YouTube tests new technology against ad blockers
Server-side ad injection can be used to bypass ad blockers. A method that is reportedly currently under scrutiny at YouTube.
Ad blockers allow users to block YouTube ads. The new ad insertion could soon put an end to this.
(Image: dpa, Britta Pedersen)
YouTube is now apparently inserting ads directly into video streams to bypass ad blockers. This is reported by SponsorBlock, who have developed a browser extension to evaluate and process YouTube videos and have noticed the changes to video streams on YouTube.
In an interview with BleepingComputer, SponsorBlock assumes that the new technology will impair the effectiveness of most ad blockers for YouTube. According to the company itself, it is in the process of adapting its own programs.
Server-side ad insertion
Until now, YouTube has loaded and displayed ads on the client side, with JavaScript scripts and the video player running locally on the user's computer. The video stream and the ads are separate, and the player pauses the content to play ads at certain points. Most ad blockers disable YouTube ads by blocking the JavaScript scripts that otherwise activate the ads in the video stream.
The server-side ad injection now being tested by YouTube integrates the ads directly into the video stream before the content is delivered to the viewer. Users thus receive a continuous stream with ads already integrated, whereby conventional algorithms can no longer separate the ad section from the rest of the content.
SponsorBlock explains that YouTube streams the videos in a series of smaller video segments, or "chunks", which are gathered to show a continuous video. A manifest file determines the order in which these chunks are played. When a user clicks on a video, the YouTube server sends a playlist containing both content and the ad units.
Videos by heise
When asked by BleepingComputer what strategy YouTube or Google is pursuing in the area of ad streaming, a Google spokesperson said: "YouTube is improving its performance and reliability in delivering organic and advertising video content. The update described above may result in a degraded experience for viewers with ad blockers installed. Ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service, and we've been asking viewers to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for some time to get an ad-free experience."
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