YouTube has been thrust into controversy following multiple reports of slow loading times and other performance issues from AdBlock and Adblock Plus users.
This past weekend, several users on Reddit’s YouTube subreddit started complaining about seeing ad blocker removal pop-ups, increased CPU load, and even hard disk issues while accessing the Google-owned video-sharing site. Many pointed accusatory fingers at YouTube as the platform is cracking down on ad blockers.
However, YouTube’s communications manager, Christopher Lawton, told PCGamer on Tuesday that “loading delays experienced by AdBlock and Adblock Plus users are not caused by our ad blocker detection efforts.”
Bugs in AdBlock and Adblock Plus to Blame: uBlock Origin Founder
Meanwhile, Raymond Hill, the founder of uBlock Origin — a widely-used ad blocker software — said media outlets are misdiagnosing the issue as YouTube’s fault. In a Twitter thread on Monday, Hill noted that bugs in AdBlock’s code may be causing the issues.
According to Hill, the issue tracker on GitLab indicated there were performance issues with Ad Block and Ad Block Plus on Jan. 12, predating many reports that blamed YouTube.
“Those performance issues affect only the latest version of both Adblock Plus (3.22) & AdBlock (5.17), and afflict more than just Youtube,” he explained.
Hill noted that people with the “unfortunate habit of using multiple content blockers” will be the worst affected. “The undue memory usage will also be higher when enabling more filter lists,” he added.
Hill said uBlock Origin is unaffected by the issue, explaining that the high memory usage of AdBlock Plus was his motivation to create uBlock Origin.
To illustrate his point, Hill provided a practical demonstration, comparing the memory usage of AdBlock Plus and uBlock Origin on a specific test webpage, and highlighting significant differences in memory consumption between the two.
The results showed that while the former consumed a considerably higher amount of memory, the latter’s usage was much lower under the same conditions.
YouTube Is at Fault: Reddit Users
Meanwhile, many Reddit users have expressed suspicion that YouTube might be intentionally using resource-intensive scripts to protect its ad revenue. Some speculated that YouTube’s code was intentionally affecting CPU (processor) usage to discourage ad blocker usage, or it was an unintended consequence of ad blockers interacting with the platform’s code.
“So Youtube is burning out PCs because no one will turn off AdBlocker,” one Reddit user said on Tuesday. “I have YouTube to thank for burning our my Drive…” another user wrote.
“Is it a deliberate piece of code that is very clearly intended to run the CPU at full tilt if an ad blocker is found? Or is it code that ends up in a semi-infinite loop because the ad blocker is causing “unexpected” behavior?” a different Reddit user said.
Amid this debate, some netizens are advocating for alternative ad blockers like uBlock Origin. Others have questioned the legality of YouTube’s ad-blocker detection techniques, especially in light of European Union regulations, and speculated that the company may face potential lawsuits for using trackers without user consent.
In Nov. 2023, a privacy campaigner claimed that YouTube’s new ad blocker detection is illegal under the European Union’s ePrivacy directive. The outcome of this complaint and its potential impact on YouTube’s policies regarding ad blockers remain to be seen.
How to Effectively Block Ads on YouTube
Despite clarifications from Hill and YouTube that bugs in Ad Block’s code are to blame for these performance issues, the online community remains divided. Google and YouTube have historically taken measures against ad blockers, like introducing a five-second loading delay on Google Chrome browser for users with ad block enabled.
Some users have also reported seeing pop-up warnings on YouTube, directing them to manually disable ad-blockers.
According to Hill, disabling Ad Block Plus or AdBlock is not enough to stop the performance issues. “When disabling an extension, its content scripts are still present in webpages. You need to force a reload of those webpages — best is to reopen webpages in new tabs,” he explained.
Until this issue is resolved, we recommend using uBlock Origin to block ads on YouTube. You’ll find other reliable alternatives to AdBlock in our guide to the best ad blocker extensions.
You can also reduce ads on YouTube by using a virtual private network (VPN). Simply connect to a server in a country that serves fewer ads, like Mongolia, Moldova, Myanmar, or Albania. Pick a country that’s geographically closest to you to reduce lag.
For Moldova or Albania, we recommend using NordVPN. Otherwise, for Myanmar and Mongolia, you will need Surfshark.
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