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YouTube seems to be intensifying its crackdown on ad-blockers, asking users to disable ad-blocker extensions if they want to continue watching videos on the platform.
Several users on X (formerly Twitter) report seeing a new pop-up warning them that the use of ad-blockers violates YouTube’s terms of service. While the pop-up can currently be dismissed by pressing the X button on the top right, disabling ad-blocking extensions on the website seems to be the only way to continue watching videos without a Premium subscription.
A few months ago, YouTube confirmed to The Verge that it was running “a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium.” The company also added that users will be warned several times and asked to allow ads on the platform before it disables video playback.
While this may be a good way for Google to boost its revenue generation streams, many seem to dislike the company’s new stance on ad blockers. A recent report by WindowsLatest suggests that YouTube is also showing a similar pop-up to Microsoft Edge users who have their ‘Tracking prevention’ option set to ‘Strict’. If you are using Edge to watch content on YouTube, turning the toggle to ‘Balanced’ seems to be doing the trick for now.
Users who want to continue watching videos on YouTube without ads can either turn off ad-blocker extensions on their browser or switch to YouTube Premium, which starts from Rs 129 per month for individuals and Rs 179 per month for a family of five.
