terms.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (18 children)

    Adblocking isnt piracy, from any point of view.

    Its protection. Protection from sudden loud noises and visual diarrhea. Protection from malware and viruses from random website ads, and protection from Right Wing Extremist Propaganda like PragerU videos detailing how the black man should be grateful for the history of slavery and oppression (which has had a documented, factual effect on driving people into right wing extremist behavior, and the violent rhetoric and actions that inevitably follow)

    As long as all of that exists, Adblocking will never be piracy. Adblocking is, and will be, mandatory protection.

    And if Linus, or anyone else, wants to clutch pearls and cry about adblocking.. They can take their complaints to Google/Facebook/Other Ad services, because their lack of moderation and inability to policing content on their services are directly responsible for creating the necessity for adblocking.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (14 children)

    To tack onto your list, ad blocking also deprives a source from an intended revenue stream associated with the content, which is probably why it's being compared to piracy.

    I'm all on board with ad blockers, let's just at least acknowledge the economic reality surrounding their use.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (13 children)

    The economic reality is that I have to use adblocking because ad services refuse to police and moderate their system. Thats the economic reality that they created.

    Having a problem with the end user protecting themselves from what the advertisers and their ad services created is just trying to shift blame.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    But that doesn't mean it isn't piracy?

    Downloading old Nintendo ROMs because the company refuses to redistribute them is also piracy, even though I would say it's morally justified.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    This has been argued in courts ad nauseum. It is not piracy. Just downloading is not piracy. If you download a ROM from a site, the site is guilty of piracy. You are not. If you download from a torrent though, you're guilty because you're also participating in the distribution. There's also nuance with profit depending on the jurisdiction. But, just like throwing away a pamphlet is not piracy, refusing to download and ad is not piracy.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (6 children)

    You....really don't have to.

    Again, I'm all for ad blockers, I use Firefox, I've ran my own pihole instance, etc.

    I'm just going to be frank, you're being a little melodramatic. Do you just get vaporized when you use someone else's computer and an ad blocker isn't installed? Likely not.

    Ironically, by framing what is just a quality of life thing as a mandatory reaction to content providers actions, it sounds like you're the one trying to shift blame onto them. Your entire argument has very strong "LOOK AT WHAT YOU MADE ME DO" energy.

    All I'm saying is call a spade a spade. I acknowledge that by using an ad blocker, I'm economically negatively affecting the content provider. I'm okay with that. On some websites I'll disable the ad blocker, if it's one I use a lot with reasonable constraints.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    Its protection.

    From your point of view, yeah. Not from the point of view of the creator and the platform.

    Linus isn't clutching his pearls nor is he crying, he's just pointing out you are circumventing the method of payment to the platform. It is detrimental to both the platform and the creator. That is a fact. Your choice has an impact and you should be aware of that.
    But at no point did he say "you're a bad person if you use adblock".

    What has got you so worried?

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago (12 children)

    And yet he never said not to adblock, so the only thing he claims are the categorization of adblocking.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I'd argue this as well. I see it in a similar way. Linus is obviously not trying to sit on some high horse and condemn piracy, he's just calling a spade a spade.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago*

    No, he's calling a spade a backhoe. Piracy is one of two things, depending on your definition:

    • sharing/accessing copyrighted material you don't have the rights for (i.e. seeding or downloading a torrent)
    • circumventing technical restrictions on copyrighted content (e.g. DRM)

    Blocking ads does neither of those things, it merely blocks loading of content that you don't want to see. It's basically the modern version of a DVR, where you can choose to cut out portions of a video that you don't want (e.g. the ads).

    These things are technically piracy:

    • using a YouTube downloader
    • sharing downloaded YouTube videos
    • posting a YouTube video that you don't own
    • using substantial portions of a YouTube video you don't own w/o authorization in your own video (i.e. beyond Fair Use)

    Blocking ads isn't one of those things, neither is skipping over parts of a video you don't want to see (i.e. the sponsor segment).

    Blocking ads reduces revenue to Google and the video creator. That doesn't make it piracy, it's just being a jerk to the platform and the creator.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I watched this video before it was taken down. At the start of the YouTube section he says something along the lines of "I think ad block is theft, but you're going to do it, so I have a responsibility to make sure you do it safely."

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago*

    My ass he cares if you do it safely.

    He's just trying to pull views from the current controversy. Which I have no problem with, thats what youtubers do. They try to ride every wave and pull viewers from it.

    I just take issue with the smug hypocrisy he exhibits while doing it.

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