YouTube starts global crack down on ad blockers

YouTube has confirmed that it is globally cracking down on ad blockers. What started as a ‘small experiment’ earlier this year now seems to be affecting almost everyone using popular ad-blocking extensions.

In a statement to The Verge, Google spokesperson Oluwa Falodun said “Ad blocker detection is not new, and other publishers regularly ask viewers to disable ad blockers. YouTube’s ad-supported model supports a diverse ecosystem of creators, and provides billions of people globally access to content for free with ads”.

YouTube is justifying its ad blocker crackdown by saying ads are an essential part of how the website and creators earn revenue.

Google said ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service.

If you use an ad-blocker extension on your favourite internet browser, YouTube will show multiple warnings with a text that says ‘Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube’, asking users to disable ad-blocker on their website if they want to continue watching videos.

For those who ignore YouTube’s warning and continue using ad blockers, the company says it will eventually disable video playback. 

However, this ban will be lifted if they subscribe to YouTube Premium or disable their ad-blocking extensions.