I have been trying to avoid using YouTube unless needed last years.1 Now Google gave me another reason. I cannot view any videos on YouTube any more without being signed in to my account.
This is nothing new generally, e.g. Facebook or Instagram also refuse to display much of the content without being signed in. But I don’t have accounts there so I get it as a fact and I have little interest to browse those sites anyway. With YouTube, it’s different. First, I have a Google account2, and second, it’s impossible to watch (meaningful) videos elsewhere in most cases due to the YouTube monopoly.
Does it harm to sign in for watching YouTube videos when Google already knows I visited the video page? I don’t know, I’m afraid it may make easier for Google and other parties to track me on other sites in privacy aware web browsers when I’m signed in to a Google account. And one can get cut off from Google services for reasons like following and enforcing a law or being a relative of such a person; it’s better to get ready for future.
What is my response? First, it reminded me that I’ve still been using YouTube too much. Since now, I’ll watch YouTube videos only in private web browser windows, the inconvenience of doing this and having to sign in each time will stop me from visiting YouTube unless really needed. This is preferred to using separate web browser containers or so; avoiding using abusive services should always be the first choice. Let’s see how long it takes before I sign in for the first time.
Second, I went through the Google settings and checked I have all the tracking disabled.3 Additionally, I blocked Google in Privacy Badger. Let’s see, what breaks first.
Thank you, Google, to motivate me to take these steps and making me a bit more de-googlified again!
Footnotes:
The primary reason is that Google spreads Russian propaganda. I have all the history and personalisation switched off on YouTube so I get general, rather than personal, recommendations. Whatever I view on YouTube, even something about purely technical topics like programming, I usually get pro-Russian political propaganda among the recommended “related” videos.
The only thing I need it for is being able to install proprietary Android applications. It’s a sad fact about our society that it’s more and more difficult to not use them.
I have the privilege of living in the part of world where this is possible.
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