Firefox users have recently experienced a five-second delay when playing videos on YouTube. This delay is believed to be linked to the use of ad blockers and Google’s efforts to combat these programs. One user, identified as vk6, shared their experience on Reddit, showing that when they played a video on YouTube in Firefox, the screen went black for several seconds before the video started. However, when they switched to Chrome, the video started playing automatically.
The reason behind this delay is believed to be related to the use of ad-blocking extensions in the Firefox browser. In the uBlock Origin Reddit forum, users claim that the delay is not a Firefox bug, but rather a code that Google has entered into YouTube. This code has been identified as 5E3 in the polymer script link.
YouTube confirmed in early November that it was implementing global measures to combat ad blockers in browsers. This included an increase in warnings urging users to avoid using ad blockers or to subscribe to YouTube Premium. Additionally, if users continue to use ad blockers, the platform may block the playback of the video.
One immediate consequence of these measures was an increase in uninstalls of ad blockers and installations of alternative ad-blocking programs such as AdGuard, AdLock, and Ghostery.
Google’s and YouTube’s fight against ad blockers is rooted in their reliance on advertising as their main source of revenue. However, concerns have been raised that the technology company may be violating users’ privacy by using spy software to detect the use of these programs in browsers. Privacy activist Alexander Hanff has reported this issue to the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), alleging that YouTube’s blocker detection system uses illegal JavaScript code under European Union law.