It looks like video platforms might be about to get more aggressive about ad blockers: Google, which has previously received criticism for its intrusive ads and its overall ad policy on YouTube, has now released a statement following reports that the company has moved to keep ad block users from using YouTube.
According to IGN South East Asia, users on Reddit first noticed that their ad blockers were preventing them from accessing YouTube just two days ago. In fact, one user posted a screenshot of a prompt they received which plainly stated that ad blockers are no longer allowed on YouTube. The prompt then went on to suggest the user subscribe to YouTube Premium instead – a paid service that YouTube offers which bypasses all ads.
When asked directly about their new policy, a Google spokesperson reportedly told IGN in an email, “We’re running a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium. Ad blocker detection is not new, and other publishers regularly ask viewers to disable ad blockers.” A YouTube employee also reportedly informed a moderator on the YouTube subreddit that the feature was merely an “experiment”.
It is unclear if the experiment was a success, or if the feature will ever be revisited in the future. Google has been known to shut down third party apps for legal reasons, and this potential new feature could allow the company to blanket target any and all ad blocking apps.
The issue of ads on YouTube is a complicated one. Content creators have been vocal about their displeasure with some of the monetization features on the site, and Google has been criticized for monetizing channels that spew transphobic, homophobic, and racist discourse. The company has also been criticized for what has been perceived as a poor attempt to get radicalization content under control.
The addition of such a feature may, ironically, turn people away from YouTube. The feature is not a very consumer friendly one – in the digital age, Google itself can provide the answers to get past it, but most would probably rather find a different, simpler site than go through all the hassle. It seems that advertisers will simply have to deal with their uphill battle – ads just aren’t popular, and trying to force them on people makes them far more likely to turn to annoyance than a new product.