# YouTube's war against its users **URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/youtubes-war-against-its-users/21164 **Category:** Off Topic **Created:** 2024-09-28T10:47:27Z **Posts:** 31 ## Post 1 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T10:47:28Z This topic is to discuss what works and what doesn’t, etc. Invidious public instances are broken: [[Bug] "This helps protect our community." - "Please sign in to confirm you’re not a bot" · Issue #4734 · iv-org/invidious · GitHub](https://github.com/iv-org/invidious/issues/4734#issuecomment-2365205990) Piped public instances are broken: [Got error: "Sign in to confirm that you're not a bot" · Issue #3658 · TeamPiped/Piped · GitHub](https://github.com/TeamPiped/Piped/issues/3658) NewPipe, Tubular, FreeTube, or any other frontend that connects directly to YouTube will not work if your IP is blacklisted, you will be asked to log in. If your IP is blacklisted, then your only option is signing in on [youtube.com](http://youtube.com/), official apps, or Grayjay. Grayjay is currently the best application to watch content. It works without logging in if your IP isn’t blacklisted, and even if it is, you can just choose to log in. --- ## Post 2 by @water — 2024-09-28T13:28:26Z It seems they have banned a lot of IP address from VPN providers. I can’t watch YT embedded on any website if I am using private browsing + vpn (proton). Though the purple gradient bar towards the end of current progress is giving me more ick than this. --- ## Post 3 by @Pragmatic — 2024-09-28T14:39:04Z I see a lot of people recommending Gnayjay every time to watch YT, why doesn’t PG recommend it like NewPipe and LibreTube? --- ## Post 4 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T14:40:23Z Ask here: [Grayjay (Frontend)](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/grayjay-frontend/14616) --- ## Post 5 by @anonfox — 2024-09-28T14:55:06Z Invidious works for me on yattee (with proxy videos on) --- ## Post 6 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T14:58:34Z You’re using one of the few working instances that will stop working soon. --- ## Post 7 by @anon63378630 — 2024-09-28T15:00:44Z Just slam that new circuit button in Tor Browser, works fine. You are using Tor Browser, right? --- ## Post 8 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T15:03:13Z That would work when watching videos on [youtube.com](http://youtube.com), but the experience is awful because of all the ads. --- ## Post 9 by @anon63378630 — 2024-09-28T15:08:10Z I ain’t never see no ad on [youtube.com](http://youtube.com) --- ## Post 10 by @overdrawn98901 — 2024-09-28T16:05:26Z I’m self hosting, and proxy everything through Mullvad. I’ve updated to their recent patches, but I’m nervous it will randomly stop working. --- ## Post 11 by @asanyan — 2024-09-28T16:17:36Z you can have a special Tor Browser install with uBO that you don’t use for regular web browsing. --- ## Post 12 by @asanyan — 2024-09-28T16:19:26Z freetube still works fine for me, with mullvad --- ## Post 13 by @Showplace8087 — 2024-09-28T18:03:21Z I have used dozens of servers based in Canada and the U.S. on Proton and IVPN and the only app that gives me a sign in error was Libretube. Freetube and Newpipe having been working great. --- ## Post 14 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T18:04:50Z Try Lithuania servers if you still have Proton VPN. --- ## Post 15 by @alt43 — 2024-09-28T20:32:40Z Quetta Browser is still working very well on Android. --- ## Post 16 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T20:35:49Z Why would one use a random proprietary browser that has some questionable claims on their website? --- ## Post 17 by @IksNorTen — 2024-09-28T22:00:22Z I heard that using a VPN connected to Albania works too --- ## Post 18 by @anonfox — 2024-09-29T10:30:49Z Unsure if it’s true but see [Reddit - The heart of the internet](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiwibrowser/comments/1frdsje/comment/lpdw9pp) --- ## Post 19 by @Chingelton — 2024-09-29T12:03:16Z So, are the invidious / piped instances not working because a lot of people use it and that’s how it gets detected? Would it still work i I selfhosted Invidious or Piped because I have my old laptop that I don’t use for anything, so I was thinking about using that for selfhosting, but if it’s just going to stop working idk if there is a point in setting it up… --- ## Post 20 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-29T12:06:07Z It will work if you selfhost on a residential IP. --- ## Post 21 by @flarmo — 2024-09-29T18:00:34Z Brave+Youtube+VPN been working just fine. Never seen an ad. --- ## Post 22 by @alt43 — 2024-09-29T18:53:36Z - Built-in translator - Functional dark mode - Excellent ad blocker - Fully configurable DoH support - Tracking and tracing prevention - Background playback - Ability to create YT playlists - Support for ALL Chrome Store extensions --- ## Post 23 by @anon63378630 — 2024-09-29T18:56:55Z @alt43 Quetta 1.2.5 (latest available) is based on Chromium 124.0.6367.179 from May 13th 2024 and is highly insecure, also proprietary as mentioned above. Use a real browser please. Chromium version can be determined by downloading and extracting the APK and running: ``` strings lib/arm*/lib*chrome*.so | grep "Chrome/1" ``` edit: 2024/10/09: I just checked 1.2.7 and it is the same 124.0.6367.179 @anonfox Kiwi is on 124.0.6327.3, so this very well may be true. --- ## Post 24 by @IksNorTen — 2024-09-29T19:05:17Z Guys there’s something very interesting about all this. As @anon48875053 and I mentionned, when you use a VPN connected in Lithuania or Albania you don’t have any ads (same thing for people in Russia afaik). I think THIS could be a way to circumvent new ad-injection method from YouTube, just use YouTube with a VPN connected in these countries. Edit : this method might work even when uBlock Origin won’t be effective anymore because of ad injection on server side --- ## Post 25 by @ikelatomig — 2024-10-01T05:31:11Z Possibly because of US sanctions. It is not working ? --- ## Post 26 by @anon90279782 — 2024-10-01T07:18:22Z I have not had time to test it on my PC yet, but I have tested it briefly on my Android phone, using Proton VPN and the YouTube app. Cannot personally connect to Russia with Proton. Lithuania still gives me loads of ads. Belarus has not given me any ads, yet. --- ## Post 27 by @IksNorTen — 2024-10-01T11:19:45Z No ads when connecting to Lithuania on [youtube.com](http://youtube.com) with no adblocker. Did you also try Albania? --- ## Post 28 by @Astatine — 2024-10-01T16:37:34Z > [@anon48875053](#): > > NewPipe, Tubular, FreeTube, or any other frontend that connects directly to YouTube will not work if your IP is blacklisted, you will be asked to log in. > > If your IP is blacklisted, then your only option is signing in on [youtube.com](http://youtube.com/), official apps, or Grayjay. I personally switch IVPN servers, and that solves the issue. It may sound inconvenient, but whenever my IP address is blocked, I “visit” many locations until the website blocking my IP address functions normally. > [@anon48875053](#): > > Grayjay is currently the best application to watch content. It works without logging in if your IP isn’t blacklisted, and even if it is, you can just choose to log in. I’m currently using NewPipe, Invidious, and Freetube and I haven’t had any issues due to what I said earlier. > [@IksNorTen](#): > > As @anon48875053 and I mentionned, when you use a VPN connected in Lithuania or Albania you don’t have any ads (same thing for people in Russia afaik). > > I think THIS could be a way to circumvent new ad-injection method from YouTube, just use YouTube with a VPN connected in these countries. Sadly IVPN doesn’t support any of those servers. I may try with other servers, however, and give an update later. --- ## Post 29 by @anon90279782 — 2024-10-01T17:01:30Z Just got home from work, and Lithuania almost seemed to have no ads when on my PC with just Proton VPN on, directly from YouTube, but then I was served an ad on one of the last videos I opened. Maybe it is just less of them in total, but I know the YouTube app on the phone also showed static ads between the video thumbnails. Albania also seems like a good one on my PC, so far. But, I get ads on my phone. Not sure what the difference is there. Belarus is the only one of these that seem to work for me on both my PC and phone, with no video ads and static ads. --- ## Post 30 by @mangomango — 2024-10-01T17:37:51Z I just wanted to let you know that I think that Windscribe IPs are not blacklisted at all because I use the new local extraction feature in LibreTube (no Piped instance) and it works 100% of the time with all servers. --- ## Post 31 by @anon48875053 — 2025-04-14T12:39:57Z Time for some updates! If Google doesn’t like your IP, you will have to solve Google Captchas before every video. If Google really doesn’t like your IP, you will be asked to log in using your Google account. If YouTube’s censoring algorithms have decided that a video is controversial or age-restricted, then be ready to log in, and the cherry on the cake is to be ready to go through KYC to verify your age! This one depends on a country, but this should be the case in pretty much all the EU. YouTube’s enshittification and greed are chart-breaking, so try to encourage creators to upload their content on PeerTube, Odysee, or other platforms, unless you want to comply with YouTube’s stupid demands.