YouTube Escalates Crackdown on Ad-Blocking Apps, Criticized by EFF

Apr 16, 2024, 01:30 PM

YouTube has intensified its efforts against third-party apps that enable ad-blocking, affecting users' ability to skip ads on videos. The platform is enforcing measures to prevent these apps from bypassing advertisements, which are a significant source of revenue. This crackdown involves strengthening enforcement on apps that violate YouTube's Terms of Service, specifically targeting ad-blocking functionalities. The move, warned in a YouTube blog post, has led to error messages in apps attempting to block ads, signaling YouTube's commitment to protecting its ad revenue streams. Daly Barnett from EFF criticized the move as 'lazy and deliberately malicious'.