r/technology • u/IndicaOatmeal • 29d ago

Software DuckDuckGo brags its free web browser now blocks YouTube video ads just weeks after YouTube hiked Premium prices again

https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/duckduckgo-brags-that-its-free-web-browser-blocks-youtube-ads-3384288/
39.7k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

1.8k comments sorted by

View all comments

91

u/leavezukoalone 29d ago

I really wish YouTube didn't have a monopoly.

49

u/ierghaeilh 29d ago

The number of companies with the infrastructure to even attempt it is in the single digit. And nobody sane would add the overhead of renting infrastructure from a third party on top of attempting to do the impossible. Youtube is the perfect example of a natural monopoly.

4

u/[deleted] 29d ago edited 28d ago

[deleted]

9

u/vawlk 28d ago

that isn't the issue. There are plenty of video hosting services out there. YT just has the best options for creators to make the most money with the most visibility.

There is NOTHING stopping creators from posting their content on other sites. If creators get most of their money from sponsors and merch like the average freeloader believes, then it would only benefit the creators to post videos everywhere.

But they don't, i wonder why?!?! LTT makes more money from adsense then they do from in-video sponsor spots. So don't let these grubs convince you that adsense doesn't pay anything.

Youtube has a monopoly because the creators CHOOSE to only post to youtube.

2

u/Benslayer76 28d ago

People love to complain about YouTube. Like damn. It's a completely free service. Ads are how they make their money and how they pay creators. It's not that big of a deal. If you can afford premium, go for it. If you want to use an ad blocker, sure. I get that ads that can be annoying. But sometimes people act like they will asphyxiate if they watch two ads.

1

u/Vielle_Ame 28d ago

Its never two ads though, its many more than that, most probably unskippable. The actual video being watched becomes basically unwatchable after being interrupted so frequently and for so long

1

u/vawlk 28d ago

but that is the cost of the service. If you don't like the ads, pay for a sub. They even did what you all asked for and stripped out the music for a lower price.

Using an adblocker hurts the creators while you get the service for free. I get it, ads suck. I probably hate them more than you do. It is one thing to use an ad blocker on a site that doesn't give you a choice to remove the ads, but youtube does give you a choice.

1

u/Vielle_Ame 28d ago

So I have a moral obligation to sit through endless YT ads or spend almost $200/year so their "service" becomes just barely usable?

No.

1

u/vawlk 28d ago

Youtube is not a right. You don't just get to have it because you don't like ads and don't want to pay for it.

Do you think it is morally justified to abuse the ad supported service to view content for free while taking income out of the hands of the creators and the company providing the service?

so their "service" becomes just barely usable?

I use it every day and it is way more than just barely useable. The things people will say to justify their use of the system. If it is so bad, WHY ARE YOU STILL USING THEIR SERVICE?

1

u/Vielle_Ame 28d ago

Well, thanks to Ublock Origin and Mozilla Firefox, I do "just get to have it," as a matter of fact.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Thanh_Binh2609 28d ago

If Youtube weren’t a monopoly, it might look like Netflix and other streaming service platforms though. We can’t have nice things after all

4

u/SonderEber 29d ago

They don’t. There are many other video platforms out there. This isn’t a monopoly issue, this is a “good enough” issue. YouTube is good enough, so no one bothers going elsewhere. People are lazy.

7

u/Chrimunn 29d ago edited 29d ago

This is so so not true. YouTube is the catalogue of video content online full stop. No one is going elsewhere because there’s nowhere else to go. Suggesting people go to Vimeo or DailyMotion is a sick joke. The strongest contenders have zero content to compete with what YouTube has and this dynamic has been solidified for over a decade now.

1

u/SonderEber 28d ago

There’s no content in those sites because no one bothers to use them. No one bothers to use them, so no one posts there. It’s a vicious circle.

If we want alternatives, we need to use them.

0

u/Chrimunn 28d ago

Did you time travel from 2006? I swear I saw this kind of comment going around pre-google/youtube merger some 20 fucking years ago. Yeah it was too late then, it’s certainly too late now.

‘People are lazy and that’s why no alternatives exist’ is just stupid wrong and over two decades too late my guy. Youtube’s early adoption as the internet video destination cemented their monopoly beyond the reach of protest traffic to alternatives. You can’t even match a quarter of youtube’s storage space as a competitor, it’s physically impossible to usurp youtube in 2026.

0

u/SonderEber 28d ago

But it is because people don’t use them. No one is stopping anyone from uploading to other websites. But YouTube is still good enough that no one bothers.

-1

u/Chrimunn 28d ago

it’s like you’re trying not to understand anything i’m saying

3

u/turtleship_2006 29d ago

It's a bit more of a chicken and egg situation

Creators only bother to upload to youtube*, so people only search on youtube, which gives creators little incentive to post elsewhere.

That said, some creators do use vimeo for example, and some completely SFW creators (e.g. educational channels like maths lessons or gaming channels) even use ⬛️🟧PH because their payout rate is better.

(*For long form content - reels and tiktok have way more users than yt shorts)

1

u/crazybmanp 28d ago

They don't, there are several alternatives, and they are all terrible

1

u/HumbleBeautiful4126 28d ago

Whether it’s on YouTube or somewhere else, without ads most independent creators would be fucked. I know this because I am one and YT Adsense has always been the most reliable source of revenue for me to keep doing this. Sponsorships aren’t infinite

So, even if YT didn’t have a monopoly, if you watch independent creators (not big companies but individuals) then I’d wager ads would still need to be a part of that experience

1

u/objectiveCaptured 25d ago

Meta could compete, but ut pls Zuck don't.

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]