this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2025
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Well, I for one stopped seeing YouTube videos ever since they started requiring me to Sign On because I'm using an AdBlocker and am behind a VPN.
If for some reason it's actually required that I watch it, I'll disconnect from the VPN and watch it, if not, I just move on.
In the last 6 months or so I have disconnected my VPN to watch a YouTube video maybe once, whilst I just moved on maybe hundred times or so (less and less as I increasingly I won't even click on links for YouTube).
Why do you need to login? I've been using YT w/o being logged in for a couple years now, and it's 100% fine. I can't watch some of the age-restricted videos, but those are so rare that I don't even remember the last time I've been prevented from seeing a video.
I think so too and did the same as you.
What I'm saying is that when I'm behind my VPN, if I go directly to a video in YouTube by clicking on an external link that goes to that video directly (for example, a link to a YouTube video in a Lemmy post), YouTube literally demands that I log in to play the video, giving me no other option.
If I disconnect from the VPN and fully refresh the page, it doesn't demand that I log in.
I supposed they have the VPN exit point IP addresses of the VPN provider I use on some list and for connections from those IP addresses YouTube requires Log In before playing a video.
Ok, that makes more sense. I thought you were saying uBlock Origin was directly related here, but the culprit seems to be the VPN provider.
Well, I didn't exclude uBlock Origin because I'm not sure if it's not the combination VPN + uBlock Origin.
I did try disabling one of those (the VPN) and then it works, so I know for sure that uBlock Origin by itself does not result in a forced Log In at YouTube but I still don't know for sure if just the VPN without uBlock Origin causes this result.
I could test it, but I haven't done it yet (and, frankly, can't be arsed to do it) hence I left the mention to "ad block" in my original post.