Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything wrong with Chrome

2026-06-08T21:20:03Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Missing .mht or .mhtml extensions */ clarified

<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">[[File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png|frameless|alt=Google Chrome mobile]]</div></div>

----

One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular for the same reason Internet Explorer was popular back in the 1990s and 2000s: it is pre-installed.

Given that the competition has a much smaller market share, Google is under no pressure to provide a good web browsing experience.

This is a collection of what is wrong with the mobile version of Google Chrome. These are features or options Google could have easily implemented long ago, but either neglected or, for some reason, chose not to.

The term "Chrome" refers to the mobile edition for the rest of this page, unless stated otherwise. Anyone feel free to contribute.

== User interface ==
=== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ===
Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first. The constant threat of accidentally refreshing a page has turned browsing with Chrome into a headache since 2019.

In spite of the abnormally high number of complaints by users suffering from accidental refreshes, Google has refused to reinstate the option to turn off this anti-feature. It seems to be part of Google's brand identity.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.09.04-094015/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41471115 Please bring back ability to disable Android pull-down-to-refresh. I lost my work because the feature. [41471115] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref>


Websites look wildly different from each other. Some websites are designed in a way where it isn't clearly visible where the top of the page is. On those sites, pull-to-refresh makes web browsing a walk on eggshells.

Pull-to-refresh, to some extent, makes sense on a notification feed where new items come from above, but it does not make sense on the vast majority of web sites, especially rarely updated static pages, and it is redundant to the refresh button in the quick menu that can be accessed even without scrolling to the top first, so there is simply no need for it.

Accidental refreshes waste time, battery charge, and quota from mobile data plans.

But Google thought that something that makes sense in the notification feed of Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") or Instagram automatically makes sense in a web browser. '''Nope.'''

See also [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In comparison, both Firefox mobile and Samsung Internet let the user turn this anti-feature off.

=== Tab viewer has no list view mode ===
The tab viewer only features a grid view which has two-columns in vertical orientation and usually four columns in horizontal orientation.

There used to be a list view mode which would preview a longer part of the page title, as well as part of the URL. It could be turned on through a flag in <code>chrome://flags</code>, named <code></code>, but it was taken away in 2019 with with the goal to "reduce chrome://flags size", which defeats the whole point of <code>chrome://flags</code>, which is to provide a dumping ground for options that fit nowhere else on the user interface. It is similar to <code>about:config</code> on Firefox.

Chrome (Chromium) developer David Trainor stated:
<blockquote>
Leaving the swich in place as it is highly used as a command line value, but removing it to trim down chrome://flags size.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://archive.today/2020.04.26-183014/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 - chromium/src - Git at Google]</ref>

It is unclear how this benefits the end user.

On Android, users without root access can not launch Chrome with custom command lines, at least not without using ADB, which requires an external computer, making it impractical on the go.

Samsung Internet's tab viewer does feature a list view option.

=== No draggable scroll bar ===
Seriously, Google? Desktop web browsers had this since the 1990s, and some mobile web browsers like Samsung Internet and Opera also had this for some time.

In addition, Samsung Internet features options to show shortcuts to jump to the top or the bottom of the page.

=== Slowly scrolling to text search results ===
When searching text on the page, Chrome does not immediately jump to the result, but scrolls to that result, which can take several seconds on a long page. And when you are looking through many results, these seconds add up.

Additionally, this scrolling animation needlessly wastes battery power.

Of course, [[Google#Taking_away_choice_from_the_user|as one would expect from Google]], there is no option to change this behaviour.

=== No page title bar ===
If you look at Steve Jobs' iPhone 4 presentation, what do you notice that current mobile web browsers don't have?<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxQOPFg2mo Steve Jobs' demo fail (CNET News)]</ref>

A title bar!

On a screen not nearly as large as smartphone screens are nowadays (2026).

Currently, Chrome does not have a straightforward way to let you see the full page title. You can see part of it in the tab list and browsing history, but due to their narrowness, the page title is usually cut off.

Chrome should have an option to show the page title above the URL bar, and tapping that title should reveal the full title with wrapped lines if it is longer than the width of the screen.

=== Slow menu animation ===
The "fancy" menu animation each time you open the quick menu, with the cascading menu items, might look nice, but it wastes a second every single time you want to use something in that menu, and this adds up.

Of course, no option to disable this exists inside the app, but thankfully, the Android developer tools provide an option to disable transition animations system-wide.

=== First row of quick menu not at bottom if URL bar is at bottom ===
The first row of the quick menu contains the icons for "go forward", "information", "save page", "bookmark", and "refresh".

However, it is still at the top of the quick menu even if the URL bar (or "omnibar") is at the bottom.

To Google's credit, they at least added the option to align the URL bar to the bottom. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and the Chromium derivative Kiwi Browser all had this by 2020.

=== Unable to keep URL bar on screen ===
On mobile web browsers, when scrolling down, the URL bar automatically hides. When scrolling back up, the URL bar is revealed again.

This is an ancient relic from a time when entry-level smartphones had 4:3 screens (such as the Galaxy Fit S5670). Now that smartphone screens have very tall aspect ratios such as 18:9, there is simply no need to hide the URL bar in vertical orientation anymore.

I would rather have 5% less screen space for the web content than having to pull down every single time to reveal the URL bar.

In addition, pulling down in Chrome sometimes activates the universally hated pull-to-refresh gesture (see first point) instead of revealing the URL bar.

=== Annoying download confirmation in incognito mode ===
In 2023, Google added an annoying prompt in incognito mode that reads ''"Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files."'', which, of course, can not be turned off.<ref>[https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/239227138/how-to-disable-incognito-mode-download-file-anyone-using-this-device-can-see-downloaded-files?hl=en How to disable incognito mode, "Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files." - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Given that most smartphones are only used by one person most of the time, this message is pointless.

== Missing functionality ==
=== Unable to play media from multiple tabs at once ===
Yet another thing desktop web browsers have been able to do since the 2000s, yet the "pinnacle of mobile web browsing" can't do so as of 2026.

With the processing power smartphones have nowadays, this should easily be doable.

Even if it increases power consumption, the user should be given the choice.

=== Unable to open a new tab after the current tab ===
New tabs are opened at the end of the tab list. With many tabs open, this adds the inconvenience of the new tab being far away from the current tab.

The user might want to look something up that is related to the currently viewed page. The inability to open a new tab after the current tab adds the inconvenience of having to find the current tab in the long tab list again, rather than swiping to switch to the last tab.

The only workaround is to open a link on the current page in a new tab by holding it down and choosing "open in new tab". However, this relies on a hyperlink existing on the current page, which might not always be the case.

Firefox on desktop has the <code>browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose. If this preference was put in a more visible spot (namely <code>about:preferences</code>), more people would undoubtedly use it.

=== No developer tools or page inspector ===
Granted, no other mobile web browser seems to have this, but wouldn't now be a time for mobile web browsers to get a basic page inspector at least?

Smartphones have so much processing power nowadays, yet mobile apps lack basic features software on desktop computers had for decades. This is disappointing to see.

Smartphones have large screens nowadays. It certainly would be possible.

=== Download list ===
The list of downloaded files offers no way to get the full source URL of a downloaded file. Only the domain is visible.

There is also no way to remove items from the download history without deleting the corresponding file in the download folder.

=== Built-in media player lacks basic options ===
The built-in media player has no built-in options to loop a media file, to open a media file in a new tab, or to copy the link to a media file into the clipboard.

The desktop edition of Firefox has all of these features.

Of course, the media player in a web browser is no replacement for an actual media player application like "mpv-android", but having these basic options built right into the web browser media player would add convenience.

=== Missing .mht or .mhtml extensions ===
While Chrome deserves credit for being the '''only''' major mobile web browser that lets users save pages into the download folder with no [[data lock-in]], the MHTML files generated by recent versions of Chrome (as of 2026) lack the ".mht" or ".mhtml" file extension, meaning the file name is only the page title with no extension.

This makes some file managers unable to recognize the file type, and makes the user unable to search for MHTML files by typing ".mht" or ".mhtml" in the search bar.

=== No option to load pages without images ===
Images are much larger in size than text, but sometimes, text is enough and would speed up loading, especially in remote areas where only 2G connectivity is available.

Unfortunately, Chrome lacks the simple option to only load text, without images.

== Anti-user practices ==
=== Data lock-in ===
Chrome provides no option to export web browsing data to a file, making it [[Data_lock-in#User_data_in_mobile_web_browsers|impossible to back up certain user data]] without root access, namely the session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history.

Exporting the browsing session to a text file would be useful to prevent so-called "tab hoarding", where the number of open tabs keeps increasing, without having to lose the existing browsing session.

Both the desktop and mobile editions of Chrome have a hard three-month limit for retaining browsing history. Without the ability to export the browsing history, it becomes difficult to find pages after a long time.

In comparison, Samsung Internet allows copying a list of open tabs to the clipboard by checking the "select all" box, pressing "share", and then choosing "copy to clipboard". Samsung Internet also allows copying multiple URLs from the history at once to clipboard, but with no time stamp, and there is a size limit that limits the number of selectable pages to something between 120 and 150 pages, depending on the lengths of the URL, title, or both.

This is still far from ideal, where the entire history and session could be dumped into a file with a single tap.

On desktop web browsers, extensions are able to provide such functionality, but of course, Chrome on mobile does not support extensions.

=== No background video playback ===
Chrome does not allow background video playback on ''any'' website. This is a deliberate choice by Google. In 2019, they even forced the developers of the Chromium derivative "Kiwi Browser" to remove this ability, at least for YouTube.com.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mobilesyrup.com/2019/05/07/kiwi-browser-removed-from-play-store/ |title=Kiwi Browser app vanishes from Google Play Store |website=Mobile Syrup |date=2019-05-07 |access-date=2026-06-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/07/kiwi-browser-removed-from-play-store-due-to-youtube-background-playback/ |title=Kiwi Browser removed from Play Store due to YouTube background playback |author=Corbin Davenport |website=Android Police |date=2019-05-07 |access-date=2026-06-08 }}</ref>

Google apparently wants users to not get used to background video playback on a mobile device, to match the behaviour that the YouTube app had since the beginning, even before YouTube Premium (YouTube Red) had existed.

== Browsing behaviour ==
=== Large images not downscaled to screen size ===
If a picture has a resolution of at least several megapixels, Chrome fails to downscale it enough that the entire image fits on screen.

So Chrome even struggles with something as simple as image viewing. How embarrassing.

=== Unable to see which page redirected me to the current page ===
While Firefox stores all redirects in the browsing history, Chrome makes it impossible to know which intermittent pages redirected me to the current page.

=== Unable to block redirects and self-refreshes ===
Some web pages misuse self-refreshing redirects, making it hard to go back to the last page.

Firefox on desktop offers the <code>accessibility.blockautorefresh</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose.

== Giving credit where credit is due ==
At least, Chrome has no fixed tab limit. Samsung Internet has a tab limit of 99, which was raised from 50 at some point. On the other hand, Samsung Internet's tab limit prevents tab hoarding. But I still prefer not having a tab limit.

In addition, as already mentioned, Chrome lets the user save web pages in the MHTML format in the download folder, while Firefox mobile has no such option and Samsung Internet stores pages with [[Data_lock-in#Saved_pages_in_Samsung_Internet|data lock-in]]. While Firefox mobile allows "printing as PDF", that does not count because PDF documents do not accurately represent the original layout of web pages. PDF is a format for printing to sheets of paper, not for storing continuous web documents.

In recent years (as of 2026), Google enabled saving pages in Incognito mode, realizing there was no reason for it to be disabled, given that downloads are outside the scope of incognito mode.

The quick menu has icons. From what I remember, they were added in 2020 or 2021. This is something Firefox on desktop once had, but it was removed [[Firefox#Removal_of_icons_from_the_main_menu_(2022)|because Mozilla's developers decided it was "clutter"]], even though it helps finding an option faster.

The URL visible in the URL bar is not shortened to the domain name like it is on Safari (which invented this design) and Samsung Internet. This means, "example.org/test.html" is not shortened to "example.org" in the URL bar.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16805216/google-chrome-only-sites-internet-explorer-6-web-standards Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 | The Verge]
* Video: [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=EDEzQ8pziIA Google Chrome Must Be Stopped] - Jody Bruchon

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-08T20:16:37Z

JodyBruchonFan: grammar

One would expect Google to be a company of world class developers. While they create good software in some categories, they sometimes don't implement basic features one would expect some other categories of software to have. This page collects various failures and bad decisions by Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute.

== Android file manager ==
It baffles me how Google manages to create a sophisticated chat bot like Gemini while failing to build a proper file manager.

Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. They lack features that ES File Explorer already had in the early 2010s, in its golden days before becoming adware and when Android was friendly to third-party file managers.

For example, there is no scrollbar. On DocumentsUI, you can not see the total size and recursive file/folder count of one or more selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no search filters like date range. The search feature only returns up to 24 results, an arbitrary limit. In list view, the last modified time and number of items within a folder are not shown. The detail view only shows the last modified time in minutes, not seconds, and does not show the exact file size in bytes. You can not jump from a search result to its parent directory. It does not remember your sorting preference. You can not select all items inbetween two items (like shift+click does on desktop and ES File Explorer does with a dedicated button). There is no "open with" feature. There is no address bar that would let you enter a file path. It doesn't even make use of Android's built-in recycle bin feature.

It doesn't even preserve the date and time attribute of copied files, something Windows had in the 1990s and Windows Mobile 6, released in 2009, had too.

Most importantly, after tapping on "copy" or "move", it doesn't stay in the current directory, but opens the Download folder instead. This means, if you wish to move items to a subdirectory of the currently viewed directory, you first have to manually navigate all the way back to the directory you were in before tapping on "copy" or "move". This is something even Windows 95 did better.

Earlier versions even had a bug where cancelling a file move operation would cause source files to be irrecoverably deleted without having been moved to the destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/photos/thread/106201?hl=en |title=Photos disappeared after moving to another device folder - Google Photos Community |author=Gökhun Güneyhan |date=2018-04-24 |access-date=2026-06-08 }} ([https://megalodon.jp/2023-0228-0023-32/https://support.google.com:443/photos/thread/106201?hl=en archive])</ref>

But hey, at least they implemented Google Drive integration. To their credit, they implemented the ability to browse ZIP and even TAR and 7z files, create ZIP files, a built-in EXIF viewer, the ability to open multiple instances, selection by tapping the file icon (faster than holding), a large grid view suitable for image seeking, and the file transfer progress indicator is displayed as a notification, which is better than a pop-up that blocks interacting with the file manager, like in Samsung's file manager.

== Android screenshot blocking ==
The thing that supposedly sets Android apart from iOS is user choice and freedom, yet Google decided that device owners are at the mercy of app developers to let them take screenshots and screen recordings. This is known as [[screenshot blocking]] or screen capture blocking, and can only be overridden with an unlocked bootloader and root access, which has complications of its own.

While this was originally intended to prevent banking app content from being captured or broadcast to external screens (miracast, MHL), there is nothing preventing it from being used outside of its intended scope. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before app developers realized they could use it arbitrarily.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=konradkar |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=[[Reddit]] |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615071612/https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |archive-date=2023-06-15}}</ref>

For this reason, Google should have provided a built-in option that lets the device owner override screen capture blocks at their own responsibility. An app deciding whether you should be allowed to take screenshots on your device is comparable to a guest in your home telling you how to behave.

== GBoard (Google Keyboard) ==
There is no option to turn off the one-hour clipboard time limit, which automatically deletes clipboard items older than one hour, even after users have asked for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en |title=Adjust Gboard clipboard timeout - Android Community |date=2023-04-03 |access-date=2026-06-04 }} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260514000953/https://support.google.com:443/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en archive])</ref>

The clipboard is not intended for long-term storage of course, but that's not an excuse for not giving the user the choice. Why not two hours? Why not one day? Why not indefinitely until a certain number of items is exceeded? Let the user decide.

In comparison, Samsung's and Xiaomi's keyboard applications (before Xiaomi ditched their native keyboard app in favour of GBoard) have no fixed time limit and delete the oldest unpinned clipboard item if a number of items is exceeded.

If special character shortcuts are enabled, there is a shortcut for the backslash (<kbd>\</kbd>), but surprisingly not for the forward slash (<kbd>/</kbd>), a much more commonly used key.

You can't change the delay until holding the backspace key will erase multiple characters, and how fast they are cleared (how many characters per second). A delay too long becomes a nuisance over time.

Additionally, it lacks reverse backspacing. Samsung's keyboard allows reverse backspacing using Shift+Backspace. This is like the "delete" key on desktop computers.

== Google Calendar ==
Lacks a "jump to date" feature which would let you enter the numerical date.

This is something Samsung had in the early 2010s (but curiously removed with the S6), and Nokia had even in the 1990s, for example on the Nokia 7111.

If you want to check what day of the week a specific date was, you have to manually scroll to it.

== Google Chrome ==
Mandatory pull-to-refresh, data lock-in, lack of customization, and more. See ''[[User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything_wrong_with_Chrome|Everything wrong with Chrome]]''.

== Google Docs ==
Google Docs will only let you save documents locally if the creator allows it. This is moralized nonsense. If someone makes something public, they should expect that others are able to save it.

== Google Messages ==
No option to [[Data_lock-in#Text_messages|export messages]], making it almost impossible to create local backups without root access.

The third-party app "SMS Backup+" sadly forces the user to go through the middleman GMail rather than doing the sensible thing, just dumping a file in the device storage.

There is no option to always show the number of remaining characters. The number of remaining characters is only shown if ten or less characters are left.

== Dialer (telephone) and contacts app ==
Of course, no built-in exporting to a file. Not surprising at this point.

== YouTube ==
The [[YouTube]] website and mobile application provide no way to download videos to a local file that is accessible outside the YouTube website or app. Unlike most other things on this list, this has been done on purpose, not as a result of negligence, see [[YouTube#Digital_Rights_Management|YouTube § Digital Rights Management]].

There is no numerical "jump to time feature" like the one the desktop edition of VLC Media Player has had for decades. The mobile edition of VLC Media Player has it too.

== References ==
<references />

Internet Archive

2026-06-08T19:46:28Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) */ elaborated

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American digital library hosting scanned books, music, videos, software, and archived websites.
|Founded=1996
|Industry=Archive, Library
|Logo=Internet Archive.png
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Non-profit
|Website=https://archive.org/
}}
The '''{{Wplink|Internet Archive}}''' is an American non-profit digital library founded in 1996 to provide free "universal access to all knowledge" and preserve digital history.

==Consumer-impact summary==
The archive can be a useful resource for consumers to access information about discontinued products, companies which are no longer operating, and articles which are removed from web sites.

[TBA]

==Incidents==

===Login-only items for legally dubious content (2016-present)===
On January 13, 2016, Hank Bromley (hank_b) of the Internet Archive created a collection of uploads considered legally dubious and only viewable with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download & Streaming : Log In Required : Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/loggedin?tab=about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-0311-0532-32/https://archive.org:443/details/loggedin?tab=about |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

These uploads cannot be viewed or downloaded by logged-out users but can be accessed by anyone with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive Forums: Log In Required, after logging in. |url=https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222222400/https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

===Archived website removal===
{{Main|Internet Archive/Blocked companies}}
The Archive accepts DMCA takedown requests of websites whose owners no longer want their sites archived<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bixenspan |first=David |date=28 Nov 2018 |title=When the Internet Archive Forgets |url=https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250805030527/https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |archive-date=5 Aug 2025 |access-date=31 Aug 2025 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref> causing certain sites to be inaccessible.

The Internet Archive ''used'' to hide material covered by robots.txt restrictions but that was changed on April 17, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Mark |date=2017-04-17 |title=Robots.txt meant for search engines don’t work well for web archives |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417131508/http://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |archive-date=2017-04-17 |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Removal of noindex function on uploaded items===
On 2023 the Internet Archive reportedly removed the ability for users to use the noindex function, which used to result in the items being hidden from its internal search engine, while making the items whose noindex value is true to appear on the search engine. The decision was criticized on the grounds that it may jeopardize users' rights, including privacy. When confronted about it, Jason Scott, who's a staffmember of the Internet Archive, reportedly responded with the following:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-22 |title=The removal of "noindex" from the Internet Archive, and associated risks. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214121917/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |archive-date=2024-12-14 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Internet Archive Ish |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215072041/https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |archive-date=2024-12-15 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref>

<blockquote>''There is no bug or mistake in removing no-index settings for many Internet Archive items in the Community collection.''

''At no point was the Archive contacted to arrange a situation of no-indexing (or Darking) items with an intention of later release; the no-index setting was not documented for this use, and represented a security hole that was closed. Tens of thousands of items were found, being used for encrypted files hidden from the search engine, and represented a major problem, so many items have been removed or set noindex quickly.''

''A number of people have contacted us explaining situations where items might need to be made no-indexed, in a collection for later or timed release for example, but they've done it with communication and discussing their needs, not just uploading files under disposable accounts and then assuming the archive would keep them un-accessible in perpetuity. In some cases their requests have gotten arrangements so that community items that were noindex are noindex again, in separate collections.''

''A situation can theoretically exist where the original uploader can e-mail us from their e-mail address and discuss arrangements, but you've indicated you intentionally obfuscated your location and have disposed your addresses. If you're able to gain access again, you can mail through those addresses.''

''An additional situation is you can e-mail info@archive.org if you want to report items at the archive (by identifier) that you believe might need to be removed from the archive; we receive a number of these requests throughout the months and respond according to policy.''</blockquote>

The following pseudocode was shared by a user who criticized the decision, if the Internet Archive decides to reinstate the ability for users to use the noindex function while re-hiding all the formerly noindexed items from the search engines:

<blockquote>noindex items if:

(

items-noindexed-by-user-in-the-past = true;

OR items-noindexed-by-IA-in-the-past = true);

AND (

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-USER-before-May-2023 = false;

OR

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-IA-before-May-2023 = false;

)</blockquote>

===Data breaches (2012-2024)===
On May 19, 2017, The Archive's Development Manager made a blog post detailing that anyone who had created their account before 2012 had to change their password as the site had been breached with user's public information and lightly encrypted passwords being leaked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Katie |date=2017-05-19 |title=Re: User account breach {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520030556/https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |archive-date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

On October 9, 2024, users on the Internet Archive got pop-ups that the website had been hacked with notifications appearing from the perpetrators at around 9PM CST,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Dark Web Informer on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321121941/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> and an hour later Troy Hunt of HaveIBeenPwned confirmed the breach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Troy |date=2024-10-09 |title=Troy Hunt on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321122129/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref>

Around 31 million users were affected with their user IDs, Emails, encrypted passwords and usernames being leaked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=2024-10-11 |title=31 million users impacted by Internet Archive data breach — what we know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109231711/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |archive-date=2024-11-09 |access-date=2025-08-16 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref>

=== Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) ===
Up until 2022, Archive.org was one of the few remaining major websites that could be browsed and searched without [[JavaScript]]. JavaScript was mostly only used for features that couldn't be implemented otherwise, such as for enabling bottomless scrolling. This is known as progressive enhancement.<ref name=jakearchibald>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

Since 2023 however, large parts of the Archive.org website (including the home page, collection pages, and the search engine) can no longer be browsed at all without JavaScript, because the legacy HTML-based user interface was replaced with a Google Lit web app. As of April 2026, only individual item pages remain viewable without JavaScript.<ref>Before change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3vxC8 2023-06-28]. After change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sdLIp 2023-09-28]</ref>

This made it impossible to browse the site on legacy systems that do not support modern web browsers, as well as minimalist web browser alternatives to the Google-Mozilla duopoly, and slowed down loading on modern web browsers because lots of code has to be executed before any content can appear on screen, putting the content at the end of the rendering path.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critical rendering path – Mozilla Developer Network |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Critical_rendering_path |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Internet Archive]]

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-08T10:55:47Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* GBoard (Google Keyboard) */ comparison

One would expect Google to be a company of world class developers. While they create good software in some categories, they sometimes don't implement basic features one would expect some other categories of software to have. This page collects various failures and bad decisions by Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute.

== Android file manager ==
It baffles me how Google manages to create a sophisticated chat bot like Gemini while failing to build a proper file manager.

Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. They lack features that ES File Explorer already had in the early 2010s, in its golden days before becoming adware and when Android was friendly to third-party file managers.

For example, there is no scrollbar. On DocumentsUI, you can not see the total size and recursive file/folder count of one or more selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no search filters like date range. The search feature only returns up to 24 results, an arbitrary limit. In list view, the last modified time and number of items within a folder are not shown. The detail view only shows the last modified time in minutes, not seconds, and does not show the exact file size in bytes. You can not jump from a search result to its parent directory. It does not remember your sorting preference. You can not select all items inbetween two items (like shift+click does on desktop and ES File Explorer does with a dedicated button). There is no "open with" feature. There is no address bar that would let you enter a file path. It doesn't even make use of Android's built-in recycle bin feature.

It doesn't even preserve the date and time attribute of copied files, something Windows had in the 1990s and Windows Mobile 6, released in 2009, had too.

Most importantly, after tapping on "copy" or "move", it doesn't stay in the current directory, but opens the Download folder instead. This means, if you wish to move items to a subdirectory of the currently viewed directory, you first have to manually navigate all the way back to the directory you were in before tapping on "copy" or "move". This is something even Windows 95 did better.

Earlier versions even had a bug where cancelling a file move operation would cause source files to be irrecoverably deleted without having been moved to the destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/photos/thread/106201?hl=en |title=Photos disappeared after moving to another device folder - Google Photos Community |author=Gökhun Güneyhan |date=2018-04-24 |access-date=2026-06-08 }} ([https://megalodon.jp/2023-0228-0023-32/https://support.google.com:443/photos/thread/106201?hl=en archive])</ref>

But hey, at least they implemented Google Drive integration. To their credit, they implemented the ability to browse ZIP and even TAR and 7z files, create ZIP files, a built-in EXIF viewer, the ability to open multiple instances, selection by tapping the file icon (faster than holding), a large grid view suitable for image seeking, and the file transfer progress indicator is displayed as a notification, which is better than a pop-up that blocks interacting with the file manager, like in Samsung's file manager.

== Android screenshot blocking ==
The thing that supposedly sets Android apart from iOS is user choice and freedom, yet Google decided that device owners are at the mercy of app developers to let them take screenshots and screen recordings. This is known as [[screenshot blocking]] or screen capture blocking, and can only be overridden with an unlocked bootloader and root access, which has complications of its own.

While this was originally intended to prevent banking app content from being captured or broadcasted to external screens (miracast, MHL), there is nothing preventing it from being used outside of its intended scope. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before app developers realized they could use it arbitrarily.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=konradkar |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=[[Reddit]] |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615071612/https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |archive-date=2023-06-15}}</ref>

For this reason, Google should have provided a built-in option that lets the device owner override screen capture blocks at their own responsibility. An app deciding whether you should be allowed to take screenshots on your device is comparable to a guest in your home telling you how to behave.

== GBoard (Google Keyboard) ==
There is no option to turn off the one-hour clipboard time limit, which automatically deletes clipboard items older than one hour, even after users have asked for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en |title=Adjust Gboard clipboard timeout - Android Community |date=2023-04-03 |access-date=2026-06-04 }} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260514000953/https://support.google.com:443/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en archive])</ref>

The clipboard is not intended for long-term storage of course, but that's not an excuse for not giving the user the choice. Why not two hours? Why not one day? Why not indefinitely until a certain number of items is exceeded? Let the user decide.

In comparison, Samsung's and Xiaomi's keyboard applications (before Xiaomi ditched their native keyboard app in favour of GBoard) have no fixed time limit and delete the oldest unpinned clipboard item if a number of items is exceeded.

If special character shortcuts are enabled, there is a shortcut for the backslash (<kbd>\</kbd>), but surprisingly not for the forward slash (<kbd>/</kbd>), a much more commonly used key.

You can't change the delay until holding the backspace key will erase multiple characters, and how fast they are cleared (how many characters per second). A delay too long becomes a nuisance over time.

Additionally, it lacks reverse backspacing. Samsung's keyboard allows reverse backspacing using Shift+Backspace. This is like the "delete" key on desktop computers.

== Google Calendar ==
Lacks a "jump to date" feature which would let you enter the numerical date.

This is something Samsung had in the early 2010s (but curiously removed with the S6), and Nokia had even in the 1990s, for example on the Nokia 7111.

If you want to check what day of the week a specific date was, you have to manually scroll to it.

== Google Chrome ==
Mandatory pull-to-refresh, data lock-in, lack of customization, and more. See ''[[User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything_wrong_with_Chrome|Everything wrong with Chrome]]''.

== Google Docs ==
Google Docs will only let you save documents locally if the creator allows it. This is moralized nonsense. If someone makes something public, they should expect that others are able to save it.

== Google Messages ==
No option to [[Data_lock-in#Text_messages|export messages]], making it almost impossible to create local backups without root access.

The third-party app "SMS Backup+" sadly forces the user to go through the middleman GMail rather than doing the sensible thing, just dumping a file in the device storage.

There is no option to always show the number of remaining characters. The number of remaining characters is only shown if ten or less characters are left.

== Dialer (telephone) and contacts app ==
Of course, no built-in exporting to a file. Not surprising at this point.

== YouTube ==
The [[YouTube]] website and mobile application provide no way to download videos to a local file that is accessible outside the YouTube website or app. Unlike most other things on this list, this has been done on purpose, not as a result of negligence, see [[YouTube#Digital_Rights_Management|YouTube § Digital Rights Management]].

There is no numerical "jump to time feature" like the one the desktop edition of VLC Media Player has had for decades. The mobile edition of VLC Media Player has it too.

== References ==
<references />

User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything wrong with Chrome

2026-06-08T10:45:50Z

JodyBruchonFan: similar things next to each other and categorizing and adding more

<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">[[File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png|frameless|alt=Google Chrome mobile]]</div></div>

----

One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular for the same reason Internet Explorer was popular back in the 1990s and 2000s: it is pre-installed.

Given that the competition has a much smaller market share, Google is under no pressure to provide a good web browsing experience.

This is a collection of what is wrong with the mobile version of Google Chrome. These are features or options Google could have easily implemented long ago, but either neglected or, for some reason, chose not to.

The term "Chrome" refers to the mobile edition for the rest of this page, unless stated otherwise. Anyone feel free to contribute.

== User interface ==
=== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ===
Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first. The constant threat of accidentally refreshing a page has turned browsing with Chrome into a headache since 2019.

In spite of the abnormally high number of complaints by users suffering from accidental refreshes, Google has refused to reinstate the option to turn off this anti-feature. It seems to be part of Google's brand identity.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.09.04-094015/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41471115 Please bring back ability to disable Android pull-down-to-refresh. I lost my work because the feature. [41471115] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref>


Websites look wildly different from each other. Some websites are designed in a way where it isn't clearly visible where the top of the page is. On those sites, pull-to-refresh makes web browsing a walk on eggshells.

Pull-to-refresh, to some extent, makes sense on a notification feed where new items come from above, but it does not make sense on the vast majority of web sites, especially rarely updated static pages, and it is redundant to the refresh button in the quick menu that can be accessed even without scrolling to the top first, so there is simply no need for it.

Accidental refreshes waste time, battery charge, and quota from mobile data plans.

But Google thought that something that makes sense in the notification feed of Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") or Instagram automatically makes sense in a web browser. '''Nope.'''

See also [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In comparison, both Firefox mobile and Samsung Internet let the user turn this anti-feature off.

=== Tab viewer has no list view mode ===
The tab viewer only features a grid view which has two-columns in vertical orientation and usually four columns in horizontal orientation.

There used to be a list view mode which would preview a longer part of the page title, as well as part of the URL. It could be turned on through a flag in <code>chrome://flags</code>, named <code></code>, but it was taken away in 2019 with with the goal to "reduce chrome://flags size", which defeats the whole point of <code>chrome://flags</code>, which is to provide a dumping ground for options that fit nowhere else on the user interface. It is similar to <code>about:config</code> on Firefox.

Chrome (Chromium) developer David Trainor stated:
<blockquote>
Leaving the swich in place as it is highly used as a command line value, but removing it to trim down chrome://flags size.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://archive.today/2020.04.26-183014/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 - chromium/src - Git at Google]</ref>

It is unclear how this benefits the end user.

On Android, users without root access can not launch Chrome with custom command lines, at least not without using ADB, which requires an external computer, making it impractical on the go.

Samsung Internet's tab viewer does feature a list view option.

=== No draggable scroll bar ===
Seriously, Google? Desktop web browsers had this since the 1990s, and some mobile web browsers like Samsung Internet and Opera also had this for some time.

In addition, Samsung Internet features options to show shortcuts to jump to the top or the bottom of the page.

=== Slowly scrolling to text search results ===
When searching text on the page, Chrome does not immediately jump to the result, but scrolls to that result, which can take several seconds on a long page. And when you are looking through many results, these seconds add up.

Additionally, this scrolling animation needlessly wastes battery power.

Of course, [[Google#Taking_away_choice_from_the_user|as one would expect from Google]], there is no option to change this behaviour.

=== No page title bar ===
If you look at Steve Jobs' iPhone 4 presentation, what do you notice that current mobile web browsers don't have?<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxQOPFg2mo Steve Jobs' demo fail (CNET News)]</ref>

A title bar!

On a screen not nearly as large as smartphone screens are nowadays (2026).

Currently, Chrome does not have a straightforward way to let you see the full page title. You can see part of it in the tab list and browsing history, but due to their narrowness, the page title is usually cut off.

Chrome should have an option to show the page title above the URL bar, and tapping that title should reveal the full title with wrapped lines if it is longer than the width of the screen.

=== Slow menu animation ===
The "fancy" menu animation each time you open the quick menu, with the cascading menu items, might look nice, but it wastes a second every single time you want to use something in that menu, and this adds up.

Of course, no option to disable this exists inside the app, but thankfully, the Android developer tools provide an option to disable transition animations system-wide.

=== First row of quick menu not at bottom if URL bar is at bottom ===
The first row of the quick menu contains the icons for "go forward", "information", "save page", "bookmark", and "refresh".

However, it is still at the top of the quick menu even if the URL bar (or "omnibar") is at the bottom.

To Google's credit, they at least added the option to align the URL bar to the bottom. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and the Chromium derivative Kiwi Browser all had this by 2020.

=== Unable to keep URL bar on screen ===
On mobile web browsers, when scrolling down, the URL bar automatically hides. When scrolling back up, the URL bar is revealed again.

This is an ancient relic from a time when entry-level smartphones had 4:3 screens (such as the Galaxy Fit S5670). Now that smartphone screens have very tall aspect ratios such as 18:9, there is simply no need to hide the URL bar in vertical orientation anymore.

I would rather have 5% less screen space for the web content than having to pull down every single time to reveal the URL bar.

In addition, pulling down in Chrome sometimes activates the universally hated pull-to-refresh gesture (see first point) instead of revealing the URL bar.

=== Annoying download confirmation in incognito mode ===
In 2023, Google added an annoying prompt in incognito mode that reads ''"Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files."'', which, of course, can not be turned off.<ref>[https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/239227138/how-to-disable-incognito-mode-download-file-anyone-using-this-device-can-see-downloaded-files?hl=en How to disable incognito mode, "Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files." - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Given that most smartphones are only used by one person most of the time, this message is pointless.

== Missing functionality ==
=== Unable to play media from multiple tabs at once ===
Yet another thing desktop web browsers have been able to do since the 2000s, yet the "pinnacle of mobile web browsing" can't do so as of 2026.

With the processing power smartphones have nowadays, this should easily be doable.

Even if it increases power consumption, the user should be given the choice.

=== Unable to open a new tab after the current tab ===
New tabs are opened at the end of the tab list. With many tabs open, this adds the inconvenience of the new tab being far away from the current tab.

The user might want to look something up that is related to the currently viewed page. The inability to open a new tab after the current tab adds the inconvenience of having to find the current tab in the long tab list again, rather than swiping to switch to the last tab.

The only workaround is to open a link on the current page in a new tab by holding it down and choosing "open in new tab". However, this relies on a hyperlink existing on the current page, which might not always be the case.

Firefox on desktop has the <code>browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose. If this preference was put in a more visible spot (namely <code>about:preferences</code>), more people would undoubtedly use it.

=== No developer tools or page inspector ===
Granted, no other mobile web browser seems to have this, but wouldn't now be a time for mobile web browsers to get a basic page inspector at least?

Smartphones have so much processing power nowadays, yet mobile apps lack basic features software on desktop computers had for decades. This is disappointing to see.

Smartphones have large screens nowadays. It certainly would be possible.

=== Download list ===
The list of downloaded files offers no way to get the full source URL of a downloaded file. Only the domain is visible.

There is also no way to remove items from the download history without deleting the corresponding file in the download folder.

=== Built-in media player lacks basic options ===
The built-in media player has no built-in options to loop a media file, to open a media file in a new tab, or to copy the link to a media file into the clipboard.

The desktop edition of Firefox has all of these features.

Of course, the media player in a web browser is no replacement for an actual media player application like "mpv-android", but having these basic options built right into the web browser media player would add convenience.

=== Missing .mht or .mhtml extensions ===
While Chrome deserves credit for being the '''only''' major web browser that lets users save pages into the download folder with no [[data lock-in]], in recent versions (as of 2026), the MHTML files generated by Chrome lack the ".mht" or ".mhtml" file extension, meaning the file name is only the page title with no extension.

This makes some file managers unable to recognize the file type, and makes the user unable to search for MHTML files by typing ".mht" or ".mhtml" in the search bar.

=== No option to load pages without images ===
Images are much larger in size than text, but sometimes, text is enough and would speed up loading, especially in remote areas where only 2G connectivity is available.

Unfortunately, Chrome lacks the simple option to only load text, without images.

== Anti-user practices ==
=== Data lock-in ===
Chrome provides no option to export web browsing data to a file, making it [[Data_lock-in#User_data_in_mobile_web_browsers|impossible to back up certain user data]] without root access, namely the session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history.

Exporting the browsing session to a text file would be useful to prevent so-called "tab hoarding", where the number of open tabs keeps increasing, without having to lose the existing browsing session.

Both the desktop and mobile editions of Chrome have a hard three-month limit for retaining browsing history. Without the ability to export the browsing history, it becomes difficult to find pages after a long time.

In comparison, Samsung Internet allows copying a list of open tabs to the clipboard by checking the "select all" box, pressing "share", and then choosing "copy to clipboard". Samsung Internet also allows copying multiple URLs from the history at once to clipboard, but with no time stamp, and there is a size limit that limits the number of selectable pages to something between 120 and 150 pages, depending on the lengths of the URL, title, or both.

This is still far from ideal, where the entire history and session could be dumped into a file with a single tap.

On desktop web browsers, extensions are able to provide such functionality, but of course, Chrome on mobile does not support extensions.

=== No background video playback ===
Chrome does not allow background video playback on ''any'' website. This is a deliberate choice by Google. In 2019, they even forced the developers of the Chromium derivative "Kiwi Browser" to remove this ability, at least for YouTube.com.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mobilesyrup.com/2019/05/07/kiwi-browser-removed-from-play-store/ |title=Kiwi Browser app vanishes from Google Play Store |website=Mobile Syrup |date=2019-05-07 |access-date=2026-06-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/07/kiwi-browser-removed-from-play-store-due-to-youtube-background-playback/ |title=Kiwi Browser removed from Play Store due to YouTube background playback |author=Corbin Davenport |website=Android Police |date=2019-05-07 |access-date=2026-06-08 }}</ref>

Google apparently wants users to not get used to background video playback on a mobile device, to match the behaviour that the YouTube app had since the beginning, even before YouTube Premium (YouTube Red) had existed.

== Browsing behaviour ==
=== Large images not downscaled to screen size ===
If a picture has a resolution of at least several megapixels, Chrome fails to downscale it enough that the entire image fits on screen.

So Chrome even struggles with something as simple as image viewing. How embarrassing.

=== Unable to see which page redirected me to the current page ===
While Firefox stores all redirects in the browsing history, Chrome makes it impossible to know which intermittent pages redirected me to the current page.

=== Unable to block redirects and self-refreshes ===
Some web pages misuse self-refreshing redirects, making it hard to go back to the last page.

Firefox on desktop offers the <code>accessibility.blockautorefresh</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose.

== Giving credit where credit is due ==
At least, Chrome has no fixed tab limit. Samsung Internet has a tab limit of 99, which was raised from 50 at some point. On the other hand, Samsung Internet's tab limit prevents tab hoarding. But I still prefer not having a tab limit.

In addition, as already mentioned, Chrome lets the user save web pages in the MHTML format in the download folder, while Firefox mobile has no such option and Samsung Internet stores pages with [[Data_lock-in#Saved_pages_in_Samsung_Internet|data lock-in]]. While Firefox mobile allows "printing as PDF", that does not count because PDF documents do not accurately represent the original layout of web pages. PDF is a format for printing to sheets of paper, not for storing continuous web documents.

In recent years (as of 2026), Google enabled saving pages in Incognito mode, realizing there was no reason for it to be disabled, given that downloads are outside the scope of incognito mode.

The quick menu has icons. From what I remember, they were added in 2020 or 2021. This is something Firefox on desktop once had, but it was removed [[Firefox#Removal_of_icons_from_the_main_menu_(2022)|because Mozilla's developers decided it was "clutter"]], even though it helps finding an option faster.

The URL visible in the URL bar is not shortened to the domain name like it is on Safari (which invented this design) and Samsung Internet. This means, "example.org/test.html" is not shortened to "example.org" in the URL bar.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16805216/google-chrome-only-sites-internet-explorer-6-web-standards Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 | The Verge]
* Video: [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=EDEzQ8pziIA Google Chrome Must Be Stopped] - Jody Bruchon

User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything wrong with Chrome

2026-06-08T10:31:29Z

JodyBruchonFan: no title bar

<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">[[File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png|frameless|alt=Google Chrome mobile]]</div></div>

----

One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular for the same reason Internet Explorer was popular back in the 1990s and 2000s: it is pre-installed.

Given that the competition has a much smaller market share, Google is under no pressure to provide a good web browsing experience.

This is a collection of what is wrong with the mobile version of Google Chrome. These are features or options Google could have easily implemented long ago, but either neglected or, for some reason, chose not to.

The term "Chrome" refers to the mobile edition for the rest of this page, unless stated otherwise. Anyone feel free to contribute.

== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ==
Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first. The constant threat of accidentally refreshing a page has turned browsing with Chrome into a headache since 2019.

In spite of the abnormally high number of complaints by users suffering from accidental refreshes, Google has refused to reinstate the option to turn off this anti-feature. It seems to be part of Google's brand identity.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.09.04-094015/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41471115 Please bring back ability to disable Android pull-down-to-refresh. I lost my work because the feature. [41471115] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref>


Websites look wildly different from each other. Some websites are designed in a way where it isn't clearly visible where the top of the page is. On those sites, pull-to-refresh makes web browsing a walk on eggshells.

Pull-to-refresh, to some extent, makes sense on a notification feed where new items come from above, but it does not make sense on the vast majority of web sites, especially rarely updated static pages, and it is redundant to the refresh button in the quick menu that can be accessed even without scrolling to the top first, so there is simply no need for it.

Accidental refreshes waste time, battery charge, and quota from mobile data plans.

But Google thought that something that makes sense in the notification feed of Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") or Instagram automatically makes sense in a web browser. '''Nope.'''

See also [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In comparison, both Firefox mobile and Samsung Internet let the user turn this anti-feature off.

== Data lock-in ==
Chrome provides no option to export web browsing data to a file, making it [[Data_lock-in#User_data_in_mobile_web_browsers|impossible to back up certain user data]] without root access, namely the session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history.

Exporting the browsing session to a text file would be useful to prevent so-called "tab hoarding", where the number of open tabs keeps increasing, without having to lose the existing browsing session.

Both the desktop and mobile editions of Chrome have a hard three-month limit for retaining browsing history. Without the ability to export the browsing history, it becomes difficult to find pages after a long time.

In comparison, Samsung Internet allows copying a list of open tabs to the clipboard by checking the "select all" box, pressing "share", and then choosing "copy to clipboard". Samsung Internet also allows copying multiple URLs from the history at once to clipboard, but with no time stamp, and there is a size limit that limits the number of selectable pages to something between 120 and 150 pages, depending on the lengths of the URL, title, or both.

This is still far from ideal, where the entire history and session could be dumped into a file with a single tap.

On desktop web browsers, extensions are able to provide such functionality, but of course, Chrome on mobile does not support extensions.

== Tab viewer has no list view mode ==
The tab viewer only features a grid view which has two-columns in vertical orientation and usually four columns in horizontal orientation.

There used to be a list view mode which would preview a longer part of the page title, as well as part of the URL. It could be turned on through a flag in <code>chrome://flags</code>, named <code></code>, but it was taken away in 2019 with with the goal to "reduce chrome://flags size", which defeats the whole point of <code>chrome://flags</code>, which is to provide a dumping ground for options that fit nowhere else on the user interface. It is similar to <code>about:config</code> on Firefox.

Chrome (Chromium) developer David Trainor stated:
<blockquote>
Leaving the swich in place as it is highly used as a command line value, but removing it to trim down chrome://flags size.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://archive.today/2020.04.26-183014/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 - chromium/src - Git at Google]</ref>

It is unclear how this benefits the end user.

On Android, users without root access can not launch Chrome with custom command lines, at least not without using ADB, which requires an external computer, making it impractical on the go.

Samsung Internet's tab viewer does feature a list view option.

== No draggable scroll bar ==
Seriously, Google? Desktop web browsers had this since the 1990s, and some mobile web browsers like Samsung Internet and Opera also had this for some time.

In addition, Samsung Internet features options to show shortcuts to jump to the top or the bottom of the page.

== Slowly scrolling to text search results ==
When searching text on the page, Chrome does not immediately jump to the result, but scrolls to that result, which can take several seconds on a long page. And when you are looking through many results, these seconds add up.

Additionally, this scrolling animation needlessly wastes battery power.

Of course, [[Google#Taking_away_choice_from_the_user|as one would expect from Google]], there is no option to change this behaviour.

== Unable to play media from multiple tabs at once ==
Yet another thing desktop web browsers have been able to do since the 2000s, yet the "pinnacle of mobile web browsing" can't do so as of 2026.

With the processing power smartphones have nowadays, this should easily be doable.

Even if it increases power consumption, the user should be given the choice.

== Unable to open a new tab after the current tab ==
New tabs are opened at the end of the tab list. With many tabs open, this adds the inconvenience of the new tab being far away from the current tab.

The user might want to look something up that is related to the currently viewed page. The inability to open a new tab after the current tab adds the inconvenience of having to find the current tab in the long tab list again, rather than swiping to switch to the last tab.

The only workaround is to open a link on the current page in a new tab by holding it down and choosing "open in new tab". However, this relies on a hyperlink existing on the current page, which might not always be the case.

Firefox on desktop has the <code>browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose. If this preference was put in a more visible spot (namely <code>about:preferences</code>), more people would undoubtedly use it.

== Slow menu animation ==
The "fancy" menu animation each time you open the quick menu, with the cascading menu items, might look nice, but it wastes a second every single time you want to use something in that menu, and this adds up.

Of course, no option to disable this exists inside the app, but thankfully, the Android developer tools provide an option to disable transition animations system-wide.

== First row of quick menu not at bottom if URL bar is at bottom ==
The first row of the quick menu contains the icons for "go forward", "information", "save page", "bookmark", and "refresh".

However, it is still at the top of the quick menu even if the URL bar (or "omnibar") is at the bottom.

To Google's credit, they at least added the option to align the URL bar to the bottom. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and the Chromium derivative Kiwi Browser all had this by 2020.

== Unable to keep URL bar on screen ==
On mobile web browsers, when scrolling down, the URL bar automatically hides. When scrolling back up, the URL bar is revealed again.

This is an ancient relic from a time when entry-level smartphones had 4:3 screens (such as the Galaxy Fit S5670). Now that smartphone screens have very tall aspect ratios such as 18:9, there is simply no need to hide the URL bar in vertical orientation anymore.

I would rather have 5% less screen space for the web content than having to pull down every single time to reveal the URL bar.

In addition, pulling down in Chrome sometimes activates the universally hated pull-to-refresh gesture (see first point) instead of revealing the URL bar.

== No developer tools or page inspector ==
Granted, no other mobile web browser seems to have this, but wouldn't now be a time for mobile web browsers to get a basic page inspector at least?

Smartphones have so much processing power nowadays, yet mobile apps lack basic features software on desktop computers had for decades. This is disappointing to see.

Smartphones have large screens nowadays. It certainly would be possible.

== Download list ==
The list of downloaded files offers no way to get the full source URL of a downloaded file. Only the domain is visible.

There is also no way to remove items from the download history without deleting the corresponding file in the download folder.

== Annoying download confirmation in incognito mode ==
In 2023, Google added an annoying prompt in incognito mode that reads ''"Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files."'', which, of course, can not be turned off.<ref>[https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/239227138/how-to-disable-incognito-mode-download-file-anyone-using-this-device-can-see-downloaded-files?hl=en How to disable incognito mode, "Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files." - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Given that most smartphones are only used by one person most of the time, this message is pointless.

== Built-in media player lacks basic options ==
The built-in media player has no built-in options to loop a media file, to open a media file in a new tab, or to copy the link to a media file into the clipboard.

The desktop edition of Firefox has all of these features.

Of course, the media player in a web browser is no replacement for an actual media player application like "mpv-android", but having these basic options built right into the web browser media player would add convenience.

== Large images not downscaled to screen size ==
If a picture has a resolution of at least several megapixels, Chrome fails to downscale it enough that the entire image fits on screen.

So Chrome even struggles with something as simple as image viewing. How embarrassing.

== No option to load pages without images ==
Images are much larger in size than text, but sometimes, text is enough and would speed up loading, especially in remote areas where only 2G connectivity is available.

Unfortunately, Chrome lacks the simple option to only load text, without images.

== Unable to see which page redirected me to the current page ==
While Firefox stores all redirects in the browsing history, Chrome makes it impossible to know which intermittent pages redirected me to the current page.

== Unable to block redirects and self-refreshes ==
Some web pages misuse self-refreshing redirects, making it hard to go back to the last page.

Firefox on desktop offers the <code>accessibility.blockautorefresh</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose.

== Missing .mht or .mhtml extensions ==
While Chrome deserves credit for being the '''only''' major web browser that lets users save pages into the download folder with no [[data lock-in]], in recent versions (as of 2026), the MHTML files generated by Chrome lack the ".mht" or ".mhtml" file extension, meaning the file name is only the page title with no extension.

This makes some file managers unable to recognize the file type, and makes the user unable to search for MHTML files by typing ".mht" or ".mhtml" in the search bar.

== No page title bar ==
If you look at Steve Jobs' iPhone 4 presentation, what do you notice that current mobile web browsers don't have?<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxQOPFg2mo Steve Jobs' demo fail (CNET News)]</ref>

A title bar!

On a screen not nearly as large as smartphone screens are nowadays (2026).

Currently, Chrome does not have a straightforward way to let you see the full page title. You can see part of it in the tab list and browsing history, but due to their narrowness, the page title is usually cut off.

Chrome should have an option to show the page title above the URL bar, and tapping that title should reveal the full title with wrapped lines if it is longer than the width of the screen.

== Giving credit where credit is due ==
At least, Chrome has no fixed tab limit. Samsung Internet has a tab limit of 99, which was raised from 50 at some point. On the other hand, Samsung Internet's tab limit prevents tab hoarding. But I still prefer not having a tab limit.

In addition, as already mentioned, Chrome lets the user save web pages in the MHTML format in the download folder, while Firefox mobile has no such option and Samsung Internet stores pages with [[Data_lock-in#Saved_pages_in_Samsung_Internet|data lock-in]]. While Firefox mobile allows "printing as PDF", that does not count because PDF documents do not accurately represent the original layout of web pages. PDF is a format for printing to sheets of paper, not for storing continuous web documents.

In recent years (as of 2026), Google enabled saving pages in Incognito mode, realizing there was no reason for it to be disabled, given that downloads are outside the scope of incognito mode.

The quick menu has icons. From what I remember, they were added in 2020 or 2021. This is something Firefox on desktop once had, but it was removed [[Firefox#Removal_of_icons_from_the_main_menu_(2022)|because Mozilla's developers decided it was "clutter"]], even though it helps finding an option faster.

The URL visible in the URL bar is not shortened to the domain name like it is on Safari (which invented this design) and Samsung Internet. This means, "example.org/test.html" is not shortened to "example.org" in the URL bar.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16805216/google-chrome-only-sites-internet-explorer-6-web-standards Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 | The Verge]
* Video: [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=EDEzQ8pziIA Google Chrome Must Be Stopped] - Jody Bruchon

User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything wrong with Chrome

2026-06-08T10:18:00Z

JodyBruchonFan: Missing .mht or .mhtml extensions

<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">[[File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png|frameless|alt=Google Chrome mobile]]</div></div>

----

One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular for the same reason Internet Explorer was popular back in the 1990s and 2000s: it is pre-installed.

Given that the competition has a much smaller market share, Google is under no pressure to provide a good web browsing experience.

This is a collection of what is wrong with the mobile version of Google Chrome. These are features or options Google could have easily implemented long ago, but either neglected or, for some reason, chose not to.

The term "Chrome" refers to the mobile edition for the rest of this page, unless stated otherwise. Anyone feel free to contribute.

== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ==
Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first. The constant threat of accidentally refreshing a page has turned browsing with Chrome into a headache since 2019.

In spite of the abnormally high number of complaints by users suffering from accidental refreshes, Google has refused to reinstate the option to turn off this anti-feature. It seems to be part of Google's brand identity.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.09.04-094015/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41471115 Please bring back ability to disable Android pull-down-to-refresh. I lost my work because the feature. [41471115] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref>


Websites look wildly different from each other. Some websites are designed in a way where it isn't clearly visible where the top of the page is. On those sites, pull-to-refresh makes web browsing a walk on eggshells.

Pull-to-refresh, to some extent, makes sense on a notification feed where new items come from above, but it does not make sense on the vast majority of web sites, especially rarely updated static pages, and it is redundant to the refresh button in the quick menu that can be accessed even without scrolling to the top first, so there is simply no need for it.

Accidental refreshes waste time, battery charge, and quota from mobile data plans.

But Google thought that something that makes sense in the notification feed of Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") or Instagram automatically makes sense in a web browser. '''Nope.'''

See also [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In comparison, both Firefox mobile and Samsung Internet let the user turn this anti-feature off.

== Data lock-in ==
Chrome provides no option to export web browsing data to a file, making it [[Data_lock-in#User_data_in_mobile_web_browsers|impossible to back up certain user data]] without root access, namely the session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history.

Exporting the browsing session to a text file would be useful to prevent so-called "tab hoarding", where the number of open tabs keeps increasing, without having to lose the existing browsing session.

Both the desktop and mobile editions of Chrome have a hard three-month limit for retaining browsing history. Without the ability to export the browsing history, it becomes difficult to find pages after a long time.

In comparison, Samsung Internet allows copying a list of open tabs to the clipboard by checking the "select all" box, pressing "share", and then choosing "copy to clipboard". Samsung Internet also allows copying multiple URLs from the history at once to clipboard, but with no time stamp, and there is a size limit that limits the number of selectable pages to something between 120 and 150 pages, depending on the lengths of the URL, title, or both.

This is still far from ideal, where the entire history and session could be dumped into a file with a single tap.

On desktop web browsers, extensions are able to provide such functionality, but of course, Chrome on mobile does not support extensions.

== Tab viewer has no list view mode ==
The tab viewer only features a grid view which has two-columns in vertical orientation and usually four columns in horizontal orientation.

There used to be a list view mode which would preview a longer part of the page title, as well as part of the URL. It could be turned on through a flag in <code>chrome://flags</code>, named <code></code>, but it was taken away in 2019 with with the goal to "reduce chrome://flags size", which defeats the whole point of <code>chrome://flags</code>, which is to provide a dumping ground for options that fit nowhere else on the user interface. It is similar to <code>about:config</code> on Firefox.

Chrome (Chromium) developer David Trainor stated:
<blockquote>
Leaving the swich in place as it is highly used as a command line value, but removing it to trim down chrome://flags size.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://archive.today/2020.04.26-183014/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 - chromium/src - Git at Google]</ref>

It is unclear how this benefits the end user.

On Android, users without root access can not launch Chrome with custom command lines, at least not without using ADB, which requires an external computer, making it impractical on the go.

Samsung Internet's tab viewer does feature a list view option.

== No draggable scroll bar ==
Seriously, Google? Desktop web browsers had this since the 1990s, and some mobile web browsers like Samsung Internet and Opera also had this for some time.

In addition, Samsung Internet features options to show shortcuts to jump to the top or the bottom of the page.

== Slowly scrolling to text search results ==
When searching text on the page, Chrome does not immediately jump to the result, but scrolls to that result, which can take several seconds on a long page. And when you are looking through many results, these seconds add up.

Additionally, this scrolling animation needlessly wastes battery power.

Of course, [[Google#Taking_away_choice_from_the_user|as one would expect from Google]], there is no option to change this behaviour.

== Unable to play media from multiple tabs at once ==
Yet another thing desktop web browsers have been able to do since the 2000s, yet the "pinnacle of mobile web browsing" can't do so as of 2026.

With the processing power smartphones have nowadays, this should easily be doable.

Even if it increases power consumption, the user should be given the choice.

== Unable to open a new tab after the current tab ==
New tabs are opened at the end of the tab list. With many tabs open, this adds the inconvenience of the new tab being far away from the current tab.

The user might want to look something up that is related to the currently viewed page. The inability to open a new tab after the current tab adds the inconvenience of having to find the current tab in the long tab list again, rather than swiping to switch to the last tab.

The only workaround is to open a link on the current page in a new tab by holding it down and choosing "open in new tab". However, this relies on a hyperlink existing on the current page, which might not always be the case.

Firefox on desktop has the <code>browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose. If this preference was put in a more visible spot (namely <code>about:preferences</code>), more people would undoubtedly use it.

== Slow menu animation ==
The "fancy" menu animation each time you open the quick menu, with the cascading menu items, might look nice, but it wastes a second every single time you want to use something in that menu, and this adds up.

Of course, no option to disable this exists inside the app, but thankfully, the Android developer tools provide an option to disable transition animations system-wide.

== First row of quick menu not at bottom if URL bar is at bottom ==
The first row of the quick menu contains the icons for "go forward", "information", "save page", "bookmark", and "refresh".

However, it is still at the top of the quick menu even if the URL bar (or "omnibar") is at the bottom.

To Google's credit, they at least added the option to align the URL bar to the bottom. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and the Chromium derivative Kiwi Browser all had this by 2020.

== Unable to keep URL bar on screen ==
On mobile web browsers, when scrolling down, the URL bar automatically hides. When scrolling back up, the URL bar is revealed again.

This is an ancient relic from a time when entry-level smartphones had 4:3 screens (such as the Galaxy Fit S5670). Now that smartphone screens have very tall aspect ratios such as 18:9, there is simply no need to hide the URL bar in vertical orientation anymore.

I would rather have 5% less screen space for the web content than having to pull down every single time to reveal the URL bar.

In addition, pulling down in Chrome sometimes activates the universally hated pull-to-refresh gesture (see first point) instead of revealing the URL bar.

== No developer tools or page inspector ==
Granted, no other mobile web browser seems to have this, but wouldn't now be a time for mobile web browsers to get a basic page inspector at least?

Smartphones have so much processing power nowadays, yet mobile apps lack basic features software on desktop computers had for decades. This is disappointing to see.

Smartphones have large screens nowadays. It certainly would be possible.

== Download list ==
The list of downloaded files offers no way to get the full source URL of a downloaded file. Only the domain is visible.

There is also no way to remove items from the download history without deleting the corresponding file in the download folder.

== Annoying download confirmation in incognito mode ==
In 2023, Google added an annoying prompt in incognito mode that reads ''"Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files."'', which, of course, can not be turned off.<ref>[https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/239227138/how-to-disable-incognito-mode-download-file-anyone-using-this-device-can-see-downloaded-files?hl=en How to disable incognito mode, "Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files." - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Given that most smartphones are only used by one person most of the time, this message is pointless.

== Built-in media player lacks basic options ==
The built-in media player has no built-in options to loop a media file, to open a media file in a new tab, or to copy the link to a media file into the clipboard.

The desktop edition of Firefox has all of these features.

Of course, the media player in a web browser is no replacement for an actual media player application like "mpv-android", but having these basic options built right into the web browser media player would add convenience.

== Large images not downscaled to screen size ==
If a picture has a resolution of at least several megapixels, Chrome fails to downscale it enough that the entire image fits on screen.

So Chrome even struggles with something as simple as image viewing. How embarrassing.

== No option to load pages without images ==
Images are much larger in size than text, but sometimes, text is enough and would speed up loading, especially in remote areas where only 2G connectivity is available.

Unfortunately, Chrome lacks the simple option to only load text, without images.

== Unable to see which page redirected me to the current page ==
While Firefox stores all redirects in the browsing history, Chrome makes it impossible to know which intermittent pages redirected me to the current page.

== Unable to block redirects and self-refreshes ==
Some web pages misuse self-refreshing redirects, making it hard to go back to the last page.

Firefox on desktop offers the <code>accessibility.blockautorefresh</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose.

== Missing .mht or .mhtml extensions ==
While Chrome deserves credit for being the '''only''' major web browser that lets users save pages into the download folder with no [[data lock-in]], in recent versions (as of 2026), the MHTML files generated by Chrome lack the ".mht" or ".mhtml" file extension, meaning the file name is only the page title with no extension.

This makes some file managers unable to recognize the file type, and makes the user unable to search for MHTML files by typing ".mht" or ".mhtml" in the search bar.

== Giving credit where credit is due ==
At least, Chrome has no fixed tab limit. Samsung Internet has a tab limit of 99, which was raised from 50 at some point. On the other hand, Samsung Internet's tab limit prevents tab hoarding. But I still prefer not having a tab limit.

In addition, as already mentioned, Chrome lets the user save web pages in the MHTML format in the download folder, while Firefox mobile has no such option and Samsung Internet stores pages with [[Data_lock-in#Saved_pages_in_Samsung_Internet|data lock-in]]. While Firefox mobile allows "printing as PDF", that does not count because PDF documents do not accurately represent the original layout of web pages. PDF is a format for printing to sheets of paper, not for storing continuous web documents.

In recent years (as of 2026), Google enabled saving pages in Incognito mode, realizing there was no reason for it to be disabled, given that downloads are outside the scope of incognito mode.

The quick menu has icons. From what I remember, they were added in 2020 or 2021. This is something Firefox on desktop once had, but it was removed [[Firefox#Removal_of_icons_from_the_main_menu_(2022)|because Mozilla's developers decided it was "clutter"]], even though it helps finding an option faster.

The URL visible in the URL bar is not shortened to the domain name like it is on Safari (which invented this design) and Samsung Internet. This means, "example.org/test.html" is not shortened to "example.org" in the URL bar.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16805216/google-chrome-only-sites-internet-explorer-6-web-standards Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 | The Verge]
* Video: [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=EDEzQ8pziIA Google Chrome Must Be Stopped] - Jody Bruchon

Android Developer Verification

2026-06-08T10:10:53Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Change of principles */ Somehow the sources went missing. Reinstated.

On August 25th, 2025, [[Google]] announced an upcoming [[Google Android restrict app sideloading|application installation restriction]] on Google-certified [[Android]] devices, requiring '''all''' developers to register and verify their real-life identity through the Developer Verification program and be approved by Google before their apps can be installed on Android devices. This requirement extends to '''''all''''' installation methods including "[[sideloading]]", third-party app repositories like [[F-Droid]], and direct APK installations. Google stated that this change "keeps the ecosystem open".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=Aug 2025 |title=Elevating Android's security to keep it open and safe |url=https://developer.android.com/developer-verification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825180832/https://developer.android.com/developer-verification |archive-date=2025-08-25 |website=Android Developers}}</ref>

==Change of principles==
This is a giant shift from Android's traditionally open ecosystem and an abandonment of Android's founding principles.<ref>https://source.android.com/about/philosophy.html ([http://web.archive.org/web/20140621023054/http://source.android.com/about/philosophy.html Archive]) Philosophy and Goals | Android Open Source] (2012) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20140621023054/http://source.android.com/about/philosophy.html Archived])</ref> It renders all existing APK files created throughout the years useless, and gives Google the ability to censor apps they dislike, such as those that can create permanent local backups of YouTube videos outside of Google's ecosystem with no [[data lock-in]] (a popular example being TubeMate), and lets them terminate developers out of spite for reasons unrelated to their apps (such as holding political views Google disagrees with), in addition to giving governments the ability to order Google to censor unwanted apps, similar to what already happened with Apple in China.<ref>[https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/apple-censoring-its-app-store-china Apple Is Censoring its App Store for China] - Tech Transparency Projects ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251124220615/https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/apple-censoring-its-app-store-china Archived])</ref>

It also prevents new Android applications from being developed offline with no Internet connection or Google account, given that every package name has to be registered in the developer console. This can prevent even verified developers from creating apps in countries where governments intermittently turn off Internet access, block access to Google services, or selectively block individuals from accessing the Internet.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/middleeast/iran-internet-blackout-censorship-intl The future of Iran’s internet connectivity is still bleak, even as weeks-long blackout begins to lift | CNN] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260223025239/https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/middleeast/iran-internet-blackout-censorship-intl Archived])</ref>

Individuals who lose access to their Google accounts (for example, as a result of losing an authentication factor) would no longer be able register new applications.<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260202071758/https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ Archived])</ref> Unlimited offline distribution can also become a thing of the past. Google can impose arbitrary installation quotas, meaning limit the number of installations, like they are planning to do with [[#Limited_distribution|student accounts]]. In the future, Google can also stop accepting submissions for older Android versions altogether, forcing people to purchase new devices to run software that could technically run on their existing device.

As with any Google service, there exists a possibility that it will shut down entirely, given that Google has a long history of launching and shutting down experimental services.<ref>[https://gcemetery.co/ The Google Cemetery - Dead Google products] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260221111719/https://gcemetery.co/ Archived])</ref><ref>[https://killedbygoogle.com/ Google Graveyard - Killed by Google] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260221152454/https://killedbygoogle.com/ Archived])</ref> If Google shut down the Android Developer Console, no one could develop new Android application anymore, for any device sold with this verification requirement built in.

==Take action, make our voice heard==
Direct link to the useful resources provided by the [https://techlore.tech Techlore] https://keepandroidopen.org/

===Open Letter to Google===
[https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/ The Open Letter] signed by most of the privacy advocates and organizations.

The keep android open website includes the following resources:

*ways to contact national regulators
*open letter and petitions
*f-droid additional sources
*editorial blogs and press reactions
*public discussions

==Background==
Android has historically allowed users to freely install applications from any source through APK files (sometimes called [[sideloading]]). This openness differentiated Android from competitors like iOS. It enabled alternative app repositories, including open-source repositories like [[F-Droid]], & direct developer-to-user distribution, offline installation with no Internet connection and Google account required, installation of applications not available in the Play Store (such as ''Flappy Bird'', after it was taken down by its developer, or ''TubeMate'', which Google does not allow on the Play Store), and installation of earlier versions (such as non-adware versions of ''ES File Explorer'').

The only technical requirements were that applications follow Android's technical guidelines for functionality & be signed with any certificate to maintain a chain of trust during updates.

This openness has been a defining characteristic of Android since its inception, supporting many different use cases from enterprise deployments to privacy-focused distributions. Google has defended this approach in antitrust proceedings, with Google's lawyers arguing in the [[Epic Games]] case that "Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-11 |title=Fortnite maker Epic Games wins its antitrust fight against Google |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/11/epic-games-google-antitrust-win/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=TechCrunch |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251126195055/https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/11/epic-games-google-antitrust-win/ |archive-date=26 Nov 2025}}</ref> & that the company's app store practices were "part of its fierce competition with Apple".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-12 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust lawsuit against Google |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/11/epic-google-trial-verdict/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=The Washington Post |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250723224500/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/11/epic-google-trial-verdict/ |archive-date=23 Jul 2025}}</ref>

==Announcement and rationale==
Google announced the Developer Verification requirements on August 25th, 2025, through the Android Developers Blog.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Android Developers Blog: A new layer of security for certified Android devices |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825180832/https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |archive-date=2025-08-25 |access-date=2025-08-25}}</ref> According to Suzanne Frey, VP of Product, Trust & Growth for Android, the system is designed to combat malicious actors who "''hide behind anonymity to harm users by impersonating developers and using their brand image to create convincing fake apps."''

Google cited security statistics showing ''"over 50 times more malware from internet-sideloaded sources than on apps available through Google Play".''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading |url=https://9to5google.com/2025/08/25/android-apps-developer-verification/ |website=9to5Google |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211442/https://9to5google.com/2025/08/25/android-apps-developer-verification/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref> The company framed the verification as ''"an ID check at the airport, which confirms a traveler's identity but is separate from the security screening of their bags".''

===Implementation timeline===
The implementation will be conducted in global rollout phases:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Android developer verification {{!}} Android Developers |url=https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/android-developer-console |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825204008/https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/android-developer-console |archive-date=2025-08-25 |access-date=2025-08-25}}</ref>

*'''October 2025''': Early access opens for invited developers
*'''March 2026''': Open to all developers
*'''September 2026''': Enforcement begins in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand
*'''2027 and beyond''': Global rollout continues

Key implementation details:
*No grandfather clauses for existing apps or developers
*[[wikipedia:Google_Play|Play Store]] developers likely already meet requirements through 2023's D-U-N-S implementation
*Organizations requiring D-U-N-S numbers should begin the process 28 days before deadlines
*Developers can initiate verification 60 days before enforcement
*90-day deadline extensions available for developers needing additional time
*After deadlines, users encounter system-level blocks with no override option when attempting to install unverified apps

===Updates===
Google announced that it is developing an 'advanced flow' for 'experienced users' to be able to install apps from unverified developers and described the process as 'maximally obscure and high-friction'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forsythe |first=Matthew |date=12 Nov 2025 |title=Android developer verification: Early access starts now as we continue to build with your feedback |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/11/android-developer-verification-early.html}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260221030624/https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/11/android-developer-verification-early.html Archived])</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Schoon |first=Ben |date=19 Jan 2026 |title=Google calls Android’s new sideloading flow ‘high friction’ |url=https://9to5google.com/2026/01/19/google-calls-androids-new-sideloading-flow-high-friction/}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260120014243/https://9to5google.com/2026/01/19/google-calls-androids-new-sideloading-flow-high-friction/ Archived])</ref> Free and open software distributor, F-Droid, clarified in a blog post that the android developer program remains to a credible threat to open source ecosystem on android and added a banner on the website as well as app linking to https://keepandroidopen.org/, for informing the dangers and recommending users to voice their concerns to relevant authority.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Feb 2026 |title=Keep Android Open - TWIF curated on Friday, 20 Feb 2026, Week 8 - f-droid.org |url=https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/20/twif.html}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260223025319/https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/20/twif.html Archived])</ref>

In February 24 2026, the KeepAndroidOpen movement published an open letter to google signed by various free and open source software organizations, digital rights groups and developer communities accessible under https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 Feb 2026 |title=An Open Letter to Google regarding Mandatory Developer Registration for Android App Distribution |url=https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224172459/https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/ |archive-date=24 Feb 2026}}</ref> The letter criticizes the need for google to gatekeep software beyond its own distribution platform, centralization of power having implications to privacy, censorship and surveillance especially with Google's historically opaque decision-making and review approach, imposition of barriers to entry for developers in various scenarios, anti-competitive implications and regulatory concerns. F-Droid was among the various organizations to sign the letter that in a blog post also stands opposed to signing up for developer verification that will begin the process in March 2026, recommending to developers to oppose the move by refusing to sign up as well.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 Feb 2026 |title=An Open Letter Opposing Android Developer Verification |url=https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/24/open-letter-opposing-developer-verification.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224172628/https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/24/open-letter-opposing-developer-verification.html |archive-date=24 Feb 2026}}</ref>

On 4 March 2026, as part of changes following Google vs. Epic store Lawsuit, Google announced that it is allowing registered app stores to be published on google play platform if they "meet certain quality and safety benchmarks", which would otherwise be subject to same restrictions as those for other 'sideloaded' app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Samat |first=Sameer |date=4 Mar 2026 |title=A new era for choice and openness |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/a-new-era-for-choice-and-openness.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305062940/android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/a-new-era-for-choice-and-openness.html |archive-date=5 Mar 2026}}</ref> Notably as part of the settlement, Epic games signed away its rights to sue Google over anything related as covered in the term sheet, until September 2032.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=5 Mar 2026 |title=Tim Sweeney signed away his right to criticize Google’s app store until 2032 |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/889595/tim-sweeney-signed-away-his-right-to-criticize-google-until-2032 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305000517/www.theverge.com/news/889595/tim-sweeney-signed-away-his-right-to-criticize-google-until-2032 |archive-date=5 Mar 2026}}</ref>

===Advanced flow===
On 19 March 2026, Google finally revealed how its advanced flow program for installing unverified apps is being implemented. Google mentions that this is a one-time process for power users, but was crafted to prevent coerced install of unverified apps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forsythe |first=Matthew |date=19 Mar 2026 |title=Android developer verification: Balancing openness and choice with safety |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319202706/android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html |archive-date=19 March 2026}}</ref>

*'''Enable developer mode in system settings'''
*'''Confirm you aren't being coached'''
*'''Restart your phone and reauthenticate'''
*'''Come back after the protective waiting period and verify''' '''-''' One-time, one-day wait
*'''Install apps''' '''-''' option of enabling for 7 days or indefinitely

Since advanced flow is delivered through Google Play Services and not through Android OS, Google can modify, restrict, or remove it at any time without an OS update and without any user consent. Organizations such as keep android open movement continue to hold the position against the program because of this aspect. Since the implementation has not appeared in dev, beta or canary builds of android yet, Google is prompting the community to accept a product announcement as a functional safeguard five months before the mandate takes effect.

Preventing critical banking apps from functioning due to enabled state of developer mode also makes installing unverified applications unfeasible to many users which majorly affects the rapidly growing FOSS android community and forces developer verification as well as payment of verification fee to Google, only to operate under limitations Google grants.

On March 23, 2025, Matthew Forsythe, Director of Product Management for Developer Experience on Google Play at Google, answered a question from an Android user on X (formerly Twitter) regarding advanced flow on Android. Forsythe explained that it will be possible to disable developer node once advanced flow is enabled to use apps that don't work with developer Mode enabled, such as banking apps.

However, at present, it's not yet clear whether it will actually be possible to use advanced flow with Developer Mode disabled, and we don't know if enabling advanced flow will affect critical apps like banking apps, which might not function properly if the Advanced Feed system is enabled.

==Technical implementation==

===Distribution types===
The Developer Verification system creates two tiers of developer accounts:<ref name=":0" />

====Limited distribution====
*Allows for distribution on up to 20 devices<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Android Developer Console: Account creation form |url=https://get.google.com/adc-early-access/u/0/onboarding |access-date=2025-12-19 |website=Android Developer Console}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260223010845/https://accounts.google.com/v3/signin/identifier?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fget.google.com%2Fadc-early-access%2Fu%2F0%2Fonboarding&dsh=S-116450265%3A1771808922850823&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fget.google.com%2Fadc-early-access%2Fu%2F0%2Fonboarding&ifkv=ASfE1-qms7IwZjbAdjvxowYFy5Kb9DL9vPDu06W9LMpkaBqy285wVRrX7HSp5xXdFaxXqzHM9tztDA&osid=1&passive=1209600&flowName=WebLiteSignIn&flowEntry=ServiceLogin Archived])</ref>
*Intended for ''"students, hobbyists, and other personal use"''
*Free registration
*Identity verification requirements unclear

====Full distribution====
*No limits on app numbers or installations
*Intended for ''"organizations and professional developers with wide distribution"''
*Requires a one-time $25 fee
*Requires complete identity verification including:
**Government-issued photo ID
**Proof of address
**Private email
**Phone number
**For organizations:
***Website
***D-U-N-S number (can take up to 28 days to obtain)

===Package name registration===
Developers must register package names before apps can be installed. The system creates a cryptographic link between developer identity & app signing keys. Ownership priority is determined by installation statistics - developers whose signing keys account for over 50% of known installs receive registration priority.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Updates to Play Console for Android developer verification: A first look |url=https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/assets/pdfs/updates-to-play-console-for-android-developer-verification.pdf |website=Android Developers |access-date=2025-09-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128020558/https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/assets/pdfs/updates-to-play-console-for-android-developer-verification.pdf |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Resources {{!}} Android developer verification {{!}} Android Developers |url=https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/resources |website=Android Developers |access-date=2025-08-25}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251123194919/https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/resources Archived])</ref>

===Affected devices===
The requirements apply to all ''"[https://www.android.com/certified/partners/ Google-certified Android devices]"'' which includes:
*Devices with Google Play Store
*Devices with [[Google Mobile Services]] (GMS)
*Devices with Play Protect
*All mainstream Android devices from manufacturers including Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, OnePlus, and Google Pixel
*The vast majority of Android devices sold outside of China

Custom ROMs without Google services & uncertified devices are not affected by these restrictions.

==Developer response==

===Technical concerns===
Prominent Android developer Mark Murphy (CommonsWare) raised several technical concerns:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-26 |title=Uncomfortable Questions About Android Developer Verification |url=https://commonsware.com/blog/2025/08/26/uncomfortable-questions-android-developer-verification.html |website=CommonsWare |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251121201157/https://commonsware.com/blog/2025/08/26/uncomfortable-questions-android-developer-verification.html |archive-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>
*Debug keystore handling for development workflows remains unaddressed
*Sample code from Android development books would become unusable as "at most one person on the entire planet" could register each package name
*Beta testing workflows using different package names face complications
*Questions whether "it will no longer be possible to test apps under development on Google-certified production hardware" after 2027

===Privacy and safety concerns===
Developers expressed significant privacy concerns:
*Murphy cited the ICEBlock app developer who faced federal prosecution threats after identity disclosure, with his wife being fired from a DOJ job
*EFF, Electronic Frontier Foundation, criticized risks of centralization in censorship as well as surveillance capability retained by Google<ref>{{Cite web |last=McSherry |first=Corynne |date=2025-11-03 |title=Application Gatekeeping: An Ever-Expanding Pathway to Internet Censorship |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/application-gatekeeping-ever-expanding-pathway-internet-censorship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111101548/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/application-gatekeeping-ever-expanding-pathway-internet-censorship |archive-date=2025-11-11}}</ref>
*Google's privacy policy allows sharing developer information with ''"trusted businesses or persons"'' without clear restrictions<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-29 |title=Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy |url=https://news.itsfoss.com/new-android-sideloading-rules/ |website=It's FOSS |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251107074008/https://news.itsfoss.com/new-android-sideloading-rules/ |archive-date=7 Nov 2025}}</ref>
*Open source developers fear harassment and doxxing after forced identity disclosure
*F-Droid mentions that play store verification is proven to be ineffective at combating malware due to repeated instances of malware distributed through play store<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arntz |first=Pieter |date=2025-09-17 |title=224 malicious apps removed from the Google Play Store after ad fraud campaign discovered |url=https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/09/224-malicious-apps-removed-from-the-google-play-store-after-ad-fraud-campaign-discovered |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251005173848/www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/09/224-malicious-apps-removed-from-the-google-play-store-after-ad-fraud-campaign-discovered |archive-date=2025-10-05 |website=malwarebytes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Lain |date=2025-08-26 |title=Malware-ridden apps made it into Google's Play Store, scored 19 million downloads |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/apps_android_malware/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251005173850/www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/apps_android_malware/ |archive-date=2025-10-05 |website=The Register}}</ref>
*Jean-Héon points out that mandatory developer registration puts users at risk by pushing them to use dangerous workarounds to install unverified APKs of their choice and also puts developers at risk by exposing them to data leaks and identity theft. Jean-Héon advocates for a solution based on the device's antivirus software. <ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Google restricts the installation of third-party APKs on Android: what this means for Jean-Héon™. (Updated March 21, 2026). |url=https://sites.google.com/view/jean-honmctm/communiqu%C3%A9press-releases/keep-android-open-english}}</ref>

===Open source community impact===
The F-Droid community reacted strongly, with one forum member stating: "F*** Google. Use GrapheneOS to drop Android... I find this development downright alarming".<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ - App Developers {{!}} F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository |url=https://f-droid.org/en/docs/FAQ_-_App_Developers/ |website=F-Droid |access-date=2025-08-29}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260116144646/https://f-droid.org/en/docs/FAQ_-_App_Developers/ Archived])</ref> Specific challenges include:
*F-Droid builds apps from source with its own signing keys, creating coordination requirements with upstream developers to ensure that the applications distributed are reproducible
*Community estimates suggest 85% of F-Droid apps could be "stuck in limbo" due to package ID conflicts
*Some developers announced via [https://github.com/woheller69/FreeDroidWarn FreeDroidWarn] that their apps "will no longer work on certified Android devices after that time"
*Open source app, Kotatsu, shuts down development citing pressure from Google against sideloading among other threats against its operation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=KotatsuApp/Kotatsu: Manga reader for android |url=https://github.com/KotatsuApp/Kotatsu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251105185519/github.com/KotatsuApp/Kotatsu |archive-date=5 Nov 2025 |access-date=16 Nov 2025 |website=Github}}</ref>

==Consumer and user response==
Google's Q&A page for the announcement received lots of feedback, including:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Q&A: New Android developer verification requirements |url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/thread/361325854 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829100055/https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/thread/361325854/%F0%9F%92%AC-q-a-new-android-developer-verification-requirements |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Play Console Help}}</ref>

*Users highlighting the hypocrisy of enforcing security on sideloaded apps while Google Play distributes apps classified as scamware, malware, and adware
*Confusion over whether users would need to pay $25 to install apps on their own devices
*Concerns about offline device functionality (barcode scanners, kiosks) requiring internet connections for app signing verification
*Comparisons to Windows, where users noted: "I can install an app onto a Windows computer from any source without verification by Microsoft"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google to restrict Android app sideloading to verified devs |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |website=The Register |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211440/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref>
*Users voiced their opinions through community wiki, [https://keepandroidopen.org/ keepandroidopen.org] criticizing it as an anti-consumer move since a software update irrevocably blocks right to install any software and requires developers to seek permission from Google to develop apps. The users also noted that it harms digital sovereignty of nations as well as raising questions on placing critical infrastructure "at the mercy of distant and unaccountable organization"<ref>{{Cite web |date=Aug 2025 |title=Keep Android Open |url=https://keepandroidopen.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251109112509/keepandroidopen.org |archive-date=2025-11-09 |website=Keep Android Open}}</ref>

The Android community produced numerous critical videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mental Outlaw |date=2025-08-29 |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=BrenTech |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google Will Soon Block Apps from Unverified Developers! Is This The End of Sideloading on Android? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nCgnXByGrY |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=-nCgnXByGrY |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=TechLore |date=2025-08-27 |title=Android Is Becoming iOS: The End of Sideloading? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxGjwtiI8uM |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=PxGjwtiI8uM |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref> with titles like "Google is Locking Down Android" and "Android Is Becoming iOS: The End of Sideloading?"

Google quiere dominar el mundo !

==Industry and organizational response==

===Support===
The Developers Alliance stood as the sole organizational voice supporting the change, with co-founder Jake Ward stating it was "a critical step to ensure trust, accountability, and security across the Android ecosystem".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Developers Alliance Applauds Google's New Android Developer Verification |url=https://news.devalliance.org/developers-alliance-applauds-googles-new-android-developer-verification/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251029120724/https://news.devalliance.org/developers-alliance-applauds-googles-new-android-developer-verification/ |archive-date=2025-10-29 |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Developers Alliance}}</ref>

Government support emerged from initial rollout regions:
*Brazil's Federation of Banks called it a "significant advancement in protecting users"
*Indonesia's Ministry of Communications praised the "balanced approach that protects users while keeping Android open"
*Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy described it as a "positive and proactive measure"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Google to Verify All Android Developers in 4 Countries to Block Malicious Apps |url=https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/google-to-verify-all-android-developers.html |website=The Hacker News |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128015131/https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/google-to-verify-all-android-developers.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===Criticism===
Technology publications characterized the change as fundamental to Android's nature:
*The Daily Security Review called it "a significant philosophical shift for Android, mirroring Apple's tightly curated ecosystem"
*Cory Doctorow writes that Google is abusing it's duopoly position in mobile ecosystem to lock-in users for monetary profit<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doctorow |first=Cory |date=2025-09-01 |title=Darth Android |url=https://pluralistic.net/2025/09/01/fulu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012004854/pluralistic.net/2025/09/01/fulu/ |archive-date=2025-10-12}}</ref>
*Many news outlets warn that the ID requirements could end alternative app stores and affirm play store's position as an effective monopoly<ref>{{Cite web |last=Debasish |date=30 Sep 2025 |title=Google’s new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid’s future |url=https://www.gizmochina.com/2025/09/30/googles-new-developer-rules-could-threaten-sideloading-and-f-droids-future/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251102075559/www.gizmochina.com/2025/09/30/googles-new-developer-rules-could-threaten-sideloading-and-f-droids-future/ |archive-date=2 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mous |first=Anton |date=30 Sep 2025 |title=Google’s developer registration ‘decree’ means the end for alternative app stores |url=https://cybernews.com/tech/googles-developer-registration-decree-end-alternative-app-stores/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111111050/https://cybernews.com/tech/googles-developer-registration-decree-end-alternative-app-stores/ |archive-date=11 Nov 2025}}</ref>
*Afam Onyimadu writes for makeuseof, that the move is an overreach of google's position when programs such as Play Protect already exist, calling it "security theatre"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Onyimadu |first=Afam |date=11 Oct 2025 |title=Android’s sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/androids-sideloading-limits-are-anti-consumer-move-yet/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012005122/www.makeuseof.com/androids-sideloading-limits-are-anti-consumer-move-yet/ |archive-date=12 Oct 2025}}</ref>
*It's FOSS warned "this could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on 'certified' Android devices"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-29 |title=Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy |url=https://news.itsfoss.com/new-android-sideloading-rules/ |website=It's FOSS |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251107074008/https://news.itsfoss.com/new-android-sideloading-rules/ |archive-date=7 Nov 2025}}</ref>
*OSnews criticized it as "the death of our digital freedoms"
*Hackaday noted the timing "coincides with Google's court-mandated opening of Android following Epic Games' antitrust victory"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google Will Require Developer Verification Even For Sideloading |url=https://hackaday.com/2025/08/26/google-will-require-developer-verification-even-for-sideloading/ |website=Hackaday |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203082923/https://hackaday.com/2025/08/26/google-will-require-developer-verification-even-for-sideloading/ |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</ref>
*According to Jean-Héon “Android Developer Verification is an absurdity for the free mobile ecosystem.”<ref name=":1" />

==Impact on specific use cases==

===Enterprise and MDM deployments===
NomidMDM advised IT managers to "audit application inventory today" & make sure all line-of-business app developers complete verification before deadlines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Core Change: Mandatory Verification for All Android Apps |url=https://www.nomidmdm.com/en/blog/the-core-change-mandatory-verification-for-all-android-apps |website=NomidMDM |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209230703/https://www.nomidmdm.com/en/blog/the-core-change-mandatory-verification-for-all-android-apps |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref> Affected deployments include:
*Wall-mounted displays
*Classroom broadcasting systems
*Shared device configurations
*Kiosk applications
*Industrial control systems

===Alternative app stores===
F-Droid faces serious challenges with the repository's build-from-source model conflicting with developer verification requirements. Alternative stores must make sure all hosted apps come from verified developers, effectively extending Google's verification to all distribution channels.

===Educational development===
Educational institutions face challenges as well:
*Student projects require individual verification for testing
*Sample code from textbooks becomes unusable without verification
*Classroom demonstrations need verified developer accounts
*Research projects face additional identity disclosure requirements

==Regulatory context==
The announcement arrives during active regulatory scrutiny of Google's platform practices:

===European Union===
The EU [[Digital Markets Act]] investigation issued preliminary findings against Google on March 19, 2025, for self-preferencing and payment system restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Google Search, Play Store falling foul of Digital Markets Act rules, says EU |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/19/google-search-play-store-falling-foul-of-digital-markets-act-rules-says-eu/ |website=TechCrunch |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251123150559/https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/19/google-search-play-store-falling-foul-of-digital-markets-act-rules-says-eu/ |archive-date=23 Nov 2025}}</ref> Legal experts note potential conflicts with DMA provisions requiring gatekeepers to permit third-party software installation without the gatekeeper's identification services.

===United States===
The timing coincides with court-mandated changes following Epic Games' antitrust victory. The FTC outlined remedy concerns in an August 2024 amicus brief after the jury found Google illegally monopolized app distribution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-29 |title=FTC Outlines Remedy Concerns in Amicus Brief After Jury Finds Google Illegally Monopolized App Store |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/ftc-outlines-remedy-concerns-amicus-brief-after-jury-finds-google-illegally-monopolized-app-store |website=Federal Trade Commission |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260116072044/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/ftc-outlines-remedy-concerns-amicus-brief-after-jury-finds-google-illegally-monopolized-app-store |archive-date=16 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
The UK Competition and Markets Authority continues its Strategic Market Status investigation, with consultation closing on August 20, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SMS investigation into Google's mobile platform |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/sms-investigation-into-googles-mobile-ecosystem |website=GOV.UK |access-date=2025-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250725034936/https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/sms-investigation-into-googles-mobile-ecosystem |archive-date=25 Jul 2025}}</ref> No specific response to the verification requirements has been issued.

==See also==
*[[Forced account]]
*[[Digital Markets Act]]
*[[Sideloading]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Android]]

Google

2026-06-08T10:08:55Z

JodyBruchonFan: elaborated

{{Cleanup|Issue 1=Article formatting should follow [[Template:CompanyPreload]]. With Google's history, it may be useful to use tabling for incidents.|Issue 2=Citations need to follow proper formatting. See [[Template:Cite web]].|Issue 3=Citations should be placed after punctuation.|Issue 4=Make sure that section headers are in sentence case where applicable.}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1998
|Industry=Technology
|Logo=Google.webp
|ParentCompany=Alphabet Inc.
|Type=Subsidiary
|Description=Google is one of the most influential technology companies in the world, originally known for developing the most widely used search engine.
|Website=https://www.google.com/
}}

'''{{Wplink|Google|Google LLC}}''', founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is one of the most influential technology companies in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Largest tech companies by market cap |url=https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-market-cap/ |url-status=live |website=companiesmarketcap.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222070659/https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-market-cap/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref> Originally developed as a search engine to organize and index the growing amount of information on the internet, Google has since expanded into a wide range of services and products, becoming a central player in digital advertising, software, hardware, and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Google Products |url=https://about.google/products/ |access-date=10 Mar 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128182647/https://about.google/products/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

[[Google Search| Google's search engine]] remains its most well-known service, but the company has significantly diversified its offerings. Key products include the [[Android]] operating system, the [[Google Chrome]] web browser, [[Google Drive]] for cloud storage, [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps Google Maps], [[YouTube]], and [[wikipedia:Google_Play|Google Play]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Helpful products, built with you in mind |url=https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205114442/https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>{{Citation needed}} Additionally, the company provides digital advertising services through Google Ads, generating the majority of its revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Feb 2025 |title=Alphabet Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results |url=https://abc.xyz/assets/a3/91/6d1950c148fa84c7d699abe05284/2024q4-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251002181452/https://abc.xyz/assets/a3/91/6d1950c148fa84c7d699abe05284/2024q4-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf |archive-date=2 Oct 2025}}</ref> In recent years, Google has also developed hardware products such as the Pixel smartphone and Nest smart home devices.

==Consumer impact summary==
Google has faced ongoing scrutiny related to data privacy, competition, and its dominant position in the market, such concerns have stretched as far back as 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Adam |date=5 Mar 2012 |title=Will We Ever Get Strong Internet Privacy Rules? |url=https://ideas.time.com/2012/03/05/will-we-ever-get-strong-internet-privacy-rules/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Time |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205121437/https://ideas.time.com/2012/03/05/will-we-ever-get-strong-internet-privacy-rules/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Sep 2023 |title=REPORT: Google at 25: From “Don’t Be Evil” To ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |url=https://techoversight.org/2023/09/06/google-at-25/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Tech Oversight Project |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://techoversight.org/2023/09/06/google-at-25/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref> The company has been the subject of various legal and regulatory challenges, particularly concerning antitrust issues, the use of personal data, and its impact on consumer choice.{{Citation needed}} The US government is currently engaged in an antitrust lawsuit against Google, with a decision expected early 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Nov 2024 |title=Closing Arguments, November 25: Once, Twice, Three Times a Monopolist |url=https://www.usvgoogleads.com/trial-updates/closing-arguments-november-25-once-twice-three-times-a-monopolist |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=US v Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250906103632/https://www.usvgoogleads.com/trial-updates/closing-arguments-november-25-once-twice-three-times-a-monopolist |archive-date=6 Sep 2025}}</ref> {{UpdateNeeded|date={{subst:August}} {{subst:2025}}|reason=We need updates on this situation.}}

===User privacy===
In December 2024, Google announced to organisations that use its advertising products, that from 16 February 2025, it will no longer prohibit them from employing [[wikipedia:Fingerprint_(computing)|fingerprinting]] techniques.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Almond |first=Stephen |date=19 Dec 2024 |title=Our response to Google’s policy change on fingerprinting |url=https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/12/our-response-to-google-s-policy-change-on-fingerprinting/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ico. |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128163957/https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/12/our-response-to-google-s-policy-change-on-fingerprinting/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===User freedom===
Google has a long history of patronizing their user base by taking away options or not giving users a choice in the first place.

For example, in 2014, Google removed normal MicroSD write access on Android 4.4,<ref>{{cite news |first=Cody |last=Toombs |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/17/external-blues-google-has-brought-big-changes-to-sd-cards-in-kitkat-and-even-samsung-may-be-implementing-them/ |title=External Blues: Google Has Brought Big Changes To SD Cards In KitKat, And Even Samsung Is Implementing Them |url-status=live |date=17 Feb 2014 |url-status=live |website=Android Police |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218064033/https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/17/external-blues-google-has-brought-big-changes-to-sd-cards-in-kitkat-and-even-samsung-may-be-implementing-them/ |archive-date=2014-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://groups.google.com/g/android-platform/c/14VUiIgwUjY/m/UsxMYwu02z0J |date=23 Feb 2014 |title=Re: What about removable SD card in 4.4 |website=Google Groups |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260209114224/https://groups.google.com/g/android-platform/c/14VUiIgwUjY/m/UsxMYwu02z0J |archive-date=2026-02-09 }}</ref> limiting each application to their own dedicated folder, arguing that this makes it easy to remove all files left by the app during uninstallation, given that no app can leave files outside their own dedicated folder.

No menu option to change this behaviour was given to the user, therefore users who wanted to restore normal write access were forced to resort to unofficial methods involving bootloader unlocking and rooting.

It should be noted that Google's own Android smartphones and tablet computers (Nexus and Pixel devices) never featured a memory card slot. Similar restrictions were later added to USB on-the-go storage.<ref name=android-traditional-storage>{{cite web |title=Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project |url=https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional |url-status=live |website=Android}}</ref>

In 2018, Google added a clipboard manager to their keyboard app, Gboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |title=Gboard 7.7 adds a Clipboard Manager feature to Google's keyboard app |date=22 Oct 2018 |first=Mishaal |last=Rahman |url-status=live |website=XDA Developers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119233536/https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |archive-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> But in 2022, Google decided on behalf of their users that they don't need to retain clipboard items for any longer than one hour. Therefore, they added a one-hour time limit, meaning any clipboard item older than one hour is automatically deleted, with no option to change this behaviour. The only way to retain clipboard items for more than one hour is to manually mark them as "pinned".<ref>{{cite web |first=Ethan |last=Gillian |title=Remember: Android 13 clears clipboard 1 hour after copying |url=https://techzle.com/remember-android-13-clears-clipboard-1-hour-after-copying |url-status=live |website=Techzle |date=17 Aug 2022}}</ref>

In 2019, Google took away the ability to turn off the "pull-to-refresh" gesture on the mobile edition of their Chrome web browser, following by refusing to reinstate the option after an abnormally high number of complaints that the gesture causes accidental refreshes. See [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

Google lets app developers arbitrarily [[screenshot blocking|prevent device owners from capturing screenshots and screen recordings]] on Android. While the original intention was to prevent sensitive information in banking apps from getting outside, there is nothing preventing it from being used outside of its intended scope. Consequently, it has been severely overused by app developers and prevents legitimate uses such as asking for help in forums and bug reports. Google provided no option for device owners to override it, so the only way is to unlock the bootloader and modify the operating system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=konradkar |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=[[Reddit]] |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615071612/https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |archive-date=2023-06-15}}</ref>

{{excerpt|Android Developer Verification}}

==Controversies==
===Account lockouts===
Google has been reported to have randomly locked people out of their accounts due to ostensible security reasons, which are not lifted even if the user had provided the correct credentials and/or even if the user have correctly followed all the verification prompts such as SMS verification. These have caused anguishes for many affected users who are unable to access their contents, emails and services as a result. Furthermore, some had reported that they are forced to undergo SMS verification even when recovery email addresses are already configured to their accounts, thereby likely constituting instances of [[Forced identification|forced verification]] in broad senses.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/n5card/mike_rose_no_more_robots_publisher_locked_out_of/ |date=5 May 2021 |author=Feniks_Gaming |title=Mike Rose (No More Robots Publisher) Locked out of Gmail, speaks to google support to find out their own staff are locked out of their personal Gmail too... |url-status=live |website=[[Reddit]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210505101632/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/n5card/mike_rose_no_more_robots_publisher_locked_out_of/ |archive-date=2021-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://nitter.dark.fail/RaveofRavendale/status/1389507928269393921 |first=Mike |last=Rose |url-status=dead |date=4 May 2021 |title=This morning, I was locked out of my Google account |website=Nitter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908195211/https://nitter.dark.fail/RaveofRavendale/status/1389507928269393921 |archive-date=2022-09-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FYI: Google can lock you out of your account for no reason |author=danielrosehill |date=5 Aug 2021 |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oy8qb8/fyi_google_can_lock_you_out_of_your_account_for/ |url-status=live |website=[[Reddit]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210805030048/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oy8qb8/fyi_google_can_lock_you_out_of_your_account_for/ |archive-date=2021-08-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=LegitimateAttempt4 |date=20 Jul 2023 |title=DAE noticed that Google had taken security account lockouts to a zealotic level? |url-status=live |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/154yht0/dae_noticed_that_google_had_taken_security/ |website=[[Reddit]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230720181226/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/154yht0/dae_noticed_that_google_had_taken_security/ |archive-date=2023-07-20}}</ref>

===Deletion of inactive accounts===
In May 2023, Google announced that [[Inactive account deletion|deletion of inactive user accounts]] would occur starting in December 2023, citing security reasons, noting that old and unused accounts are more likely to be compromised. Google claimed that "Forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, have not had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user," while saying that Google "has no plans to delete YouTube videos".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawler |first1=Richard |title=Google might delete your Gmail account if you haven't logged in for two years |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725438/google-gmail-deleting-inactive-accounts |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205121216/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725438/google-gmail-deleting-inactive-accounts |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=Jon |title=Reminder: Google is about to start purging inactive accounts |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23979178/google-inactive-accounts-deletion-december-2023-psa-reminder |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251212230239/https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23979178/google-inactive-accounts-deletion-december-2023-psa-reminder |archive-date=12 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Amadeo |first1=Ron |title=Google's new "inactive account" policy won't delete years of YouTube videos |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/googles-new-inactive-account-policy-wont-delete-years-of-youtube-videos/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en-us |date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251212092014/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/googles-new-inactive-account-policy-wont-delete-years-of-youtube-videos/ |archive-date=12 Dec 2025}}</ref> The decision to delete inactive accounts has sparked some criticism and backlash. The cited security rationale behind such decision was ridiculed and was compared to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Novet |first1=Jordan |title=Google's plan to purge inactive accounts isn't sitting well with some users |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html |website=CNBC |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date
=19 August 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250831223936/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html |archive-date=31 Aug 2025}}</ref> Such policies could adversely affect those who had good reasons to become inactive for a long time, such as hospitalization, prison incarceration, and being in totalitarian countries which have prolonged internet shutdowns. Moreover, the Anonymous hacktivist collective has protested against the decision to delete inactive accounts multiple times, describing them as "harsh" and saying that the decision will "destroy history".<ref>{{cite web |date=18 Jul 2023 |title=Anonymous puts Taiwan flag, national anthem on 2 UN websites |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4946597 |first=Keoni |last=Everington |url-status=live |access-date=21 Dec 2023 |website=Taiwan News |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231014070719/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4946597 |archive-date=2023-10-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Keoni |last=Everington |date=18 Oct 2023 |title='Anonymous' hacks Chinese government site to protest Israel–Hamas war |url-status=live |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5022840 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240221120716/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5022840 |archive-date=2024-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Keoni |last=Everington |date=8 Dec 2023 |title=Anonymous posts Taiwan flag on UN site |website=Taiwan News |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5055454 |url-status=live |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240228035811/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5055454 |archive-date=2024-02-28}}</ref>

===Anti-competitive practices===
Google has a great history of anti-competitive practices. For example, in 2020 the company was sued for practices involving pushing off relevant search results in order to favor advertisements and the inclusion of [[bloatware]] on Android devices.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Eaton Business School|date=31 Aug 2021 |title=Google - A display of anti-competitive behaviour|url=https://ebsedu.org/blog/google-a-display-of-anti-competitive-behavior |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523013602/https://ebsedu.org/blog/google-a-display-of-anti-competitive-behavior |archive-date=2025-05-23 |access-date=25 May 2026 |website=Eaton Business School}}</ref>

The [[Android Developer Verification]] program prevents sideloading and external app stores, such as [[F-Droid]] to be an available alternative to the Google Play Store.

===Google device repair program restrictions===
{{Main|Google asserts the right to seize your phone during a repair}}
Google's Service & Repair Program terms explicitly state that any device containing non-Google-authorized parts "will not be returned" to the customer.

===Target API level requirements for Google Play apps===
Google has a policy that requires apps for Android to target recent API levels, in order to appear in the Play Store, depending on a user's device's version of Android, or if it is a new app.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 Aug 2024 |title=Policy Center |url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Play Console Help |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260215054419/https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en |archive-date=15 Feb 2026}}</ref> This creates a continuous cycle of maintenance and redevelopment that can be especially burdensome for smaller developers, indie creators, and consumers.{{Citation needed}}

The requirement for apps to target newer APIs each year serves some legitimate security and feature purposes. However, it also effectively functions as a form of forced obsolescence. Even perfectly functional apps that don't need technical updates must be regularly reworked just to remain visible on the Play Store.

This creates several issues:

*Development resources must be allocated to updating apps rather than creating new features
*Smaller teams and individual developers are placed at a disadvantage attempting to keep up with the constant update cycle
*Legacy apps that are no longer actively maintained disappear, even if they're still useful
*The cost of maintaining apps increases, potentially making some projects financially nonviable
*Losing access to previously purchased apps when upgrading devices
*Users being unable to reinstall older apps that worked perfectly well for their needs
*Facing unexpected costs to replace functionality they've already paid for
*Dealing with the frustration of discovering favorite apps have disappeared

While Google argues this approach improves the Android ecosystem's security and functionality, it does place a significant burden on developers and can lead to the premature "death" of otherwise functional applications.

This creates a troubling disconnect in digital ownership. Consumers reasonably expect that when they purchase an app, they should maintain access to it across their devices over time. Instead, they discover their digital purchases can effectively vanish due to policy decisions beyond their control.

===Ban on third-party tech support ads===
Google prohibits tech support ads on their platform if they are not authorized by the manufacturer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graff |first=David |date=31 Aug 2018 |title=Restricting ads in third-party tech support services |url=https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |website=Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112170608/https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

===The chargeback incident===
In November 2022, a Google customer accidentally purchased two Google Pixel smartphones instead of one, directly from Google (no third-party reseller), and tried to return one package to Google for a refund, but the shipping was unsuccessful.

A Google customer support person suggested the customer to perform a chargeback. The customer acted accordingly without understanding the implications, resulting in the termination of their Google account shortly after. The account was 15 years old at that time.<ref>{{cite web |first=Noel |last=Santos |website=Virtual Curiosities |date=8 Dec 2024 |url=https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3393/danger-chargeback-equals-account-permanently-banned |url-status=live |title=DANGER!!!: Chargeback = ACCOUNT PERMANENTLY BANNED |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205120523/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3393/danger-chargeback-equals-account-permanently-banned |archive-date=2026-02-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=justAnotherLedditor |date=16 Dec 2022 |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/zndbku/tifu_by_accidentally_buying_two_google_pixels_and/ |url-status=live |title=TIFU by accidentally buying two Google Pixels and ended up getting my 15 year old Google Account permanently banned. |website=[[Reddit]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260113140546/https://old.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/zndbku/tifu_by_accidentally_buying_two_google_pixels_and/ |archive-date=2026-01-13}}</ref>

===AI integrations in Google Search===
On may 19th, 2026, Google announced modifications for [[Google Search]] to include more AI integrations involving inclusion of [[Google Gemini]] Flash 3.5 and integration of AI agents. These changes have sparked several controversies, including for example critizicing the reliability of searching using AI because of hallucinations, inabilities of AIs to detect malicious web sites and possibilities to use AI to control results obtained on searches. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Yildrim |first=Ece |date=19 May 2026 |title=Google Search Is Dead. Welcome to the Era of the ‘Intelligent Search Box’ |url=https://gizmodo.com/google-search-is-dead-welcome-to-the-era-of-the-intelligent-search-box-2000760626 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260519204100/https://gizmodo.com/google-search-is-dead-welcome-to-the-era-of-the-intelligent-search-box-2000760626 |archive-date=2026-05-19 |access-date=21 May 2026 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reid|first=Elizabeth |date=19 May 2026 |title=A new era for AI Search |url=https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/#powerful-ai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260519181835/https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/#powerful-ai |archive-date=2026-05-19 |access-date=21 May 2026 |website=Google Blog}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===Service shutdowns===
====Google Play Music shutdown (Dec 2020)====
[[wikipedia:Google_Play_Music|Google Play Music]] was a service that allowed users to purchase music, listen via streaming, and download to the local device; alternatively users could pay for a subscription to listen to all music available through streaming. It was publicly launched on the 16th November 2011 and later shutdown in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=Google Play Music, Music Play Store & Music Manager are going away – everything you need to know |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=28 Oct 2020 |title=RIP Google Play Music, 2011 – 2020 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ArsTechnica |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251214224205/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |archive-date=14 Dec 2025}}</ref> Google Play Music further allowed users to upload their own songs to listen on all their devices, with a limit of up to 50,000 files.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=11 Jan 2017 |title=How to Upload Your Music Library to Google Play Music |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=How-To-Geek |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref> Users were able to purchase songs individually or buy whole albums that they could then download and listen to, or stream through the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 Jan 2020 |title=How To Buy Music From Google Play (Now YouTube Music) |url=https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Technobezz |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250805235415/https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |archive-date=5 Aug 2025}}</ref>

In October 2020, Google announced that they would be shutting down Google Play Music, with it being fully shut down by December.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=3 Dec 2020 |title=Google fully shuts down Play Music around the world |url=https://9to5google.com/2020/12/03/google-play-music-dead/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=9To5Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708163846/https://9to5google.com/2020/12/03/google-play-music-dead/ |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> This went ahead with a warning to their users to begin migrating to [[wikipedia:YouTube_Music|YouTube Music]], and that they would be losing access to their purchased songs. Google recommended users should download their purchased songs before the service would shut down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |author=The YouTube Team |title=YouTube Music will replace Google Play Music by end of 2020 |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-end-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=YouTube Official Blog |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260201140126/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-end-2020/ |archive-date=1 Feb 2026}}</ref>

After the shut down, users lost access to the music they paid for, with no way to download them. Google justified this by transferring all playlists and purchase history to YouTube Music, and only refunding songs that were not directly available,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Garry |date=10 Oct 2023 |title=What happened to my songs on Google Music? |url=https://darwinsdata.com/what-happened-to-my-songs-on-google-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Darwin's Data |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223930/https://darwinsdata.com/what-happened-to-my-songs-on-google-music/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chaney |first=Sarah |date=5 Feb 2022 |title=What Happened to Google Play Music? |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happened-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=MUO |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205111318/https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happened-to-google-play-music/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> with no guarantee that the songs will remain available through the new service. Users found that their purchased songs were no longer able to stream at 320kbps on YouTube Music compared to Google Play Music unless they paid for the monthly subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cutlack |first=Gary |date=23 Dec 2012 |title=Google Music UK: everything you need to know |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/software/google-music-uk-everything-you-need-to-know-1120176 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=TechRadar |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251221115733/https://www.techradar.com/news/software/google-music-uk-everything-you-need-to-know-1120176 |archive-date=21 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=L. Hald |first=Nicole |date=24 Mar 2025 |title=How Is YouTube Music Sound Quality in 2025? Is It Any Good? |url=https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/youtube-music-audio-quality.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=NoteBurner |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260217143252/https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/youtube-music-audio-quality.html |archive-date=17 Feb 2026}}</ref> If a user failed to initiate the transfer of their music library or locally download their songs by 24th February 2021, then they lost all access and all data associated with Google Play Music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sodhi |first=Tanishka |date=8 Feb 2021 |title=Google Play Music Data Will Be Deleted on February 24: Here’s How to Transfer to YouTube Music |url=https://www.gadgets360.com/how-to/news/google-play-music-data-deleted-february-24-youtube-how-to-transfer-files-playlists-billing-information-2365609 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Gadgets 360 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112610/https://www.gadgets360.com/how-to/news/google-play-music-data-deleted-february-24-youtube-how-to-transfer-files-playlists-billing-information-2365609 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> YouTube Music does not provide the option to download songs as MP3s, with local downloads requiring an internet connection every 30 days to continue working offline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download music and podcasts to listen to offline |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223930/https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref>

====Google Stadia shutdown (Jan 2023)====
In January 2023, Google announced the shutdown of its cloud gaming service, Stadia, which was launched in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Verge Staff |title=RIP Google Stadia: the latest news on the discontinued cloud gaming service |url=https://www.theverge.com/23380140/google-stadia-ending-shutdown-latest-news-gaming-tech |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Verge |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260101185119/https://www.theverge.com/23380140/google-stadia-ending-shutdown-latest-news-gaming-tech |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> Stadia required users to purchase games individually, unlike other gaming platforms that offer subscription-based access. Upon the service's closure, Google promised to refund consumers for their purchases, including both games and hardware. The refunds for games and software were issued automatically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ravenscraft |first=Erin |date=10 Nov 2022 |title=Stadia Is Dying. Here’s What’s in Your Refund and How to Get It |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-your-google-stadia-refund/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Wired |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205115111/https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-your-google-stadia-refund/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Stadia users were effectively renting access to games, as the platform did not allow for traditional ownership or offline play. With the service discontinued, consumers were left without access to the content they had purchased. Stadia users who had bought controllers and other peripherals for the service were also impacted by the shutdown. While Google offered refunds to customers, many Stadia consumers were left with equipment that no longer performs the advertised functions and limited recourse for repurposing or reselling their devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashworth |first=Mack |date=5 Oct 2022 |title=Stadia Shut Down: How To Use Your Hardware Now Google’s Shutting It Down |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/852697-stadia-shut-down-how-to-use-controller-chromecast-without-app |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Game Revolution |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004224131/https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/852697-stadia-shut-down-how-to-use-controller-chromecast-without-app |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref>

Google Stadia controllers were limited to Wi-Fi connectivity, however upon shut down they started offering an update to allow them to connect through Bluetooth, the update service website was scheduled to shut down on the 31st December 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Devine |first=Richard |date=17 Jan 2023 |title=Bluetooth support for Google Stadia Controller arrives — Here's how to enable it and play PC games |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/bluetooth-support-for-google-stadia-controller-arrives-heres-how-to-enable-it-and-play-pc-games |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Windows Central |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251109164004/https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/bluetooth-support-for-google-stadia-controller-arrives-heres-how-to-enable-it-and-play-pc-games |archive-date=9 Nov 2025}}</ref>

====Google Assistant third-party list support (Jun 2023)====
On June 20th, 2023, Google disabled third-party list support for Google Assistant.<ref>{{Cite web |access-date=2025-09-16 |title=Where are my old lists? |url=https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427212604/https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-date=2025-04-27}}</ref> This feature allowed lists through third-party services, such as AnyList or Todoist, to be managed via Google Assistant. After this change, the only list provider available through Google Assistant, was Google's own list service, Google Keep.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathur |first=Chandraveer |website=Android Police |date=2023-05-31 |title=Google Assistant is killing support for notes and lists integration with third-party apps |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/google-assistant-ending-support-third-party-notes-lists/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218051543/https://www.androidpolice.com/google-assistant-ending-support-third-party-notes-lists/ |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref>

====Google Jamboard shutdown (Dec 2024)====
{{Main|Google Jamboard}}
In September 2023, Google revealed plans to retire its Jamboard service, as the product would be transitioned to a view-only format by October 1, 2024, and completely shut down by December 31, 2024. As a result, users had little time to transfer their data before the final transition and no refunds were ever issued to hardware buyers.

The Jamboard product was a $5,000 device that Google pitched as a collaborative tool through its Google Workspace service. After the service no longer existed, however, the device became a brick and the users as well as the buyers were left unsupported and uncompensated.

Situations like this highlight the vulnerability of the consumer market since proprietary products are completely at the hands of developers who can cut services on a whim. Thus, consumer protection must be taken to another level to ensure that no matter what companies get rid of, support and compensatory avenues exist.

====Manifest V2 shutdown (Jul 2025)====
On July 24, 2025, Google permanently disabled all Manifest V2 extensions for Chrome 138 users as well as making Chromium (a browser that many other browsers use as their base) switch to Manifest V3, and disabled the ability to turn them back on.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-23 |title=Manifest V2 support timeline |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808191702/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-date=2025-08-08 |access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref>

Manifest V3 disabled the <code>webRequestBlocking</code> permission in the <code>webRequest</code> API,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers}}</ref> preventing many ad content blockers (such as uBlock Origin) from working.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=Understanding Manifest V3 and the Future of uBlock Origin |url=https://ublockorigin.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250812114916/https://ublockorigin.com/ |archive-date=2025-08-12 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=uBlock Origin - Free, open-source ad content blocker}}</ref> Google cites performance reasons,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers |quote="In Manifest V2, blocking web requests could significantly degrade both the performance of extensions and the performance of pages they work with."}}</ref> but this is dubious; restricting content blockers prevents users from impeding their tracking and surveillance, meaning they can create a larger profit from the data gained. This is likely the ulterior motive, although unproven.

===Google Pixel===
====Pixel devices bricked due to confusing reasons====
Numerous Google Pixel phones have gotten bricked as a result of different use cases, such as accidentally switched slots, flashing custom ROMs, or downgrading the bootloader version of the device after an [[Anti-rollback/ARB for device firmware|Anti-Rollback (ARB)]] increment (accidentally or otherwise), or installing the June 2025 update.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simons |first=Hadlee |date=2025-08-26 |title=Some Pixels are bricked and Google apparently won't help revive them |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108045933/https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |archive-date=8 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Android Authority}}</ref> The device enters an emergency download state called Pixel ROM Recovery, which is a Google modification of Samsung's EUB mode on Exynos chipsets. In this mode, it refuses to enter Android recovery or [[wikipedia:Fastboot|Fastboot]], making it near impossible to restore the operating system on the device. The only way to fix it is to use Pixel ROM Recovery to boot a special, Google-signed recovery bootloader into RAM and flash a working version of Android from there.

This recovery bootloader is just a regular bootloader as it appears in Google factory images, but with a special "USB boot" bit flag set to 1.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-11 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330#comment19 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112358/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>

However, this recovery bootloader is inaccessible to the public, and is not possible to recreate it without Google's private keys. This makes it impossible to repair a device in this state, other than to do a technically challenging repair involving desoldering the UFS chip to repopulate its contents or by replacing the motherboard altogether. Google stores and service centers outside of the US do not offer support for the device if it is out of warranty, even though the issue is completely fixable by software.

Numerous developers have worked on trying to find a solution to this issue, and have succeeded to varying extents. However, devices bricked due to the ARB trigger remain impossible to fix. Google has not provided any recovery images to resolve this issue. Even with there being a sizable post on their bug tracker,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-10 |title=Pixel recovery bootloaders lack security reasoning for guarding |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-12 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112358/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> and despite the fact that Google providing the recovery images for the repair will not compromise security, as explained by one of the developers in their report.<ref name=":4" />

====Pixel 4a battery reduction update (Jan 2025)====
{{Main|Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program}}
On January 6, 2025, Google issued a software update to the Pixel 4a that significantly decreased battery capacity on "Impacted Devices". Not all units were affected. It's speculated that the affected units have defective batteries and may pose a safety risk if the update is not applied, but Google never disclosed the reason(s) that the update was deemed necessary. Google removed all factory images for previous versions of the system software from their website, making it difficult to revert the update.

As compensation, Google offered a free battery replacement only in select countries. In other countries, you could choose between a $50 USD payment or $100 USD worth of Google Store credits. However, some users reported difficulty obtaining their compensation.

===User freedom incidents===
====Banning domain-blockers from Play Store (2013)====
Since 2013, Google has taken down all apps on G-Play that can block connections to arbitrary [[wikipedia:Domain_Name_System|domain-names]] via [https://developer.android.com/develop/connectivity/vpn the official VPN API], most of those apps being marketed as ad-blockers.<ref>{{ cite news |first=Liam |last=Tung |date=14 Mar 2013 |website=ZDNET |title=Google kicks ad-blocker apps off Play store |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-kicks-ad-blocker-apps-off-play-store/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625111914/https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-kicks-ad-blocker-apps-off-play-store/ |archive-date=2015-06-25}}</ref> This forced apps such as AdGuard and NetGuard to distribute their ad-blocking features elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web |first=Ekaterina |last=Kachalova |title=Why is AdGuard not on Google Play? |date=17 Aug 2023 |website=AdGuard |url=https://adguard.com/en/blog/adguard-google-play-removal.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822100645/https://adguard.com/en/blog/adguard-google-play-removal.html |archive-date=2023-08-22}}</ref><ref name="netguard">{{cite web |author=NetGuard |website=[[GitHub]] |title=NetGuard/ADBLOCKING.md |url=https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/7308869411ff87649bf3a46a9c7c08f1e5353801/ADBLOCKING.md?plain=1#L6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/7308869411ff87649bf3a46a9c7c08f1e5353801/ADBLOCKING.md |archive-date=2026-03-29}}</ref>
<blockquote>
*Line 6: "ad blocking is not possible with the Play store version because Google does not allow ad blocking apps in the Play store".<ref name="netguard" />
*Line 106: "Please do not mention this feature in Google Play store comments, since Google does not allow ad blocking applications in the Google Play store".<ref name="netguard" />
</blockquote>

Google cites their own Developer Distribution Agreement (terms of service for devs), claiming that those apps are "disruptive", as if to imply hacking or cracking. Many people claim that's an invalid excuse, and that the ulterior motive was to increase ad-revenue.

====Phone number requirement for new accounts (2020)====
Since 2020, Google has increasingly forced users to verify phone-numbers via SMS during account registration,<ref>{{cite web |website=Google Support |url=https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification |date=20 Mar 2020 |title=Cannot create a new Google account, it is requiring a phone number (Forced phone verification) |author=FB3 Network |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260509050746/https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification |archive-date=2026-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=DarknessMoonlight |date=30 Jun 2021 |title=Does Google now require a phone number to make new Gmail accounts? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/ |url-status=live |website=[[Reddit]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260427144651/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/ |archive-date=2026-04-27}}</ref> in an effort to "mitigate spam, bot activity, and account abuse".<ref>{{Cite web |author=CLRN |date=2025-07-25 |title=How to skip phone verification while creating Gmail account? |url=https://www.clrn.org/how-to-skip-phone-verification-while-creating-gmail-account/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Learning Resource Network}}</ref> They have a system that immediately detects reuse of numbers, so no accounts can have the same associated number.{{Citation needed}} This, paired with [[YouTube#Forced sign-in|YouTube's sign-in requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.

====Blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps (Aug 2025)====
{{Main|Google blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps}}
On 25 August 2025, '''[[Google]]''' announced that starting in 2026 it will block the installation of Android apps from outside the Play Store unless the developer has verified their identity with Google. The policy will first roll out in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026, with global enforcement targeted for 2027.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Frey |first=Suzanne |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=A new layer of security for certified Android devices |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Android Developers Blog |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128013331/https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=TechCrunch |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211509/https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref> This marks a significant change to Android's long-standing support for sideloading apps.

Devices without [[Google Mobile Services]] or running [[wikipedia:List_of_custom_Android_distributions|custom ROMs]] are exempt.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829170329/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=The Register}}</ref> Critics argue this restricts user freedom, impacts independent developers, and may enable Google to block apps it disapproves of, such as ad-blockers, raising concerns about privacy and control over personal devices.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=The Register |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211440/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |author=JohnC_21 |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=BleepingComputer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825210732/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/ |archive-date=2025-08-25}}</ref>

==Lawsuit==
===Privacy violations===
====''Rodriguez v. Google LLC'' (''May 2021—September 2025'')====
Google's "Web & App Activity" (WAA) setting had the ability to be paused. Reportedly, despite this setting being paused by consumers, Google would continue to collect consumer data regardless of consent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rodriguez v. Google LLC |url=https://www.googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ#faq1 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251011171640/https://googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ |archive-date=11 Oct 2025}}</ref> Google collected mobile device data for eight years from users who opted out of tracking under the WAA.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Staab |first=Theresa |date=18 Sep 2025 |title=Someone is Always Watching: Implications of Google's WAA Privacy Case |url=https://lawreview.syr.edu/someone-is-always-watching-implications-of-googles-waa-privacy-case/ |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Syracuse Law Review}}</ref> The dates of use/activity in question were between July 1, 2016 and September 23, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Oct 2024 |title=FAQs: Google Web App Activity lawsuit |url=https://help.wfu.edu/support/solutions/articles/13000825158-faqs-google-web-app-activity-lawsuit |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Wake Forest University}}</ref> On September 3, 2025, the San Francisco Federal Court jury held Google liable two of three claims of privacy invasion. The plaintiffs were awarded $425.7 million in compensatory damages for invasion of privacy, totaling around $4 per person for the approximate 98 million affected users, but since the jury found that Google did not act with malicious intent, no punitive damages were awarded.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Mollman |first=Brittney |last2=Sosnicki |first2=Luke |date=2025-09-05 |title=Federal Jury Awards $425.7 Million in Google Privacy Case: Key Takeaways on Consent Design and Litigation Risk |url=https://www.thompsoncoburn.com/insights/federal-jury-awards-425-7-million-in-google-privacy-case-key-takeaways-on-consent-design-and-litigation-risk/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |work=Thompson Coburn LLP}}</ref> Google filed an appeal to this verdict "on the basis that the jury misunderstood the functionality of its privacy tools and that users were adequately informed through layered disclosures and consent flows".<ref name=":6" /> Claim submission may begin once the appeals process finishes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-05 |title=$425M Verdict in Google Web & App Activity Privacy Class Action Lawsuit — Do You Qualify? |url=https://openclassactions.com/settlements/google-web-and-app-activity-privacy-class-action-lawsuit.php |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=OpenClassActions}}</ref>

====''Thele v. Google LLC'' (''November 2025—'')====
On the 11th of November, 2025, Thomas Thele filed a demand for jury trial in a class action complaint against Google LLC. In the filing it states that "on or about October 10, 2025, Google secretly turned on Gemini for all its users’ Gmail, Chat, and Meet accounts, enabling AI to track its users’ private communications contained in those platforms without the users’ knowledge or consent".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolfson |first=Tina |last2=Ahdoot |first2=Robert |last3=Maya |first3=Theodore |last4=Brown |first4=Alyssa |date=2025-11-11 |title=UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA - CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL |url=https://www.classaction.org/media/thele-v-google-complaint_2.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=ClassAction}}</ref> The suit "alleges that Google is violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burnson |first=Robert |date=2025-11-12 |title=Google sued for allegedly using Gemini AI to secretly track user data |url=https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/google-sued-for-allegedly-using-gemini-ai-to-secretly-track-user-data-125111200603_1.html |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Business Standard}}</ref> a law enacted in 1967 which dictates the terms by which advances in technology can be used for the purpose of invading the privacy of citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1967 |title=CHAPTER 1.5. Invasion of Privacy |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&part=1.&title=15.&chapter=1.5 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Legislative Information}}</ref> The defendant, Google LLC, filed a Motion to Dismiss which is scheduled to be heard on May 1, 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-27 |title=Thele v. Google LLC |url=https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/61129560/Thele_v_Google_LLC |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=PacerMonitor}}</ref>

===Anti-competitive behavior===
====''Epic Games, Inc. v. Google Inc.'' (''August 2020—May 2025'')====
Google takes a 30% share of all revenue made through all sales made on the Play Store, which is a comparable figure to other digital storefronts such as the [[Apple App Store]] and [[Steam]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Tom |date=7 Oct 2019 |title=Report: Steam's 30% Cut Is Actually the Industry Standard |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard |url-status=live |website=ign.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211034837/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> On 13th August 2020, [[Epic Games]] CEO Tim Sweeney updated both iOS and Android versions of ''Fortnite'' to redirect users to Epic Games' storefront to purchase in-game currency ("V-Bucks") alongside the respective first-party storefront, with incentives including cheaper prices if buying from Epic Games directly. This violated the Terms of Service of both Apple and Google's storefronts, and ''Fortnite'' was removed from both app stores the same day.

Epic Games would use this motion to file federal lawsuits against both Google and Apple, citing that these practices meant that the companies were engaging in anti-competitive behavior. Google lost in the lawsuit, but attempted to appeal the decision, in which they lost again.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=31 July 2025 |title=Epic just won its Google lawsuit again, and Android may never be the same |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/716856/epic-v-google-win-in-appeals-court |access-date=21 August 2025 |work=The Verge |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111151936/https://www.theverge.com/news/716856/epic-v-google-win-in-appeals-court |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===Social media addiction bellwether trials===
====Los Angeles Superior Court, JCCP 5255 (''2026'')====
Starting in January of 2026, [[Meta]] (Facebook and [[Instagram]]) and Google (YouTube) faced legal claims of their platforms being intentionally addictive and harmful to children. [[ByteDance]] ([[TikTok]]) and Snap ([[Snapchat]]) were named initially, but settled for undisclosed terms before the trial began. A 19-year-old girl, referred to by the initials "KGM" or Kaley, and two other plaintiffs were selected for bellwether trials—test cases tried as part of an MDL.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huamani |first=Kaitlyn |last2=Ortutay |first2=Barbara |date=9 Feb 2026 |title=Landmark trial accusing tech giants of harming children with addictive social media begins |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/landmark-trial-accusing-tech-giants-of-harming-children-with-addictive-social-media-begins |url-status=live |access-date=25 Mar 2026 |website=PBS News}}</ref> On March 25, 2026, the California jury concluded in KGM's case that Meta and Google were guilty of negligent for their apps—Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube—being deliberately built to be addictive, which the companies' executives knew this and failed to protect their youngest users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allyn |first=Bobby |date=25 Mar 2026 |title=Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial |url=https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5746125/meta-youtube-social-media-trial-verdict |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=npr}}</ref> Meta was charged to pay $4.2 million for compensatory and punitive damages, and charged Google $1.8 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |last2=Mac |first2=Ryan |last3=Tan |first3=Eli |date=25 Mar 2026 |title=Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Google products]]
*[[Advertising overload]]
*[[Google asserts the right to seize phones during repairs]]
*[[Google Nest Protect forced to use Google app]]
*[[Google Nest thermostat smart features disabled]]
*[[Google Pixel Watches do not come with repair options]]

==External links==
*"[https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/google.html XScreenSaver: Google Store Privacy Policy]". Google pretending to care about privacy by forcing a fully-local (no internet) minimal-permission screen-saver app to specify a privacy-policy. That blog-post contains many sources on Google's anti-consumer practices
*[https://theywillbanyou.com/| They Will Ban You - Cases of user accounts banned for unfair reasons]
*[https://killedbygoogle.com/ Killed by Google - Dead products list]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Google| ]]

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-08T09:59:07Z

JodyBruchonFan: wording

One would expect Google to be a company of world class developers. While they create good software in some categories, they sometimes don't implement basic features one would expect some other categories of software to have. This page collects various failures and bad decisions by Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute.

== Android file manager ==
It baffles me how Google manages to create a sophisticated chat bot like Gemini while failing to build a proper file manager.

Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. They lack features that ES File Explorer already had in the early 2010s, in its golden days before becoming adware and when Android was friendly to third-party file managers.

For example, there is no scrollbar. On DocumentsUI, you can not see the total size and recursive file/folder count of one or more selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no search filters like date range. The search feature only returns up to 24 results, an arbitrary limit. In list view, the last modified time and number of items within a folder are not shown. The detail view only shows the last modified time in minutes, not seconds, and does not show the exact file size in bytes. You can not jump from a search result to its parent directory. It does not remember your sorting preference. You can not select all items inbetween two items (like shift+click does on desktop and ES File Explorer does with a dedicated button). There is no "open with" feature. There is no address bar that would let you enter a file path. It doesn't even make use of Android's built-in recycle bin feature.

It doesn't even preserve the date and time attribute of copied files, something Windows had in the 1990s and Windows Mobile 6, released in 2009, had too.

Most importantly, after tapping on "copy" or "move", it doesn't stay in the current directory, but opens the Download folder instead. This means, if you wish to move items to a subdirectory of the currently viewed directory, you first have to manually navigate all the way back to the directory you were in before tapping on "copy" or "move". This is something even Windows 95 did better.

Earlier versions even had a bug where cancelling a file move operation would cause source files to be irrecoverably deleted without having been moved to the destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/photos/thread/106201?hl=en |title=Photos disappeared after moving to another device folder - Google Photos Community |author=Gökhun Güneyhan |date=2018-04-24 |access-date=2026-06-08 }} ([https://megalodon.jp/2023-0228-0023-32/https://support.google.com:443/photos/thread/106201?hl=en archive])</ref>

But hey, at least they implemented Google Drive integration. To their credit, they implemented the ability to browse ZIP and even TAR and 7z files, create ZIP files, a built-in EXIF viewer, the ability to open multiple instances, selection by tapping the file icon (faster than holding), a large grid view suitable for image seeking, and the file transfer progress indicator is displayed as a notification, which is better than a pop-up that blocks interacting with the file manager, like in Samsung's file manager.

== Android screenshot blocking ==
The thing that supposedly sets Android apart from iOS is user choice and freedom, yet Google decided that device owners are at the mercy of app developers to let them take screenshots and screen recordings. This is known as [[screenshot blocking]] or screen capture blocking, and can only be overridden with an unlocked bootloader and root access, which has complications of its own.

While this was originally intended to prevent banking app content from being captured or broadcasted to external screens (miracast, MHL), there is nothing preventing it from being used outside of its intended scope. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before app developers realized they could use it arbitrarily.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=konradkar |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=[[Reddit]] |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615071612/https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |archive-date=2023-06-15}}</ref>

For this reason, Google should have provided a built-in option that lets the device owner override screen capture blocks at their own responsibility. An app deciding whether you should be allowed to take screenshots on your device is comparable to a guest in your home telling you how to behave.

== GBoard (Google Keyboard) ==
There is no option to turn off the one-hour clipboard time limit, which automatically deletes clipboard items older than one hour, even after users have asked for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en |title=Adjust Gboard clipboard timeout - Android Community |date=2023-04-03 |access-date=2026-06-04 }} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260514000953/https://support.google.com:443/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en archive])</ref>

The clipboard is not intended for long-term storage of course, but that's not an excuse for not giving the user the choice. Why not two hours? Why not one day? Let the user decide.

If special character shortcuts are enabled, there is a shortcut for the backslash (<kbd>\</kbd>), but surprisingly not for the forward slash (<kbd>/</kbd>), a much more commonly used key.

You can't change the delay until holding the backspace key will erase multiple characters, and how fast they are cleared (how many characters per second). A delay too long becomes a nuisance over time.

Additionally, it lacks reverse backspacing. Samsung's keyboard allows reverse backspacing using Shift+Backspace. This is like the "delete" key on desktop computers.

== Google Calendar ==
Lacks a "jump to date" feature which would let you enter the numerical date.

This is something Samsung had in the early 2010s (but curiously removed with the S6), and Nokia had even in the 1990s, for example on the Nokia 7111.

If you want to check what day of the week a specific date was, you have to manually scroll to it.

== Google Chrome ==
Mandatory pull-to-refresh, data lock-in, lack of customization, and more. See ''[[User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything_wrong_with_Chrome|Everything wrong with Chrome]]''.

== Google Docs ==
Google Docs will only let you save documents locally if the creator allows it. This is moralized nonsense. If someone makes something public, they should expect that others are able to save it.

== Google Messages ==
No option to [[Data_lock-in#Text_messages|export messages]], making it almost impossible to create local backups without root access.

The third-party app "SMS Backup+" sadly forces the user to go through the middleman GMail rather than doing the sensible thing, just dumping a file in the device storage.

There is no option to always show the number of remaining characters. The number of remaining characters is only shown if ten or less characters are left.

== Dialer (telephone) and contacts app ==
Of course, no built-in exporting to a file. Not surprising at this point.

== YouTube ==
The [[YouTube]] website and mobile application provide no way to download videos to a local file that is accessible outside the YouTube website or app. Unlike most other things on this list, this has been done on purpose, not as a result of negligence, see [[YouTube#Digital_Rights_Management|YouTube § Digital Rights Management]].

There is no numerical "jump to time feature" like the one the desktop edition of VLC Media Player has had for decades. The mobile edition of VLC Media Player has it too.

== References ==
<references />

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-08T09:54:56Z

JodyBruchonFan: Archive, just in case.

One would expect Google to be a company of world class developers. While they create good software in some categories, they sometimes don't implement basic features one would expect some other categories of software to have. This page collects various failures and bad decisions by Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute.

== Android file manager ==
It baffles me how Google manages to create a sophisticated chat bot like Gemini while failing to build a proper file manager.

Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. They lack features that ES File Explorer already had in the early 2010s, in its golden days before becoming adware and when Android was friendly to third-party file managers.

For example, there is no scrollbar. On DocumentsUI, you can not see the total size and recursive file/folder count of one or more selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no search filters like date range. The search feature only returns up to 24 results, an arbitrary limit. In list view, the last modified time and number of items within a folder are not shown. The detail view only shows the last modified time in minutes, not seconds, and does not show the exact file size in bytes. You can not jump from a search result to its parent directory. It does not remember your sorting preference. You can not select all items inbetween two items (like shift+click does on desktop and ES File Explorer does with a dedicated button). There is no "open with" feature. There is no address bar that would let you enter a file path. It doesn't even make use of Android's built-in recycle bin feature.

It doesn't even preserve the date and time attribute of copied files, something Windows had in the 1990s and Windows Mobile 6, released in 2009, had too.

Most importantly, after tapping on "copy" or "move", it doesn't stay in the current directory, but opens the Download folder instead. This means, if you wish to move items to a subdirectory of the currently viewed directory, you first have to manually navigate all the way back to the directory you were in before tapping on "copy" or "move". This is something even Windows 95 did better.

In earlier versions, it even had a bug where cancelling a file move operation would cause source files to be irrecoverably deleted without having been moved to the destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/photos/thread/106201?hl=en |title=Photos disappeared after moving to another device folder - Google Photos Community |author=Gökhun Güneyhan |date=2018-04-24 |access-date=2026-06-08 }} ([https://megalodon.jp/2023-0228-0023-32/https://support.google.com:443/photos/thread/106201?hl=en archive])</ref>

But hey, at least they implemented Google Drive integration. To their credit, they implemented the ability to browse ZIP and even TAR and 7z files, create ZIP files, a built-in EXIF viewer, the ability to open multiple instances, selection by tapping the file icon (faster than holding), a large grid view suitable for image seeking, and the file transfer progress indicator is displayed as a notification, which is better than a pop-up that blocks interacting with the file manager, like in Samsung's file manager.

== Android screenshot blocking ==
The thing that supposedly sets Android apart from iOS is user choice and freedom, yet Google decided that device owners are at the mercy of app developers to let them take screenshots and screen recordings. This is known as [[screenshot blocking]] or screen capture blocking, and can only be overridden with an unlocked bootloader and root access, which has complications of its own.

While this was originally intended to prevent banking app content from being captured or broadcasted to external screens (miracast, MHL), there is nothing preventing it from being used outside of its intended scope. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before app developers would realize they could use it arbitrarily.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=konradkar |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=[[Reddit]] |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615071612/https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |archive-date=2023-06-15}}</ref>

For this reason, Google should have provided a built-in option that lets the device owner override screen capture blocks at their own responsibility. An app deciding whether you should be allowed to take screenshots on your device is comparable to a guest in your home telling you how to behave.

== GBoard (Google Keyboard) ==
There is no option to turn off the one-hour clipboard time limit, which automatically deletes clipboard items older than one hour, even after users have asked for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en |title=Adjust Gboard clipboard timeout - Android Community |date=2023-04-03 |access-date=2026-06-04 }} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260514000953/https://support.google.com:443/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en archive])</ref>

The clipboard is not intended for long-term storage of course, but that's not an excuse for not giving the user the choice. Why not two hours? Why not one day? Let the user decide.

If special character shortcuts are enabled, there is a shortcut for the backslash (<kbd>\</kbd>), but surprisingly not for the forward slash (<kbd>/</kbd>), a much more commonly used key.

You can't change the delay until holding the backspace key will erase multiple characters, and how fast they are cleared (how many characters per second). A delay too long becomes a nuisance over time.

Additionally, it lacks reverse backspacing. Samsung's keyboard allows reverse backspacing using Shift+Backspace. This is like the "delete" key on desktop computers.

== Google Calendar ==
Lacks a "jump to date" feature which would let you enter the numerical date.

This is something Samsung had in the early 2010s (but curiously removed with the S6), and Nokia had even in the 1990s, for example on the Nokia 7111.

If you want to check what day of the week a specific date was, you have to manually scroll to it.

== Google Chrome ==
Mandatory pull-to-refresh, data lock-in, lack of customization, and more. See ''[[User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything_wrong_with_Chrome|Everything wrong with Chrome]]''.

== Google Docs ==
Google Docs will only let you save documents locally if the creator allows it. This is moralized nonsense. If someone makes something public, they should expect that others are able to save it.

== Google Messages ==
No option to [[Data_lock-in#Text_messages|export messages]], making it almost impossible to create local backups without root access.

The third-party app "SMS Backup+" sadly forces the user to go through the middleman GMail rather than doing the sensible thing, just dumping a file in the device storage.

There is no option to always show the number of remaining characters. The number of remaining characters is only shown if ten or less characters are left.

== Dialer (telephone) and contacts app ==
Of course, no built-in exporting to a file. Not surprising at this point.

== YouTube ==
The [[YouTube]] website and mobile application provide no way to download videos to a local file that is accessible outside the YouTube website or app. Unlike most other things on this list, this has been done on purpose, not as a result of negligence, see [[YouTube#Digital_Rights_Management|YouTube § Digital Rights Management]].

There is no numerical "jump to time feature" like the one the desktop edition of VLC Media Player has had for decades. The mobile edition of VLC Media Player has it too.

== References ==
<references />

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-08T09:53:07Z

JodyBruchonFan: Not just failures, but also deliberate bad decisions.

One would expect Google to be a company of world class developers. While they create good software in some categories, they sometimes don't implement basic features one would expect some other categories of software to have. This page collects various failures and bad decisions by Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute.

== Android file manager ==
It baffles me how Google manages to create a sophisticated chat bot like Gemini while failing to build a proper file manager.

Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. They lack features that ES File Explorer already had in the early 2010s, in its golden days before becoming adware and when Android was friendly to third-party file managers.

For example, there is no scrollbar. On DocumentsUI, you can not see the total size and recursive file/folder count of one or more selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no search filters like date range. The search feature only returns up to 24 results, an arbitrary limit. In list view, the last modified time and number of items within a folder are not shown. The detail view only shows the last modified time in minutes, not seconds, and does not show the exact file size in bytes. You can not jump from a search result to its parent directory. It does not remember your sorting preference. You can not select all items inbetween two items (like shift+click does on desktop and ES File Explorer does with a dedicated button). There is no "open with" feature. There is no address bar that would let you enter a file path. It doesn't even make use of Android's built-in recycle bin feature.

It doesn't even preserve the date and time attribute of copied files, something Windows had in the 1990s and Windows Mobile 6, released in 2009, had too.

Most importantly, after tapping on "copy" or "move", it doesn't stay in the current directory, but opens the Download folder instead. This means, if you wish to move items to a subdirectory of the currently viewed directory, you first have to manually navigate all the way back to the directory you were in before tapping on "copy" or "move". This is something even Windows 95 did better.

In earlier versions, it even had a bug where cancelling a file move operation would cause source files to be irrecoverably deleted without having been moved to the destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/photos/thread/106201?hl=en |title=Photos disappeared after moving to another device folder - Google Photos Community |author=Gökhun Güneyhan |date=2018-04-24 |access-date=2026-06-08 }}</ref>

But hey, at least they implemented Google Drive integration. To their credit, they implemented the ability to browse ZIP and even TAR and 7z files, create ZIP files, a built-in EXIF viewer, the ability to open multiple instances, selection by tapping the file icon (faster than holding), a large grid view suitable for image seeking, and the file transfer progress indicator is displayed as a notification, which is better than a pop-up that blocks interacting with the file manager, like in Samsung's file manager.

== Android screenshot blocking ==
The thing that supposedly sets Android apart from iOS is user choice and freedom, yet Google decided that device owners are at the mercy of app developers to let them take screenshots and screen recordings. This is known as [[screenshot blocking]] or screen capture blocking, and can only be overridden with an unlocked bootloader and root access, which has complications of its own.

While this was originally intended to prevent banking app content from being captured or broadcasted to external screens (miracast, MHL), there is nothing preventing it from being used outside of its intended scope. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before app developers would realize they could use it arbitrarily.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=konradkar |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=[[Reddit]] |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615071612/https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |archive-date=2023-06-15}}</ref>

For this reason, Google should have provided a built-in option that lets the device owner override screen capture blocks at their own responsibility. An app deciding whether you should be allowed to take screenshots on your device is comparable to a guest in your home telling you how to behave.

== GBoard (Google Keyboard) ==
There is no option to turn off the one-hour clipboard time limit, which automatically deletes clipboard items older than one hour, even after users have asked for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en |title=Adjust Gboard clipboard timeout - Android Community |date=2023-04-03 |access-date=2026-06-04 }} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260514000953/https://support.google.com:443/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en archive])</ref>

The clipboard is not intended for long-term storage of course, but that's not an excuse for not giving the user the choice. Why not two hours? Why not one day? Let the user decide.

If special character shortcuts are enabled, there is a shortcut for the backslash (<kbd>\</kbd>), but surprisingly not for the forward slash (<kbd>/</kbd>), a much more commonly used key.

You can't change the delay until holding the backspace key will erase multiple characters, and how fast they are cleared (how many characters per second). A delay too long becomes a nuisance over time.

Additionally, it lacks reverse backspacing. Samsung's keyboard allows reverse backspacing using Shift+Backspace. This is like the "delete" key on desktop computers.

== Google Calendar ==
Lacks a "jump to date" feature which would let you enter the numerical date.

This is something Samsung had in the early 2010s (but curiously removed with the S6), and Nokia had even in the 1990s, for example on the Nokia 7111.

If you want to check what day of the week a specific date was, you have to manually scroll to it.

== Google Chrome ==
Mandatory pull-to-refresh, data lock-in, lack of customization, and more. See ''[[User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything_wrong_with_Chrome|Everything wrong with Chrome]]''.

== Google Docs ==
Google Docs will only let you save documents locally if the creator allows it. This is moralized nonsense. If someone makes something public, they should expect that others are able to save it.

== Google Messages ==
No option to [[Data_lock-in#Text_messages|export messages]], making it almost impossible to create local backups without root access.

The third-party app "SMS Backup+" sadly forces the user to go through the middleman GMail rather than doing the sensible thing, just dumping a file in the device storage.

There is no option to always show the number of remaining characters. The number of remaining characters is only shown if ten or less characters are left.

== Dialer (telephone) and contacts app ==
Of course, no built-in exporting to a file. Not surprising at this point.

== YouTube ==
The [[YouTube]] website and mobile application provide no way to download videos to a local file that is accessible outside the YouTube website or app. Unlike most other things on this list, this has been done on purpose, not as a result of negligence, see [[YouTube#Digital_Rights_Management|YouTube § Digital Rights Management]].

There is no numerical "jump to time feature" like the one the desktop edition of VLC Media Player has had for decades. The mobile edition of VLC Media Player has it too.

== References ==
<references />

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-08T09:49:10Z

JodyBruchonFan: more stuff

One would expect Google to be a company of world class developers. While they create good software in some categories, they sometimes don't implement basic features one would expect some other categories of software to have. This page collects various failures of Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute.

== Android file manager ==
It baffles me how Google manages to create a sophisticated chat bot like Gemini while failing to build a proper file manager.

Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. They lack features that ES File Explorer already had in the early 2010s, in its golden days before becoming adware and when Android was friendly to third-party file managers.

For example, there is no scrollbar. On DocumentsUI, you can not see the total size and recursive file/folder count of one or more selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no search filters like date range. The search feature only returns up to 24 results, an arbitrary limit. In list view, the last modified time and number of items within a folder are not shown. The detail view only shows the last modified time in minutes, not seconds, and does not show the exact file size in bytes. You can not jump from a search result to its parent directory. It does not remember your sorting preference. You can not select all items inbetween two items (like shift+click does on desktop and ES File Explorer does with a dedicated button). There is no "open with" feature. There is no address bar that would let you enter a file path. It doesn't even make use of Android's built-in recycle bin feature.

It doesn't even preserve the date and time attribute of copied files, something Windows had in the 1990s and Windows Mobile 6, released in 2009, had too.

Most importantly, after tapping on "copy" or "move", it doesn't stay in the current directory, but opens the Download folder instead. This means, if you wish to move items to a subdirectory of the currently viewed directory, you first have to manually navigate all the way back to the directory you were in before tapping on "copy" or "move". This is something even Windows 95 did better.

In earlier versions, it even had a bug where cancelling a file move operation would cause source files to be irrecoverably deleted without having been moved to the destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/photos/thread/106201?hl=en |title=Photos disappeared after moving to another device folder - Google Photos Community |author=Gökhun Güneyhan |date=2018-04-24 |access-date=2026-06-08 }}</ref>

But hey, at least they implemented Google Drive integration. To their credit, they implemented the ability to browse ZIP and even TAR and 7z files, create ZIP files, a built-in EXIF viewer, the ability to open multiple instances, selection by tapping the file icon (faster than holding), a large grid view suitable for image seeking, and the file transfer progress indicator is displayed as a notification, which is better than a pop-up that blocks interacting with the file manager, like in Samsung's file manager.

== Android screenshot blocking ==
The thing that supposedly sets Android apart from iOS is user choice and freedom, yet Google decided that device owners are at the mercy of app developers to let them take screenshots and screen recordings. This is known as [[screenshot blocking]] or screen capture blocking, and can only be overridden with an unlocked bootloader and root access, which has complications of its own.

While this was originally intended to prevent banking app content from being captured or broadcasted to external screens (miracast, MHL), there is nothing preventing it from being used outside of its intended scope. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before app developers would realize they could use it arbitrarily.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=konradkar |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=[[Reddit]] |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615071612/https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |archive-date=2023-06-15}}</ref>

For this reason, Google should have provided a built-in option that lets the device owner override screen capture blocks at their own responsibility. An app deciding whether you should be allowed to take screenshots on your device is comparable to a guest in your home telling you how to behave.

== GBoard (Google Keyboard) ==
There is no option to turn off the one-hour clipboard time limit, which automatically deletes clipboard items older than one hour, even after users have asked for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.google.com/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en |title=Adjust Gboard clipboard timeout - Android Community |date=2023-04-03 |access-date=2026-06-04 }} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260514000953/https://support.google.com:443/android/thread/209187528/adjust-gboard-clipboard-timeout?hl=en archive])</ref>

The clipboard is not intended for long-term storage of course, but that's not an excuse for not giving the user the choice. Why not two hours? Why not one day? Let the user decide.

If special character shortcuts are enabled, there is a shortcut for the backslash (<kbd>\</kbd>), but surprisingly not for the forward slash (<kbd>/</kbd>), a much more commonly used key.

You can't change the delay until holding the backspace key will erase multiple characters, and how fast they are cleared (how many characters per second). A delay too long becomes a nuisance over time.

Additionally, it lacks reverse backspacing. Samsung's keyboard allows reverse backspacing using Shift+Backspace. This is like the "delete" key on desktop computers.

== Google Calendar ==
Lacks a "jump to date" feature which would let you enter the numerical date.

This is something Samsung had in the early 2010s (but curiously removed with the S6), and Nokia had even in the 1990s, for example on the Nokia 7111.

If you want to check what day of the week a specific date was, you have to manually scroll to it.

== Google Chrome ==
Mandatory pull-to-refresh, data lock-in, lack of customization, and more. See ''[[User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything_wrong_with_Chrome|Everything wrong with Chrome]]''.

== Google Docs ==
Google Docs will only let you save documents locally if the creator allows it. This is moralized nonsense. If someone makes something public, they should expect that others are able to save it.

== Google Messages ==
No option to [[Data_lock-in#Text_messages|export messages]], making it almost impossible to create local backups without root access.

The third-party app "SMS Backup+" sadly forces the user to go through the middleman GMail rather than doing the sensible thing, just dumping a file in the device storage.

There is no option to always show the number of remaining characters. The number of remaining characters is only shown if ten or less characters are left.

== Dialer (telephone) and contacts app ==
Of course, no built-in exporting to a file. Not surprising at this point.

== YouTube ==
The [[YouTube]] website and mobile application provide no way to download videos to a local file that is accessible outside the YouTube website or app. Unlike most other things on this list, this has been done on purpose, not as a result of negligence, see [[YouTube#Digital_Rights_Management|YouTube § Digital Rights Management]].

There is no numerical "jump to time feature" like the one the desktop edition of VLC Media Player has had for decades. The mobile edition of VLC Media Player has it too.

== References ==
<references />

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T20:32:34Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* GBoard (Google Keyboard) */ +source

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T20:20:36Z

JodyBruchonFan: + credit

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T20:03:57Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Android file manager */ rephrased

User talk:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T20:01:19Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Regarding the YouTube ID verification */ new section

== Regarding the YouTube ID verification ==

This seems to be a legal requirement in some regions, so I am not sure if we can blame Google/YouTube for this. Also, it is a service issue, not an issue with their website or mobile app. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 20:01, 4 June 2026 (UTC)

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T19:56:03Z

JodyBruchonFan: elaborated

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T19:27:48Z

JodyBruchonFan: Resolving edit conflict.

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T19:26:39Z

JodyBruchonFan: more things (edit conflict will be resolved)

User:JodyBruchonFan/Google software sucks

2026-06-04T18:46:33Z

JodyBruchonFan: Created page with "This page collects various failures of Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute. == Android file manager == Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. For example, there is no scrollbar. You can not see the total size of selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no filters..."

This page collects various failures of Google's "world class developers". Everyone is welcome to contribute.

== Android file manager ==
Both "Files by Google" and Android's built-in file manager (DocumentsUI) lack basic features one would expect from a file manager. For example, there is no scrollbar. You can not see the total size of selected directories. You can not limit searching to one specific folder but you have to search the entire storage. There are no filters like date range. The search feature only returns up to 24 results, an arbitrary limit.

Most importantly, after tapping on "copy" or "move, it doesn't stay in the current directory, but opens the Download folder instead. This means, if your goal is to move files to a subdirectory of the currently viewed directory, you have to manually navigate all the way back to the directory you were in. This is something even Windows 95 did better.

== GBoard (Google Keyboard) ==
There is no option to turn off the one-hour clipboard time limit.

== Google Calendar ==
Lacks a "jump to date" feature. This is something Samsung had in the early 2010s (but curiously removed with the S6), and Nokia had even in the 1990s, for example on the Nokia 7111.

If you want to check what day of the week a specific date was, you have to manually scroll to it.

== Google Chrome ==
Mandatory pull-to-refresh, data lock-in, lack of customization, and more. See ''[[User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything_wrong_with_Chrome|Everything wrong with Chrome]]''.

User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything wrong with Chrome

2026-06-01T11:39:28Z

JodyBruchonFan: fixed brackets

<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">[[File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png|frameless|alt=Google Chrome mobile]]</div></div>

----

One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular for the same reason Internet Explorer was popular back in the 1990s and 2000s: it is pre-installed.

Given that the competition has a much smaller market share, Google is under no pressure to provide a good web browsing experience.

This is a collection of what is wrong with the mobile version of Google Chrome. These are features or options Google could have easily implemented long ago, but either neglected or, for some reason, chose not to.

The term "Chrome" refers to the mobile edition for the rest of this page, unless stated otherwise. Anyone feel free to contribute.

== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ==
Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first. The constant threat of accidentally refreshing a page has turned browsing with Chrome into a headache since 2019.

In spite of the abnormally high number of complaints by users suffering from accidental refreshes, Google has refused to reinstate the option to turn off this anti-feature. It seems to be part of Google's brand identity.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.09.04-094015/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41471115 Please bring back ability to disable Android pull-down-to-refresh. I lost my work because the feature. [41471115] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref>


Websites look wildly different from each other. Some websites are designed in a way where it isn't clearly visible where the top of the page is. On those sites, pull-to-refresh makes web browsing a walk on eggshells.

Pull-to-refresh, to some extent, makes sense on a notification feed where new items come from above, but it does not make sense on the vast majority of web sites, especially rarely updated static pages, and it is redundant to the refresh button in the quick menu that can be accessed even without scrolling to the top first, so there is simply no need for it.

Accidental refreshes waste time, battery charge, and quota from mobile data plans.

But Google thought that something that makes sense in the notification feed of Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") or Instagram automatically makes sense in a web browser. '''Nope.'''

See also [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In comparison, both Firefox mobile and Samsung Internet let the user turn this anti-feature off.

== Data lock-in ==
Chrome provides no option to export web browsing data to a file, making it [[Data_lock-in#User_data_in_mobile_web_browsers|impossible to back up certain user data]] without root access, namely the session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history.

Exporting the browsing session to a text file would be useful to prevent so-called "tab hoarding", where the number of open tabs keeps increasing, without having to lose the existing browsing session.

Both the desktop and mobile editions of Chrome have a hard three-month limit for retaining browsing history. Without the ability to export the browsing history, it becomes difficult to find pages after a long time.

In comparison, Samsung Internet allows copying a list of open tabs to the clipboard by checking the "select all" box, pressing "share", and then choosing "copy to clipboard". Samsung Internet also allows copying multiple URLs from the history at once to clipboard, but with no time stamp, and there is a size limit that limits the number of selectable pages to something between 120 and 150 pages, depending on the lengths of the URL, title, or both.

This is still far from ideal, where the entire history and session could be dumped into a file with a single tap.

On desktop web browsers, extensions are able to provide such functionality, but of course, Chrome on mobile does not support extensions.

== Tab viewer has no list view mode ==
The tab viewer only features a grid view which has two-columns in vertical orientation and usually four columns in horizontal orientation.

There used to be a list view mode which would preview a longer part of the page title, as well as part of the URL. It could be turned on through a flag in <code>chrome://flags</code>, named <code></code>, but it was taken away in 2019 with with the goal to "reduce chrome://flags size", which defeats the whole point of <code>chrome://flags</code>, which is to provide a dumping ground for options that fit nowhere else on the user interface. It is similar to <code>about:config</code> on Firefox.

Chrome (Chromium) developer David Trainor stated:
<blockquote>
Leaving the swich in place as it is highly used as a command line value, but removing it to trim down chrome://flags size.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://archive.today/2020.04.26-183014/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 - chromium/src - Git at Google]</ref>

It is unclear how this benefits the end user.

On Android, users without root access can not launch Chrome with custom command lines, at least not without using ADB, which requires an external computer, making it impractical on the go.

Samsung Internet's tab viewer does feature a list view option.

== No draggable scroll bar ==
Seriously, Google? Desktop web browsers had this since the 1990s, and some mobile web browsers like Samsung Internet and Opera also had this for some time.

In addition, Samsung Internet features options to show shortcuts to jump to the top or the bottom of the page.

== Slowly scrolling to text search results ==
When searching text on the page, Chrome does not immediately jump to the result, but scrolls to that result, which can take several seconds on a long page. And when you are looking through many results, these seconds add up.

Additionally, this scrolling animation needlessly wastes battery power.

Of course, [[Google#Taking_away_choice_from_the_user|as one would expect from Google]], there is no option to change this behaviour.

== Unable to play media from multiple tabs at once ==
Yet another thing desktop web browsers have been able to do since the 2000s, yet the "pinnacle of mobile web browsing" can't do so as of 2026.

With the processing power smartphones have nowadays, this should easily be doable.

Even if it increases power consumption, the user should be given the choice.

== Unable to open a new tab after the current tab ==
New tabs are opened at the end of the tab list. With many tabs open, this adds the inconvenience of the new tab being far away from the current tab.

The user might want to look something up that is related to the currently viewed page. The inability to open a new tab after the current tab adds the inconvenience of having to find the current tab in the long tab list again, rather than swiping to switch to the last tab.

The only workaround is to open a link on the current page in a new tab by holding it down and choosing "open in new tab". However, this relies on a hyperlink existing on the current page, which might not always be the case.

Firefox on desktop has the <code>browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose. If this preference was put in a more visible spot (namely <code>about:preferences</code>), more people would undoubtedly use it.

== Slow menu animation ==
The "fancy" menu animation each time you open the quick menu, with the cascading menu items, might look nice, but it wastes a second every single time you want to use something in that menu, and this adds up.

Of course, no option to disable this exists inside the app, but thankfully, the Android developer tools provide an option to disable transition animations system-wide.

== First row of quick menu not at bottom if URL bar is at bottom ==
The first row of the quick menu contains the icons for "go forward", "information", "save page", "bookmark", and "refresh".

However, it is still at the top of the quick menu even if the URL bar (or "omnibar") is at the bottom.

To Google's credit, they at least added the option to align the URL bar to the bottom. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and the Chromium derivative Kiwi Browser all had this by 2020.

== Unable to keep URL bar on screen ==
On mobile web browsers, when scrolling down, the URL bar automatically hides. When scrolling back up, the URL bar is revealed again.

This is an ancient relic from a time when entry-level smartphones had 4:3 screens (such as the Galaxy Fit S5670). Now that smartphone screens have very tall aspect ratios such as 18:9, there is simply no need to hide the URL bar in vertical orientation anymore.

I would rather have 5% less screen space for the web content than having to pull down every single time to reveal the URL bar.

In addition, pulling down in Chrome sometimes activates the universally hated pull-to-refresh gesture (see first point) instead of revealing the URL bar.

== No developer tools or page inspector ==
Granted, no other mobile web browser seems to have this, but wouldn't now be a time for mobile web browsers to get a basic page inspector at least?

Smartphones have so much processing power nowadays, yet mobile apps lack basic features software on desktop computers had for decades. This is disappointing to see.

Smartphones have large screens nowadays. It certainly would be possible.

== Download list ==
The list of downloaded files offers no way to get the full source URL of a downloaded file. Only the domain is visible.

There is also no way to remove items from the download history without deleting the corresponding file in the download folder.

== Annoying download confirmation in incognito mode ==
In 2023, Google added an annoying prompt in incognito mode that reads ''"Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files."'', which, of course, can not be turned off.<ref>[https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/239227138/how-to-disable-incognito-mode-download-file-anyone-using-this-device-can-see-downloaded-files?hl=en How to disable incognito mode, "Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files." - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Given that most smartphones are only used by one person most of the time, this message is pointless.

== Built-in media player lacks basic options ==
The built-in media player has no built-in options to loop a media file, to open a media file in a new tab, or to copy the link to a media file into the clipboard.

The desktop edition of Firefox has all of these features.

Of course, the media player in a web browser is no replacement for an actual media player application like "mpv-android", but having these basic options built right into the web browser media player would add convenience.

== Large images not downscaled to screen size ==
If a picture has a resolution of at least several megapixels, Chrome fails to downscale it enough that the entire image fits on screen.

So Chrome even struggles with something as simple as image viewing. How embarrassing.

== No option to load pages without images ==
Images are much larger in size than text, but sometimes, text is enough and would speed up loading, especially in remote areas where only 2G connectivity is available.

Unfortunately, Chrome lacks the simple option to only load text, without images.

== Unable to see which page redirected me to the current page ==
While Firefox stores all redirects in the browsing history, Chrome makes it impossible to know which intermittent pages redirected me to the current page.

== Unable to block redirects and self-refreshes ==
Some web pages misuse self-refreshing redirects, making it hard to go back to the last page.

Firefox on desktop offers the <code>accessibility.blockautorefresh</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose.

== Giving credit where credit is due ==
At least, Chrome has no fixed tab limit. Samsung Internet has a tab limit of 99, which was raised from 50 at some point. On the other hand, Samsung Internet's tab limit prevents tab hoarding. But I still prefer not having a tab limit.

In addition, Chrome lets the user save web pages in the MHTML format in the download folder, while Firefox mobile has no such option and Samsung Internet stores pages with [[Data_lock-in#Saved_pages_in_Samsung_Internet|data lock-in]].

In recent years (as of 2026), Google enabled saving pages in Incognito mode, realizing there was no reason for it to be disabled, given that downloads are outside the scope of incognito mode.

The quick menu has icons. From what I remember, they were added in 2020 or 2021. This is something Firefox on desktop once had, but it was removed [[Firefox#Removal_of_icons_from_the_main_menu_(2022)|because Mozilla's developers decided it was "clutter"]], even though it helps finding an option faster.

The URL visible in the URL bar is not shortened to the domain name like it is on Safari (which invented this design) and Samsung Internet. This means, "example.org/test.html" is not shortened to "example.org" in the URL bar.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16805216/google-chrome-only-sites-internet-explorer-6-web-standards Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 | The Verge]
* Video: [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=EDEzQ8pziIA Google Chrome Must Be Stopped] - Jody Bruchon

User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything wrong with Chrome

2026-06-01T11:00:40Z

JodyBruchonFan: styling, added point

<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">[[File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png|frameless|alt=Google Chrome mobile]]</div></div>

----

One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular for the same reason Internet Explorer was popular back in the 1990s and 2000s: it is pre-installed.

Given that the competition has a much smaller market share, Google is under no pressure to provide a good web browsing experience.

This is a collection of what is wrong with the mobile version of Google Chrome. These are features or options Google could have easily implemented long ago, but either neglected or, for some reason, chose not to.

The term "Chrome" refers to the mobile edition for the rest of this page, unless stated otherwise. Anyone feel free to contribute.

== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ==
Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first. The constant threat of accidentally refreshing a page has turned browsing with Chrome into a headache since 2019.

In spite of the abnormally high number of complaints by users suffering from accidental refreshes, Google has refused to reinstate the option to turn off this anti-feature. It seems to be part of Google's brand identity.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.09.04-094015/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41471115 Please bring back ability to disable Android pull-down-to-refresh. I lost my work because the feature. [41471115] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Websites look wildly different from each other. Some websites are designed in a way where it isn't clearly visible where the top of the page is. On those sites, pull-to-refresh makes web browsing a walk on eggshells.

Pull-to-refresh, to some extent, makes sense on a notification feed where new items come from above, but it does not make sense on the vast majority of web sites, especially rarely updated static pages, and it is redundant to the refresh button in the quick menu that can be accessed even without scrolling to the top first, so there is simply no need for it.

Accidental refreshes waste time, battery charge, and quota from mobile data plans.

But Google thought that something that makes sense in the notification feed of Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") or Instagram automatically makes sense in a web browser. '''Nope.'''

See also [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In comparison, both Firefox mobile and Samsung Internet let the user turn this anti-feature off.

== Data lock-in ==
Chrome provides no option to export web browsing data to a file, making it [[Data_lock-in#User_data_in_mobile_web_browsers|impossible to back up certain user data]] without root access, namely the session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history.

Exporting the browsing session to a text file would be useful to prevent so-called "tab hoarding", where the number of open tabs keeps increasing, without having to lose the existing browsing session.

Both the desktop and mobile editions of Chrome have a hard three-month limit for retaining browsing history. Without the ability to export the browsing history, it becomes difficult to find pages after a long time.

In comparison, Samsung Internet allows copying a list of open tabs to the clipboard by checking the "select all" box, pressing "share", and then choosing "copy to clipboard". Samsung Internet also allows copying multiple URLs from the history at once to clipboard, but with no time stamp, and there is a size limit that limits the number of selectable pages to something between 120 and 150 pages, depending on the lengths of the URL, title, or both.

This is still far from ideal, where the entire history and session could be dumped into a file with a single tap.

On desktop web browsers, extensions are able to provide such functionality, but of course, Chrome on mobile does not support extensions.

== Tab viewer has no list view mode ==
The tab viewer only features a grid view which has two-columns in vertical orientation and usually four columns in horizontal orientation.

There used to be a list view mode which would preview a longer part of the page title, as well as part of the URL. It could be turned on through a flag in <code>chrome://flags</code>, named <code></code>, but it was taken away in 2019 with with the goal to "reduce chrome://flags size", which defeats the whole point of <code>chrome://flags</code>, which is to provide a dumping ground for options that fit nowhere else on the user interface. It is similar to <code>about:config</code> on Firefox.

Chrome (Chromium) developer David Trainor stated:
<blockquote>
Leaving the swich in place as it is highly used as a command line value, but removing it to trim down chrome://flags size.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://archive.today/2020.04.26-183014/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 - chromium/src - Git at Google]</ref>

It is unclear how this benefits the end user.

On Android, users without root access can not launch Chrome with custom command lines, at least not without using ADB, which requires an external computer, making it impractical on the go.

Samsung Internet's tab viewer does feature a list view option.

== No draggable scroll bar ==
Seriously, Google? Desktop web browsers had this since the 1990s, and some mobile web browsers like Samsung Internet and Opera also had this for some time.

In addition, Samsung Internet features options to show shortcuts to jump to the top or the bottom of the page.

== Slowly scrolling to text search results ==
When searching text on the page, Chrome does not immediately jump to the result, but scrolls to that result, which can take several seconds on a long page. And when you are looking through many results, these seconds add up.

Additionally, this scrolling animation needlessly wastes battery power.

Of course, [[Google#Taking_away_choice_from_the_user|as one would expect from Google]], there is no option to change this behaviour.

== Unable to play media from multiple tabs at once ==
Yet another thing desktop web browsers have been able to do since the 2000s, yet the "pinnacle of mobile web browsing" can't do so as of 2026.

With the processing power smartphones have nowadays, this should easily be doable.

Even if it increases power consumption, the user should be given the choice.

== Unable to open a new tab after the current tab ==
New tabs are opened at the end of the tab list. With many tabs open, this adds the inconvenience of the new tab being far away from the current tab.

The user might want to look something up that is related to the currently viewed page. The inability to open a new tab after the current tab adds the inconvenience of having to find the current tab in the long tab list again, rather than swiping to switch to the last tab.

The only workaround is to open a link on the current page in a new tab by holding it down and choosing "open in new tab". However, this relies on a hyperlink existing on the current page, which might not always be the case.

Firefox on desktop has the <code>browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose. If this preference was put in a more visible spot (namely <code>about:preferences</code>), more people would undoubtedly use it.

== Slow menu animation ==
The "fancy" menu animation each time you open the quick menu, with the cascading menu items, might look nice, but it wastes a second every single time you want to use something in that menu, and this adds up.

Of course, no option to disable this exists inside the app, but thankfully, the Android developer tools provide an option to disable transition animations system-wide.

== First row of quick menu not at bottom if URL bar is at bottom ==
The first row of the quick menu contains the icons for "go forward", "information", "save page", "bookmark", and "refresh".

However, it is still at the top of the quick menu even if the URL bar (or "omnibar") is at the bottom.

To Google's credit, they at least added the option to align the URL bar to the bottom. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and the Chromium derivative Kiwi Browser all had this by 2020.

== Unable to keep URL bar on screen ==
On mobile web browsers, when scrolling down, the URL bar automatically hides. When scrolling back up, the URL bar is revealed again.

This is an ancient relic from a time when entry-level smartphones had 4:3 screens (such as the Galaxy Fit S5670). Now that smartphone screens have very tall aspect ratios such as 18:9, there is simply no need to hide the URL bar in vertical orientation anymore.

I would rather have 5% less screen space for the web content than having to pull down every single time to reveal the URL bar.

In addition, pulling down in Chrome sometimes activates the universally hated pull-to-refresh gesture (see first point) instead of revealing the URL bar.

== No developer tools or page inspector ==
Granted, no other mobile web browser seems to have this, but wouldn't now be a time for mobile web browsers to get a basic page inspector at least?

Smartphones have so much processing power nowadays, yet mobile apps lack basic features software on desktop computers had for decades. This is disappointing to see.

Smartphones have large screens nowadays. It certainly would be possible.

== Download list ==
The list of downloaded files offers no way to get the full source URL of a downloaded file. Only the domain is visible.

There is also no way to remove items from the download history without deleting the corresponding file in the download folder.

== Annoying download confirmation in incognito mode ==
In 2023, Google added an annoying prompt in incognito mode that reads ''"Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files."'', which, of course, can not be turned off.<ref>[https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/239227138/how-to-disable-incognito-mode-download-file-anyone-using-this-device-can-see-downloaded-files?hl=en How to disable incognito mode, "Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files." - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Given that most smartphones are only used by one person most of the time, this message is pointless.

== Built-in media player lacks basic options ==
The built-in media player has no built-in options to loop a media file, to open a media file in a new tab, or to copy the link to a media file into the clipboard.

The desktop edition of Firefox has all of these features.

Of course, the media player in a web browser is no replacement for an actual media player application like "mpv-android", but having these basic options built right into the web browser media player would add convenience.

== Large images not downscaled to screen size ==
If a picture has a resolution of at least several megapixels, Chrome fails to downscale it enough that the entire image fits on screen.

So Chrome even struggles with something as simple as image viewing. How embarrassing.

== No option to load pages without images ==
Images are much larger in size than text, but sometimes, text is enough and would speed up loading, especially in remote areas where only 2G connectivity is available.

Unfortunately, Chrome lacks the simple option to only load text, without images.

== Unable to see which page redirected me to the current page ==
While Firefox stores all redirects in the browsing history, Chrome makes it impossible to know which intermittent pages redirected me to the current page.

== Unable to block redirects and self-refreshes ==
Some web pages misuse self-refreshing redirects, making it hard to go back to the last page.

Firefox on desktop offers the <code>accessibility.blockautorefresh</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose.

== Giving credit where credit is due ==
At least, Chrome has no fixed tab limit. Samsung Internet has a tab limit of 99, which was raised from 50 at some point. On the other hand, Samsung Internet's tab limit prevents tab hoarding. But I still prefer not having a tab limit.

In addition, Chrome lets the user save web pages in the MHTML format in the download folder, while Firefox mobile has no such option and Samsung Internet stores pages with [[Data_lock-in#Saved_pages_in_Samsung_Internet|data lock-in]].

In recent years (as of 2026), Google enabled saving pages in Incognito mode, realizing there was no reason for it to be disabled, given that downloads are outside the scope of incognito mode.

The quick menu has icons. From what I remember, they were added in 2020 or 2021. This is something Firefox on desktop once had, but it was removed [[Firefox#Removal_of_icons_from_the_main_menu_(2022)|because Mozilla's developers decided it was "clutter"]], even though it helps finding an option faster.

The URL visible in the URL bar is not shortened to the domain name like it is on Safari (which invented this design) and Samsung Internet. This means, "example.org/test.html" is not shortened to "example.org" in the URL bar.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16805216/google-chrome-only-sites-internet-explorer-6-web-standards Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 | The Verge]
* Video: [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=EDEzQ8pziIA Google Chrome Must Be Stopped] - Jody Bruchon

User:JodyBruchonFan/Everything wrong with Chrome

2026-06-01T08:09:58Z

JodyBruchonFan: Created page with "<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">alt=Google Chrome mobile</div></div> ---- One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular fo..."

<div style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing:0.5em; text-align:center;">Everything wrong with <div style="display:inline-block; background-color: white; border-radius:10px;">[[File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png|frameless|alt=Google Chrome mobile]]</div></div>

----

One would expect Google Chrome, the most widely used mobile web browser, to be the pinnacle of mobile web browsing. However, as it turns out, it is popular for the same reason Internet Explorer was popular back in the 1990s and 2000s: it is pre-installed.

Given that the competition has a much smaller market share, Google is under no pressure to provide a good web browsing experience.

This is a collection of what is wrong with the mobile version of Google Chrome. These are features or options Google could have easily implemented long ago, but either neglected or, for some reason, chose not to.

The term "Chrome" refers to the mobile edition for the rest of this page, unless stated otherwise. Anyone feel free to contribute.

== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ==
Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first. The constant threat of accidentally refreshing a page has turned browsing with Chrome into a headache since 2019.

In spite of the abnormally high number of complaints by users suffering from accidental refreshes, Google has refused to reinstate the option to turn off this anti-feature. It seems to be part of Google's brand identity.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.09.04-094015/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/41471115 Please bring back ability to disable Android pull-down-to-refresh. I lost my work because the feature. [41471115] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Websites look wildly different from each other. Some websites are designed in a way where it isn't clearly visible where the top of the page is. On those sites, pull-to-refresh makes web browsing a walk on eggshells.

Pull-to-refresh, to some extent, makes sense on a notification feed where new items come from above, but it does not make sense on the vast majority of web sites, especially rarely updated static pages, and it is redundant to the refresh button in the quick menu that can be accessed even without scrolling to the top first, so there is simply no need for it.

Accidental refreshes waste time, battery charge, and quota from mobile data plans.

But Google thought that something that makes sense in the notification feed of Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") or Instagram automatically makes sense in a web browser. '''Nope.'''

See also [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In comparison, both Firefox mobile and Samsung Internet let the user turn this anti-feature off.

== Data lock-in ==
Chrome provides no option to export web browsing data to a file, making it [[Data_lock-in#User_data_in_mobile_web_browsers|impossible to back up certain user data]] without root access, namely the session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history.

Exporting the browsing session to a text file would be useful to prevent so-called "tab hoarding", where the number of open tabs keeps increasing, without having to lose the existing browsing session.

Both the desktop and mobile editions of Chrome have a hard three-month limit for retaining browsing history. Without the ability to export the browsing history, it becomes difficult to find pages after a long time.

In comparison, Samsung Internet allows copying a list of open tabs to the clipboard by checking the "select all" box, pressing "share", and then choosing "copy to clipboard". Samsung Internet also allows copying multiple URLs from the history at once to clipboard, but with no time stamp, and there is a size limit that limits the number of selectable pages to something between 120 and 150 pages, depending on the lengths of the URL, title, or both.

This is still far from ideal, where the entire history and session could be dumped into a file with a single tap.

On desktop web browsers, extensions are able to provide such functionality, but of course, Chrome on mobile does not support extensions.

== Tab viewer has no list view mode ==
The tab viewer only features a grid view which has two-columns in vertical orientation and usually four columns in horizontal orientation.

There used to be a list view mode which would preview a longer part of the page title, as well as part of the URL. It could be turned on through a flag in <code>chrome://flags</code>, named <code></code>, but it was taken away in 2019 with with the goal to "reduce chrome://flags size", which defeats the whole point of <code>chrome://flags</code>, which is to provide a dumping ground for options that fit nowhere else on the user interface. It is similar to <code>about:config</code> on Firefox.

Chrome (Chromium) developer David Trainor stated:
<blockquote>
Leaving the swich in place as it is highly used as a command line value, but removing it to trim down chrome://flags size.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://archive.today/2020.04.26-183014/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 8cf3626120e3949f9718b626217bf93b8b6d2545 - chromium/src - Git at Google]</ref>

It is unclear how this benefits the end user.

On Android, users without root access can not launch Chrome with custom command lines, at least not without using ADB, which requires an external computer, making it impractical on the go.

Samsung Internet's tab viewer does feature a list view option.

== No draggable scroll bar ==
Seriously, Google? Desktop web browsers had this since the 1990s, and some mobile web browsers like Samsung Internet and Opera also had this for some time.

In addition, Samsung Internet features options to show shortcuts to jump to the top or the bottom of the page.

== Slowly scrolling to text search results ==
When searching text on the page, Chrome does not immediately jump to the result, but scrolls to that result, which can take several seconds on a long page. And when you are looking through many results, these seconds add up.

Additionally, this scrolling animation needlessly wastes battery power.

Of course, [[Google#Taking_away_choice_from_the_user|as one would expect from Google]], there is no option to change this behaviour.

== Unable to play media from multiple tabs at once ==
Yet another thing desktop web browsers have been able to do since the 2000s, yet the "pinnacle of mobile web browsing" can't do so as of 2026.

With the processing power smartphones have nowadays, this should easily be doable.

Even if it increases power consumption, the user should be given the choice.

== Unable to open a new tab after the current tab ==
New tabs are opened at the end of the tab list. With many tabs open, this adds the inconvenience of the new tab being far away from the current tab.

The user might want to look something up that is related to the currently viewed page. The inability to open a new tab after the current tab adds the inconvenience of having to find the current tab in the long tab list again, rather than swiping to switch to the last tab.

The only workaround is to open a link on the current page in a new tab by holding it down and choosing "open in new tab". However, this relies on a hyperlink existing on the current page, which might not always be the case.

Firefox on desktop has the <code>browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose. If this preference was put in a more visible spot (namely <code>about:preferences</code>), more people would undoubtedly use it.

== Slow menu animation ==
The "fancy" menu animation each time you open the quick menu, with the cascading menu items, might look nice, but it wastes a second every single time you want to use something in that menu, and this adds up.

Of course, no option to disable this exists inside the app, but thankfully, the Android developer tools provide an option to disable transition animations system-wide.

== First row of quick menu not at bottom if URL bar is at bottom ==
The first row of the quick menu contains the icons for "go forward", "information", "save page", "bookmark", and "refresh".

However, it is still at the top of the quick menu even if the URL bar (or "omnibar") is at the bottom.

To Google's credit, they at least added the option to align the URL bar to the bottom. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and the Chromium derivative Kiwi Browser all had this by 2020.

== Unable to keep URL bar on screen ==
On mobile web browsers, when scrolling down, the URL bar automatically hides. When scrolling back up, the URL bar is revealed again.

This is an ancient relic from a time when entry-level smartphones had 4:3 screens (such as the Galaxy Fit S5670). Now that smartphone screens have very tall aspect ratios such as 18:9, there is simply no need to hide the URL bar in vertical orientation anymore.

I would rather have 5% less screen space for the web content than having to pull down every single time to reveal the URL bar.

In addition, pulling down in Chrome sometimes activates the universally hated pull-to-refresh gesture (see first point) instead of revealing the URL bar.

== No developer tools or page inspector ==
Granted, no other mobile web browser seems to have this, but wouldn't now be a time for mobile web browsers to get a basic page inspector at least?

Smartphones have so much processing power nowadays, yet mobile apps lack basic features software on desktop computers had for decades. This is disappointing to see.

Smartphones have large screens nowadays. It certainly would be possible.

== Download list ==
The list of downloaded files offers no way to get the full source URL of a downloaded file. Only the domain is visible.

There is also no way to remove items from the download history without deleting the corresponding file in the download folder.

== Annoying download confirmation in incognito mode ==
In 2023, Google added an annoying prompt in incognito mode that reads ''"Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files."'', which, of course, can not be turned off.<ref>[https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/239227138/how-to-disable-incognito-mode-download-file-anyone-using-this-device-can-see-downloaded-files?hl=en How to disable incognito mode, "Download file? Anyone using this device can see downloaded files." - Google Chrome Community]</ref>

Given that most smartphones are only used by one person most of the time, this message is pointless.

== Built-in media player lacks basic options ==
The built-in media player has no built-in options to loop a media file, to open a media file in a new tab, or to copy the link to a media file into the clipboard.

The desktop edition of Firefox has all of these features.

Of course, the media player in a web browser is no replacement for an actual media player application like "mpv-android", but having these basic options built right into the web browser media player would add convenience.

== Large images not downscaled to screen size ==
If a picture has a resolution of at least several megapixels, Chrome fails to downscale it enough that the entire image fits on screen.

So Chrome even struggles with something as simple as image viewing. How embarrassing.

== No option to load pages without images ==
Images are much larger in size than text, but sometimes, text is enough and would speed up loading, especially in remote areas where only 2G connectivity is available.

Unfortunately, Chrome lacks the simple option to only load text, without images.

== Unable to see which page redirected me to the current page ==
While Firefox stores all redirects in the browsing history, Chrome makes it impossible to know which intermittent pages redirected me to the current page.

== Unable to block redirects and self-refreshes ==
Some web pages misuse self-refreshing redirects, making it hard to go back to the last page.

Firefox on desktop offers the <code>accessibility.blockautorefresh</code> property in <code>about:config</code> for this purpose.

== Giving credit where credit is due ==
At least, Chrome has no fixed tab limit. Samsung Internet has a tab limit of 99, which was raised from 50 at some point. On the other hand, Samsung Internet's tab limit prevents tab hoarding. But I still prefer not having a tab limit.

In addition, Chrome lets the user save web pages in the MHTML format in the download folder, while Firefox mobile has no such option and Samsung Internet stores pages with [[Data_lock-in#Saved_pages_in_Samsung_Internet|data lock-in]].

In recent years (as of 2026), Google enabled saving pages in Incognito mode, realizing there was no reason for it to be disabled, given that downloads are outside the scope of incognito mode.

The quick menu has icons. From what I remember, they were added in 2020 or 2021. This is something Firefox on desktop once had, but it was removed [[Firefox#Removal_of_icons_from_the_main_menu_(2022)|because Mozilla's developers decided it was "clutter"]], even though it helps finding an option faster.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/4/16805216/google-chrome-only-sites-internet-explorer-6-web-standards Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 | The Verge]
* Video: [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=EDEzQ8pziIA Google Chrome Must Be Stopped] - Jody Bruchon

File:Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png

2026-06-01T07:56:36Z

JodyBruchonFan: Too simple to be copyrighted, see :commons:File:Google_Chrome_logo_with_wordmark_(2015).svg#Licensing.

==Licensing==
{{PD}}
This image of simple geometry is ineligible for copyright and therefore in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship.

[[Category:Logo]]

Screenshot blocking

2026-05-26T22:09:00Z

JodyBruchonFan: Another reason it's bad.

{{ToneWarning}}{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Makes specific claims without citations}}
'''Screenshot blocking''' prevents the owner of a computing device from capturing screenshots and screen recordings. Some operating systems such as [[Android]] and [[Apple]] [[iOS]] let app makers block the device owners from capturing screenshots and screen recordings of certain content. This may be done to prevent copyrighted content from being copied, such as [[Netflix]] blocking screenshots of the app<ref name="netflix-vdocipher">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Vishal |date=2026-01-14 |title=Netflix DRM: How & Why of Encrypted Video Security (2025)? |url=https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=vdocipher |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251015170902/https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |archive-date=15 Oct 2025}}</ref>. However, some instances of screenshot blocking may be seen as excessive and unnecessary in some cases, thus violating ownership of consumers by unreasonably limiting what they are allowed to do with their devices.

==How it works==
Blocking screenshots is typically a restriction set by individual apps, not something that automatically applies across all apps or devices. Here's how it works, depending on the platform:

=== On Android ===
On [[Android]], apps can block screenshots using a flag called: <code>WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE</code>. When this flag is set on an activity, it prevents the content from being captured in screenshots, screen recordings, and even in the app switcher (recent apps view). This is often used by apps like, banking apps, media streaming services (e.g. Netflix), and secure messaging apps.<ref>[https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams WindowManager.LayoutParams | API reference | Android Developers] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260401090300/https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams Archived])</ref><ref name="netflix-vdocipher" />

On the Android developer website, Google encourages app makers to add an option to temporarily allow screenshots:

<blockquote>
Note: To provide transparency and user control, consider adding a setting in your app that allows users to toggle this flag.
</blockquote>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://developer.android.com/about/versions/14/features/screenshot-detection |title=Detect when users take device screenshots |website=Android Developers |access-date=2026-04-26 }}</ref>

At the same time, Google failed to provide a built-in option in Android that would let device owners have the final choice to override this restriction without having to rely on permission from the app.

=== On iOS ===
On [[iOS]], iOS does not give developers an official flag like <code>FLAG_SECURE</code>, but they use workarounds, like displaying sensitive content in a <code>UIView</code> with custom rendering, then hiding or blurring it when the app detects screenshot events or apps going into background or app switcher{{Citation needed}}.

On desktop systems, blocking screenshots is more difficult because users typically have full control over the operating system, and there is no built-in API to prevent screenshots. Third-party tools or system-level protections are needed. Although, enterprise apps may block screenshots using [[digital rights management]] (DRM), [[wikipedia:Desktop_virtualization|virtual desktop infrastructure]] (VDI), or overlay detection / screen capture prevention libraries{{Citation needed}}.

==Why it happens==
Companies tend to cite the following reasons for blocking screenshots:

'''Protecting sensitive information'''

Apps that handle financial data (banks, payment apps) or confidential documents may block screenshots to reduce the risk of accidental data leaks. Screenshots could be captured and shared without consent, which could expose personal information like account numbers or passwords.

'''Content protection and licensing'''

Media apps (streaming services, e-books, and some news apps) sometimes block screenshots or recordings to prevent piracy or unauthorized redistribution of copyrighted content. Examples include Netflix and [[Spotify]]. However, there are legitimate uses such as quotations, which falls under fair use.

'''Privacy of other users'''

Messaging apps may prevent screenshots in certain contexts to protect the privacy of the other party. One such example are "disappearing messages" in [[WhatsApp]].

'''Regulatory or contractual requirements'''

In some industries, companies must comply with legal rules around data protection or digital content licensing, which may include preventing local copies from being made.

==Why it is a problem==

===Impedes ownership===
On desktop operating systems like [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[wikipedia:Linux|Linux]], users have always been able to take screenshots or recordings of whatever is on their screen, without programs being able to block it. By contrast, many mobile apps restrict or disable this feature. This raises concerns because it limits a device owner’s ability to fully use their own device. Since a smartphone is personal property, users should retain control over its features, including the ability to capture their own screen rather than having that option dictated by app developers.

===Overuse===
Some apps implement screenshot blocking in situations where it is unnecessary. For example, since 2018, [[Google Chrome|Chrome]] has blocked screenshots while in Incognito mode. It is unclear what this restriction is meant to protect against, given that Incognito browsing already functions by not saving history or [[Web cookie|cookies]].

There are legitimate reasons to take a screenshot in Incognito mode. Developers may need to capture how a website looks to first-time visitors, or users might want to save information temporarily without adding it to their browsing history. In these cases, blocking screenshots serves no meaningful security purpose and only prevents the device owner from using their phone’s features as intended.

===Ineffective===
Screens can be photographed from an external device. The quality of the image is likely to be lower, but it generally does not prevent someone from being able to reach alphanumerical information such as banking details and text-based messages.

===Prevention of getting help and bug reports===
Screenshot blocking and screen recorder blocking makes it more difficult to document bugs and problems with apps, which might discourage users from asking for help in online forums and reporting bugs.

==Incidents==

===ALDI TALK===
Earlier in 2025, the German cellular provider ALDI TALK blocked screenshots throughout its entire app.{{CitationNeeded}} The app displays information such as how much high-speed data a subscriber has remaining. Blocking screenshots of such basic information seems unnecessary, and applying the restriction across the entire app because some “private” content might appear in certain sections is excessive.

===WhatsApp===
The developers of WhatsApp have threatened with blocking screenshots inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots<ref>[https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations] ([https://megalodon.jp/2026-0416-0213-11/https://cybersecuritynews.com:443/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ Archived])</ref>.
</blockquote>WhatsApp blocked screenshots of profile pictures in 2024, citing it as a measure to protect privacy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Feb 2026 |title=About profile photo screenshot blocking |url=https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-1223-0217-58/https://faq.whatsapp.com:443/1799783917198636 |archive-date=23 Dec 2024 |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WhatsApp Help Center}}</ref> However, once a profile picture has been uploaded to WhatApp, it is no longer a private image.

==It's a local file==
When you take a screenshot, the screenshot is stored locally inside the encrypted internal storage of your smartphone, protected by a user's lockscreen credentials. As a local file, it remains fully under the user's control.

==External displays==
The "<code>SECURE</code>" flag on Android is responsible for screenshot blocking and screen recording blocking. However, it has another purpose: It prevents content from appearing on external displays such as HDMI and [[wikipedia:Miracast|Miracast]].

Screen contents can only appear on an external screens if the smartphone owner has chosen to connect an external screen. If the owner does private stuff, they should disconnect the external screen anyway.

Ways to solve this would be to let the user choose which apps can appear on external displays, or let the user decide whether they want to hide content flagged by the app developers as "<code>SECURE</code>".

The "<code>SECURE</code>" flag is not just used to hide "sensitive" content, but also by streaming service providers to prevent screenshots and screen recordings, even though there are legitimate purposes for it (fair use). As a side effect, you can not connect your phone to a TV or monitor to watch on a big screen, so you have to hope the TV has native support for your streaming provider.

In any case, the device owner must have the final say.

==Third-party screen recorders==
Another reason cited for screenshot/screen recorder blocking is the narrow possibility that third-party screen recorder apps contain [[spyware]].

Third-party apps can only capture the screen if the phone owner allows them. It would make sense to let the user decide which third-party apps can capture content marked as "<code>SECURE</code>". But the pre-installed screenshot and screen recording tool should never be blocked because they don't contain spyware (unless the phone maker chose to put it in, in which case you would have a much greater problem). If users wish to guarantee that their screen recorder software does not contain spyware, they can utilise [[wikipedia:Open-source_software|open source]]  screen recorders.

In any case, there is no reason to block the '''built-in''' screenshot and screen recording tools just because misbehaving third-party apps may be out there.

==Screenshot detection==
Android 14 has added a "screenshot event" and Android 15 a "screen recording event". This allows apps to register when the owner takes a screenshot or screen recording. An online poll shows most users are opposed to screenshot detection.<ref>[https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Android 14's screenshot detection system is getting adopted by more apps] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251212004411/https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Archived])</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Data lock-in]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Common terms]]

Google

2026-05-26T22:07:52Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* User Freedom */ screenshot blocking: You can only screenshot when your big tech overlords graciously let you do it.

{{Cleanup|Issue 1=Article formatting should follow [[Template:CompanyPreload]]. With Google's history, it may be useful to use tabling for incidents.|Issue 2=Citations need to follow proper formatting. See [[Template:Cite web]].|Issue 3=Citations should be placed after punctuation.|Issue 4=Make sure that section headers are in sentence case where applicable.}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1998
|Industry=Technology
|Logo=Google.webp
|ParentCompany=Alphabet Inc.
|Type=Subsidiary
|Description=Google is one of the most influential technology companies in the world, originally known for developing the most widely used search engine.
|Website=https://www.google.com/
}}

'''{{Wplink|Google|Google LLC}}''', founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is one of the most influential technology companies in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Largest tech companies by market cap |url=https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-market-cap/ |url-status=live |website=companiesmarketcap.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222070659/https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-market-cap/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref> Originally developed as a search engine to organize and index the growing amount of information on the internet, Google has since expanded into a wide range of services and products, becoming a central player in digital advertising, software, hardware, and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Google Products |url=https://about.google/products/ |access-date=10 Mar 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128182647/https://about.google/products/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

[[Google Search| Google's search engine]] remains its most well-known service, but the company has significantly diversified its offerings. Key products include the [[Android]] operating system, the [[Google Chrome]] web browser, [[Google Drive]] for cloud storage, [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps Google Maps], [[YouTube]], and [[wikipedia:Google_Play|Google Play]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Helpful products, built with you in mind |url=https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205114442/https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>{{Citation needed}} Additionally, the company provides digital advertising services through Google Ads, generating the majority of its revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Feb 2025 |title=Alphabet Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results |url=https://abc.xyz/assets/a3/91/6d1950c148fa84c7d699abe05284/2024q4-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251002181452/https://abc.xyz/assets/a3/91/6d1950c148fa84c7d699abe05284/2024q4-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf |archive-date=2 Oct 2025}}</ref> In recent years, Google has also developed hardware products such as the Pixel smartphone and Nest smart home devices.

==Consumer impact summary==
Google has faced ongoing scrutiny related to data privacy, competition, and its dominant position in the market, such concerns have stretched as far back as 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Adam |date=5 Mar 2012 |title=Will We Ever Get Strong Internet Privacy Rules? |url=https://ideas.time.com/2012/03/05/will-we-ever-get-strong-internet-privacy-rules/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Time |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205121437/https://ideas.time.com/2012/03/05/will-we-ever-get-strong-internet-privacy-rules/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Sep 2023 |title=REPORT: Google at 25: From “Don’t Be Evil” To ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |url=https://techoversight.org/2023/09/06/google-at-25/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Tech Oversight Project |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://techoversight.org/2023/09/06/google-at-25/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref> The company has been the subject of various legal and regulatory challenges, particularly concerning antitrust issues, the use of personal data, and its impact on consumer choice.{{Citation needed}} The US government is currently engaged in an antitrust lawsuit against Google, with a decision expected early 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Nov 2024 |title=Closing Arguments, November 25: Once, Twice, Three Times a Monopolist |url=https://www.usvgoogleads.com/trial-updates/closing-arguments-november-25-once-twice-three-times-a-monopolist |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=US v Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250906103632/https://www.usvgoogleads.com/trial-updates/closing-arguments-november-25-once-twice-three-times-a-monopolist |archive-date=6 Sep 2025}}</ref> {{UpdateNeeded|date={{subst:August}} {{subst:2025}}|reason=We need updates on this situation.}}
===User Privacy===
In December 2024, Google announced to organisations that use its advertising products, that from 16 February 2025, it will no longer prohibit them from employing [[wikipedia:Fingerprint_(computing)|fingerprinting]] techniques.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Almond |first=Stephen |date=19 Dec 2024 |title=Our response to Google’s policy change on fingerprinting |url=https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/12/our-response-to-google-s-policy-change-on-fingerprinting/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ico. |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128163957/https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/12/our-response-to-google-s-policy-change-on-fingerprinting/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===User Freedom===
Google has a long history of patronizing their user base by taking away options or not giving users a choice in the first place.

For example, in 2014, Google removed normal MicroSD write access on Android 4.4, limiting each application to their own dedicated folder, arguing that this makes it easy to remove all files left by the app during uninstallation, given that no app can leave files outside their own dedicated folder.

No menu option to change this behaviour was given to the user, therefore users who wanted to restore normal write access were forced to resort to unofficial methods involving bootloader unlocking and rooting.

It should be noted that Google's own Android smartphones and tablet computers (Nexus and Pixel devices) never featured a memory card slot. Similar restrictions were later added to USB on-the-go storage.<ref name=android-traditional-storage>{{cite web |title=Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project |url=https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional |url-status=live |website=Android}}</ref>

In 2018, Google added a clipboard manager to their keyboard app, Gboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |title=Gboard 7.7 adds a Clipboard Manager feature to Google's keyboard app }}</ref> But in 2022, Google decided on behalf of their users that they don't need to retain clipboard items for any longer than one hour. Therefore, they added a one-hour time limit, meaning any clipboard item older than one hour is automatically deleted, with no option to change this behaviour. The only way to retain clipboard items for more than one hour is to manually mark them as "pinned".<ref>{{cite web |first=Ethan |last=Gillian |title=Remember: Android 13 clears clipboard 1 hour after copying |url=https://techzle.com/remember-android-13-clears-clipboard-1-hour-after-copying |url-status=live |website=Techzle |date=17 Aug 2022}}</ref>

In 2019, Google took away the ability to turn off the "pull-to-refresh" gesture on the mobile edition of their Chrome web browser, following by refusing to reinstate the option after an abnormally high number of complaints that the gesture causes accidental refreshes. See [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

Google lets app developers arbitrarily [[screenshot blocking|prevent device owners from capturing screenshots and screen recordings]] on Android. While the original intention was to prevent sensitive information in banking apps from getting outside, it has been severely overused by app developers and prevents legitimate uses such as asking for help in forums and bug reports. Google provided no option for device owners to override it, so the only way is to unlock the bootloader and modify the operating system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/why-screenshots-dont-always-work-especially-in-secure-apps/ |website=How To Geek |author=Faisal Rasool |title=Why Your Phone Blocks Screenshots in Secure Apps |date=2025-08-23 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/f3xk35/bookingcom_app_disallow_to_take_screenshot_can_i/ |website=Reddit |title=Booking.com app disallow to take screenshot, can I bypass this? |date=2020-02-14 |access-date=2026-05-26 }}</ref>

In 2025, Google announced their [[Android Developer Verification]] program, which if executed will make it impossible to run apps by developers not personally identified and approved by Google.

==Controversies==
===Account lockouts===
Google has been reported to have randomly locked people out of their accounts due to ostensible security reasons, which are not lifted even if the user had provided the correct credentials and/or even if the user have correctly followed all the verification prompts such as SMS verification. These have caused anguishes for many affected users who are unable to access their contents, emails and services as a result. Furthermore, some had reported that they are forced to undergo SMS verification even when recovery email addresses are already configured to their accounts, thereby likely constituting instances of [[Forced identification|forced verification]] in broad senses.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/n5card/mike_rose_no_more_robots_publisher_locked_out_of/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20210505101632/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/n5card/mike_rose_no_more_robots_publisher_locked_out_of/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oy8qb8/fyi_google_can_lock_you_out_of_your_account_for/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20210805030048/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oy8qb8/fyi_google_can_lock_you_out_of_your_account_for/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/154yht0/dae_noticed_that_google_had_taken_security/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230720181226/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/154yht0/dae_noticed_that_google_had_taken_security/ Archived])</ref>

===Deletion of inactive accounts===
In May 2023, Google announced that [[Inactive account deletion|deletion of inactive user accounts]] would occur starting in December 2023, citing security reasons, noting that old and unused accounts are more likely to be compromised. Google claimed that "Forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, have not had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user," while saying that Google "has no plans to delete [[YouTube]] videos".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawler |first1=Richard |title=Google might delete your Gmail account if you haven't logged in for two years |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725438/google-gmail-deleting-inactive-accounts |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205121216/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725438/google-gmail-deleting-inactive-accounts |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=Jon |title=Reminder: Google is about to start purging inactive accounts |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23979178/google-inactive-accounts-deletion-december-2023-psa-reminder |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251212230239/https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23979178/google-inactive-accounts-deletion-december-2023-psa-reminder |archive-date=12 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Amadeo |first1=Ron |title=Google's new "inactive account" policy won't delete years of YouTube videos |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/googles-new-inactive-account-policy-wont-delete-years-of-youtube-videos/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en-us |date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251212092014/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/googles-new-inactive-account-policy-wont-delete-years-of-youtube-videos/ |archive-date=12 Dec 2025}}</ref> The decision to delete inactive accounts has sparked some criticism and backlash. The cited security rationale behind such decision was ridiculed and was compared to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Novet |first1=Jordan |title=Google's plan to purge inactive accounts isn't sitting well with some users |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html |website=CNBC |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date
=19 August 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250831223936/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html |archive-date=31 Aug 2025}}</ref> Such policies could adversely affect those who had good reasons to become inactive for a long time, such as hospitalization, prison incarceration, and being in totalitarian countries which have prolonged internet shutdowns. Moreover, the Anonymous hacktivist collective has protested against the decision to delete inactive accounts multiple times, describing them as "harsh" and saying that the decision will "destroy history".<ref>{{cite web |date=18 July 2023 |title=Anonymous puts Taiwan flag, national anthem on 2 UN websites {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-07-18 09:56:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4946597 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20231014070719/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4946597 Archived])</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=18 October 2023 |title='Anonymous' hacks Chinese government site to protest Israel–Hamas war {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-10-18 19:03:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5022840 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20240221120716/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5022840 Archived])</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 December 2023 |title=Anonymous posts Taiwan flag on UN site {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-12-08 17:26:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5055454 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20240228035811/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5055454 Archived])</ref>

===Anticompetitive practices===
Google has a great history of anticompetitive practices. For example, in 2020 the company was sued for practices involving pushing off relevant search results in order to favor advertisements and the inclusion of [[bloatware]] on Android devices.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Eaton Business School|date=31 Aug 2021 |title=Google - A display of anti-competitive behaviour|url=https://ebsedu.org/blog/google-a-display-of-anti-competitive-behavior |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523013602/https://ebsedu.org/blog/google-a-display-of-anti-competitive-behavior |archive-date=2025-05-23 |access-date=25 May 2026 |website=Eaton Business School}}</ref>

The [[Android Developer Verification]] program prevents sideloading and external app stores, such as [[F-Droid]] to be an available alternative to the Google Play Store.

===Google device repair program restrictions===
{{Main|Google asserts the right to seize your phone during a repair}}
Google's Service & Repair Program terms explicitly state that any device containing non-Google-authorized parts "will not be returned" to the customer.

===Target API level requirements for Google Play apps===
Google's policy of requiring apps for Android to target recent API levels to appear in the Play Store<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 Aug 2024 |title=Policy Center |url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Play Console Help |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260215054419/https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en |archive-date=15 Feb 2026}}</ref> creates a continuous cycle of maintenance and redevelopment that can be especially burdensome for smaller developers, indie creators, and consumers.

The requirement for apps to target newer APIs each year serves some legitimate security and feature purposes. However, it also effectively functions as a form of forced obsolescence. Even perfectly functional apps that don't need technical updates must be regularly reworked just to remain visible on the Play Store.

This creates several issues:

*Development resources must be allocated to updating apps rather than creating new features
*Smaller teams and individual developers are placed at a disadvantage attempting to keep up with the constant update cycle
*Legacy apps that are no longer actively maintained disappear, even if they're still useful
*The cost of maintaining apps increases, potentially making some projects financially nonviable
*Losing access to previously purchased apps when upgrading devices
*Users being unable to reinstall older apps that worked perfectly well for their needs
*Facing unexpected costs to replace functionality they've already paid for
*Dealing with the frustration of discovering favorite apps have disappeared

While Google argues this approach improves the Android ecosystem's security and functionality, it does place a significant burden on developers and can lead to the premature "death" of otherwise functional applications.

This creates a troubling disconnect in digital ownership. Consumers reasonably expect that when they purchase an app, they should maintain access to it across their devices over time. Instead, they discover their digital purchases can effectively vanish due to policy decisions beyond their control.

===Ban on third-party tech support ads===
Google prohibits tech support ads on their platform if they are not authorised by the manufacturer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graff |first=David |date=31 Aug 2018 |title=Restricting ads in third-party tech support services |url=https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |website=Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112170608/https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

===The chargeback incident===
In November 2022, a Google customer accidentally purchased two Google Pixel smartphones instead of one, directly from Google (no third-party reseller), and tried to return one package to Google for a refund, but the shipping was unsuccessful.

A Google customer support person suggested the customer to perform a chargeback. The customer acted accordingly without understanding the implications, resulting in the termination of their Google account shortly after. The account was 15 years old at that time.<ref>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3393/danger-chargeback-equals-account-permanently-banned DANGER!!!: Chargeback = ACCOUNT PERMANENTLY BANNED. - Virtual curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260205120523/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3393/danger-chargeback-equals-account-permanently-banned Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/zndbku/tifu_by_accidentally_buying_two_google_pixels_and/ TIFU by accidentally buying two Google Pixels and ended up getting my 15 year old Google Account permanently banned. - Reddit] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260113140546/https://old.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/zndbku/tifu_by_accidentally_buying_two_google_pixels_and/ Archived])</ref>

===AI integrations in Google Search===
On may 19th, 2026, Google announced modifications for [[Google Search]] to include more AI integrations involving inclusion of [[Google Gemini]] Flash 3.5 and integration of AI agents. These changes have sparked several controversies, including for example critizicing the reliability of searching using AI because of hallucinations, inabilities of AIs to detect malicious web sites and possibilities to use AI to control results obtained on searches. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Yildrim |first=Ece |date=19 May 2026 |title=Google Search Is Dead. Welcome to the Era of the ‘Intelligent Search Box’ |url=https://gizmodo.com/google-search-is-dead-welcome-to-the-era-of-the-intelligent-search-box-2000760626 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260519204100/https://gizmodo.com/google-search-is-dead-welcome-to-the-era-of-the-intelligent-search-box-2000760626 |archive-date=2026-05-19 |access-date=21 May 2026 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reid|first=Elizabeth |date=19 May 2026 |title=A new era for AI Search |url=https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/#powerful-ai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260519181835/https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/#powerful-ai |archive-date=2026-05-19 |access-date=21 May 2026 |website=Google Blog}}</ref>

==Incidents==

===Service shutdowns===

====Google Play Music shutdown (Dec 2020)====
[[wikipedia:Google_Play_Music|Google Play Music]] was a service that allowed users to purchase music, listen via streaming, and download to the local device; alternatively users could pay for a subscription to listen to all music available through streaming. It was publicly launched on the 16th November 2011 and later shutdown in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=Google Play Music, Music Play Store & Music Manager are going away – everything you need to know |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=28 Oct 2020 |title=RIP Google Play Music, 2011 – 2020 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ArsTechnica |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251214224205/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |archive-date=14 Dec 2025}}</ref> Google Play Music further allowed users to upload their own songs to listen on all their devices, with a limit of up to 50,000 files.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=11 Jan 2017 |title=How to Upload Your Music Library to Google Play Music |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=How-To-Geek |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref> Users were able to purchase songs individually or buy whole albums that they could then download and listen to, or stream through the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 Jan 2020 |title=How To Buy Music From Google Play (Now YouTube Music) |url=https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Technobezz |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250805235415/https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |archive-date=5 Aug 2025}}</ref>

In October 2020, Google announced that they would be shutting down Google Play Music, with it being fully shut down by December.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=3 Dec 2020 |title=Google fully shuts down Play Music around the world |url=https://9to5google.com/2020/12/03/google-play-music-dead/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=9To5Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708163846/https://9to5google.com/2020/12/03/google-play-music-dead/ |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> This went ahead with a warning to their users to begin migrating to [[wikipedia:YouTube_Music|YouTube Music]], and that they would be losing access to their purchased songs. Google recommended users should download their purchased songs before the service would shut down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=YouTube Music will replace Google Play Music by end of 2020 |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-end-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=YouTube Official Blog |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260201140126/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-end-2020/ |archive-date=1 Feb 2026}}</ref>

After the shut down, users lost access to the music they paid for, with no way to download them. Google justified this by transferring all playlists and purchase history to YouTube Music, and only refunding songs that were not directly available,<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 Oct 2023 |title=What happened to my songs on Google Music? |url=https://darwinsdata.com/what-happened-to-my-songs-on-google-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Darwin's Data |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223930/https://darwinsdata.com/what-happened-to-my-songs-on-google-music/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chaney |first=Sarah |date=5 Feb 2022 |title=What Happened to Google Play Music? |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happened-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=MUO |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205111318/https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happened-to-google-play-music/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> with no guarantee that the songs will remain available through the new service. Users found that their purchased songs were no longer able to stream at 320kbps on YouTube Music compared to Google Play Music unless they paid for the monthly subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cutlack |first=Gary |date=23 Dec 2012 |title=Google Music UK: everything you need to know |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/software/google-music-uk-everything-you-need-to-know-1120176 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=TechRadar |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251221115733/https://www.techradar.com/news/software/google-music-uk-everything-you-need-to-know-1120176 |archive-date=21 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=L. Hald |first=Nicole |date=24 Mar 2025 |title=How Is YouTube Music Sound Quality in 2025? Is It Any Good? |url=https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/youtube-music-audio-quality.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=NoteBurner |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260217143252/https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/youtube-music-audio-quality.html |archive-date=17 Feb 2026}}</ref> If a user failed to initiate the transfer of their music library or locally download their songs by 24th February 2021, then they lost all access and all data associated with Google Play Music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sodhi |first=Tanishka |date=8 Feb 2021 |title=Google Play Music Data Will Be Deleted on February 24: Here’s How to Transfer to YouTube Music |url=https://www.gadgets360.com/how-to/news/google-play-music-data-deleted-february-24-youtube-how-to-transfer-files-playlists-billing-information-2365609 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Gadgets 360 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112610/https://www.gadgets360.com/how-to/news/google-play-music-data-deleted-february-24-youtube-how-to-transfer-files-playlists-billing-information-2365609 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> YouTube Music does not provide the option to download songs as MP3s, with local downloads requiring an internet connection every 30 days to continue working offline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download music and podcasts to listen to offline |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223930/https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref>

====Google Stadia shutdown (Jan 2023)====
In January 2023, Google announced the shutdown of its cloud gaming service, Stadia, which was launched in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RIP Google Stadia: the latest news on the discontinued cloud gaming service |url=https://www.theverge.com/23380140/google-stadia-ending-shutdown-latest-news-gaming-tech |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Verge |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260101185119/https://www.theverge.com/23380140/google-stadia-ending-shutdown-latest-news-gaming-tech |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> Stadia required users to purchase games individually, unlike other gaming platforms that offer subscription-based access. Upon the service's closure, Google promised to refund consumers for their purchases, including both games and hardware. The refunds for games and software were issued automatically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ravenscraft |first=Erin |date=10 Nov 2022 |title=Stadia Is Dying. Here’s What’s in Your Refund and How to Get It |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-your-google-stadia-refund/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Wired |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205115111/https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-your-google-stadia-refund/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Stadia users were effectively renting access to games, as the platform did not allow for traditional ownership or offline play. With the service discontinued, consumers were left without access to the content they had purchased. Stadia users who had bought controllers and other peripherals for the service were also impacted by the shutdown. While Google offered refunds to customers, many Stadia consumers were left with equipment that no longer performs the advertised functions and limited recourse for repurposing or reselling their devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashworth |first=Mack |date=5 Oct 2022 |title=Stadia Shut Down: How To Use Your Hardware Now Google’s Shutting It Down |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/852697-stadia-shut-down-how-to-use-controller-chromecast-without-app |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Game Revolution |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004224131/https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/852697-stadia-shut-down-how-to-use-controller-chromecast-without-app |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref>

Google Stadia controllers were limited to Wi-Fi connectivity, however upon shut down they started offering an update to allow them to connect through Bluetooth, the update service website was scheduled to shut down on the 31st December 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Devine |first=Richard |date=17 Jan 2023 |title=Bluetooth support for Google Stadia Controller arrives — Here's how to enable it and play PC games |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/bluetooth-support-for-google-stadia-controller-arrives-heres-how-to-enable-it-and-play-pc-games |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Windows Central |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251109164004/https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/bluetooth-support-for-google-stadia-controller-arrives-heres-how-to-enable-it-and-play-pc-games |archive-date=9 Nov 2025}}</ref>

====Google Assistant Third Party List Support (Jun 2023)====
On June 20th, 2023, Google disabled 3rd party list support for Google Assistant<ref>{{Cite web |access-date=2025-09-16 |title=Where are my old lists? |url=https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427212604/https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-date=2025-04-27}}</ref>. This feature allowed lists through 3rd party services such as AnyList or Todoist to be managed via Google Assistant. The only list provider available through Google Assistant after this change was Google Keep<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathur |first=Chandraveer |website=Android Police |date=2023-05-31 |title=Google Assistant is killing support for notes and lists integration with third-party apps |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/google-assistant-ending-support-third-party-notes-lists/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218051543/https://www.androidpolice.com/google-assistant-ending-support-third-party-notes-lists/ |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref>.

====Google Jamboard shutdown (Dec 2024)====
{{Main|Google Jamboard}}
In September 2023, Google revealed plans to retire its Jamboard service, as the product would be transitioned to a view-only format by October 1, 2024, and completely shut down by December 31, 2024. As a result, users had little time to transfer their data before the final transition and no refunds were ever issued to hardware buyers.

The Jamboard product was a $5,000 device that Google pitched as a collaborative tool through its Google Workspace service. After the service no longer existed, however, the device became a brick and the users as well as the buyers were left unsupported and uncompensated.

Situations like this highlight the vulnerability of the consumer market since proprietary products are completely at the hands of developers who can cut services on a whim. Thus, consumer protection must be taken to another level to ensure that no matter what companies get rid of, support and compensatory avenues exist.

====Manifest V2 shutdown (Jul 2025)====
On July 24, 2025, Google permanently disabled all Manifest V2 extensions for Chrome 138 users as well as making Chromium (a browser that many other browsers use as their base) switch to Manifest V3, and disabled the ability to turn them back on.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-23 |title=Manifest V2 support timeline |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808191702/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-date=2025-08-08 |access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref>

Manifest V3 disabled the <code>webRequestBlocking</code> permission in the <code>webRequest</code> API<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers}}</ref>, preventing many ad content blockers (such as uBlock Origin) from working.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=Understanding Manifest V3 and the Future of uBlock Origin |url=https://ublockorigin.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250812114916/https://ublockorigin.com/ |archive-date=2025-08-12 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=uBlock Origin - Free, open-source ad content blocker}}</ref> Google cites performance reasons <ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers |quote="In Manifest V2, blocking web requests could significantly degrade both the performance of extensions and the performance of pages they work with."}}</ref>, but this is dubious; restricting content blockers prevents users from impeding their tracking and surveillance, meaning they can create a larger profit from the data gained. This is likely the ulterior motive, although unproven.

===Google Pixel===
====Pixel devices bricked due to confusing reasons====
Numerous Google Pixel phones have gotten bricked as a result of different use cases, such as accidentally switched slots, flashing custom ROMs, or downgrading the bootloader version of the device after an [[Anti-rollback/ARB for device firmware|Anti-Rollback (ARB)]] increment (accidentally or otherwise), or installing the June 2025 update.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simons |first=Hadlee |date=2025-08-26 |title=Some Pixels are bricked and Google apparently won't help revive them |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108045933/https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |archive-date=8 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Android Authority}}</ref> The device enters an emergency download state called Pixel ROM Recovery, which is a Google modification of Samsung's EUB mode on Exynos chipsets. In this mode, it refuses to enter Android recovery or [[wikipedia:Fastboot|Fastboot]], making it near impossible to restore the operating system on the device. The only way to fix it is to use Pixel ROM Recovery to boot a special, Google-signed recovery bootloader into RAM and flash a working version of Android from there.

This recovery bootloader is just a regular bootloader as it appears in Google factory images, but with a special "USB boot" bit flag set to 1. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-11 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330#comment19 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112358/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>

However, this recovery bootloader is inaccessible to the public, and is not possible to recreate it without Google's private keys. This makes it impossible to repair a device in this state, other than to do a technically challenging repair involving desoldering the UFS chip to repopulate its contents or by replacing the motherboard altogether. Google stores and service centers outside of the US do not offer support for the device if it is out of warranty, even though the issue is completely fixable by software.

Numerous developers have worked on trying to find a solution to this issue, and have succeeded to varying extents. However, devices bricked due to the ARB trigger remain impossible to fix. Google has not provided any recovery images to resolve this issue, despite there being a sizable post on their bug tracker.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-10 |title=Pixel recovery bootloaders lack security reasoning for guarding |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-12 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112358/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> despite the fact that Google providing the recovery images for the repair will not compromise security, as explained by one of the developers in their report.<ref name=":4" />

====Pixel 4a battery reduction update (Jan 2025)====
{{Main|Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program}}
On January 6, 2025, Google issued a software update to the Pixel 4a that significantly decreased battery capacity on "Impacted Devices". Not all units were affected. It's speculated that the affected units have defective batteries and may pose a safety risk if the update is not applied, but Google never disclosed the reason(s) that the update was deemed necessary. Google removed all factory images for previous versions of the system software from their website, making it difficult to revert the update.

As compensation, Google offered a free battery replacement only in select countries. In other countries, you could choose between a $50 USD payment or $100 USD worth of Google Store credits. However, some users reported difficulty obtaining their compensation.

===User freedom incidents===
====Banning domain-blockers from Play Store (2013)====
Since 2013, Google has taken down all apps on G-Play that can block connections to arbitrary [[wikipedia:Domain_Name_System|domain-names]] via [https://developer.android.com/develop/connectivity/vpn the official VPN API], most of those apps being marketed as ad-blockers.<ref>https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-kicks-ad-blocker-apps-off-play-store/</ref> This forced apps such as AdGuard and NetGuard to distribute their ad-blocking features elsewhere.<ref>https://adguard.com/en/blog/adguard-google-play-removal.html</ref><ref>https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/7308869411ff87649bf3a46a9c7c08f1e5353801/ADBLOCKING.md?plain=1#L6</ref><ref>https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/7308869411ff87649bf3a46a9c7c08f1e5353801/ADBLOCKING.md?plain=1#L106</ref>

Google cites their own Developer Distribution Agreement (terms of service for devs), claiming that those apps are "disruptive", as if to imply hacking or cracking. Many people claim that's an invalid excuse, and that the ulterior motive was to increase ad-revenue.

====Phone number requirement for new accounts (2020)====
Since 2020, Google has increasingly forced users to verify phone-numbers via SMS during account registration,<ref>https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification</ref><ref>https://reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/</ref> in an effort to "mitigate spam, bot activity, and account abuse"<ref>{{Cite web |author=CLRN |date=2025-07-25 |title=How to skip phone verification while creating Gmail account? |url=https://www.clrn.org/how-to-skip-phone-verification-while-creating-gmail-account/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Learning Resource Network}}</ref>. They have a system that immediately detects reuse of numbers, so no accounts can have the same associated number.{{Citation needed}} This, paired with [[YouTube#Forced sign-in|YouTube's sign-in requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.

====Blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps (Aug 2025)====
{{Main|Google blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps}}
On 25 August 2025, '''[[Google]]''' announced that starting in 2026 it will block the installation of Android apps from outside the Play Store unless the developer has verified their identity with Google. The policy will first roll out in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026, with global enforcement targeted for 2027.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Frey |first=Suzanne |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=A new layer of security for certified Android devices |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Android Developers Blog |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128013331/https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=TechCrunch |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211509/https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref> This marks a significant change to Android's long-standing support for sideloading apps.

Devices without [[Google Mobile Services]] or running [[wikipedia:List_of_custom_Android_distributions|custom ROMs]] are exempt.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829170329/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=The Register}}</ref> Critics argue this restricts user freedom, impacts independent developers, and may enable Google to block apps it disapproves of, such as ad-blockers, raising concerns about privacy and control over personal devices.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=The Register |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211440/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |first= |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/810335/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=BleepingComputer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250829215120/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/810335/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/ |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

==Lawsuit==
===Privacy violations===
====''Rodriguez v. Google LLC'' (''May 2021—September 2025'')====
Google's "Web & App Activity" (WAA) setting had the ability to be paused. Reportedly, despite this setting being paused by consumers, Google would continue to collect consumer data regardless of consent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rodriguez v. Google LLC |url=https://www.googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ#faq1 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251011171640/https://googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ |archive-date=11 Oct 2025}}</ref> Google collected mobile device data for eight years from users who opted out of tracking under the WAA.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Staab |first=Theresa |date=18 Sep 2025 |title=Someone is Always Watching: Implications of Google's WAA Privacy Case |url=https://lawreview.syr.edu/someone-is-always-watching-implications-of-googles-waa-privacy-case/ |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Syracuse Law Review}}</ref> The dates of use/activity in question were between July 1, 2016 and September 23, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Oct 2024 |title=FAQs: Google Web App Activity lawsuit |url=https://help.wfu.edu/support/solutions/articles/13000825158-faqs-google-web-app-activity-lawsuit |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Wake Forest University}}</ref> On September 3, 2025, the San Francisco Federal Court jury held Google liable two of three claims of privacy invasion. The plaintiffs were awarded $425.7 million in compensatory damages for invasion of privacy, totaling around $4 per person for the approximate 98 million affected users, but since the jury found that Google did not act with malicious intent, no punitive damages were awarded.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Mollman |first=Brittney |last2=Sosnicki |first2=Luke |date=2025-09-05 |title=Federal Jury Awards $425.7 Million in Google Privacy Case: Key Takeaways on Consent Design and Litigation Risk |url=https://www.thompsoncoburn.com/insights/federal-jury-awards-425-7-million-in-google-privacy-case-key-takeaways-on-consent-design-and-litigation-risk/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |work=Thompson Coburn LLP}}</ref> Google filed an appeal to this verdict "on the basis that the jury misunderstood the functionality of its privacy tools and that users were adequately informed through layered disclosures and consent flows"<ref name=":6" />. Claim submission may begin once the appeals process finishes<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-05 |title=$425M Verdict in Google Web & App Activity Privacy Class Action Lawsuit — Do You Qualify? |url=https://openclassactions.com/settlements/google-web-and-app-activity-privacy-class-action-lawsuit.php |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=OpenClassActions}}</ref>.

====''Thele v. Google LLC'' (''November 2025—'')====
On the 11th of November, 2025, Thomas Thele filed a demand for jury trial in a class action complaint against Google LLC. In the filing it states that "on or about October 10, 2025, Google secretly turned on Gemini for all its users’ Gmail, Chat, and Meet accounts, enabling AI to track its users’ private communications contained in those platforms without the users’ knowledge or consent" <ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolfson |first=Tina |last2=Ahdoot |first2=Robert |last3=Maya |first3=Theodore |last4=Brown |first4=Alyssa |date=2025-11-11 |title=UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA - CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL |url=https://www.classaction.org/media/thele-v-google-complaint_2.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=ClassAction}}</ref>. The suit "alleges that Google is violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burnson |first=Robert |date=2025-11-12 |title=Google sued for allegedly using Gemini AI to secretly track user data |url=https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/google-sued-for-allegedly-using-gemini-ai-to-secretly-track-user-data-125111200603_1.html |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Business Standard}}</ref>, a law enacted in 1967 which dictates the terms by which advances in technology can be used for the purpose of invading the privacy of citizens<ref>{{Cite web |date=1967 |title=CHAPTER 1.5. Invasion of Privacy |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&part=1.&title=15.&chapter=1.5 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Legislative Information}}</ref>. The defendant, Google LLC, filed a Motion to Dismiss which is scheduled to be heard on May 1, 2026<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-27 |title=Thele v. Google LLC |url=https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/61129560/Thele_v_Google_LLC |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=PacerMonitor}}</ref>.

===Anti-competitive behavior===
====''Epic Games, Inc. v. Google Inc.'' (''August 2020—May 2025'')====
Google takes a 30% share of all revenue made through all sales made on the Play Store, which is a comparable figure to other digital storefronts such as the [[Apple App Store]] and [[Steam]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Tom |date=7 Oct 2019 |title=Report: Steam's 30% Cut Is Actually the Industry Standard |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard |url-status=live |website=ign.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211034837/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> On 13th August 2020, [[Epic Games]] CEO Tim Sweeney updated both iOS and Android versions of ''Fortnite'' to redirect users to Epic Games' storefront to purchase in-game currency ("V-Bucks") alongside the respective first-party storefront, with incentives including cheaper prices if buying from Epic Games directly. This violated the Terms of Service of both Apple and Google's storefronts, and ''Fortnite'' was removed from both app stores the same day.

Epic Games would use this motion to file federal lawsuits against both Google and Apple, citing that these practices meant that the companies were engaging in anti-competitive behavior. Google lost in the lawsuit, but attempted to appeal the decision, in which they lost again.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=31 July 2025 |title=Epic just won its Google lawsuit again, and Android may never be the same |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/716856/epic-v-google-win-in-appeals-court |access-date=21 August 2025 |work=The Verge |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111151936/https://www.theverge.com/news/716856/epic-v-google-win-in-appeals-court |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===Social media addiction bellwether trials===
====Los Angeles Superior Court, JCCP 5255 (''2026'')====
Starting in January of 2026, [[Meta]] (Facebook and [[Instagram]]) and [[Google]] ([[YouTube]]) faced legal claims of their platforms being intentionally addictive and harmful to children. [[ByteDance]] ([[TikTok]]) and Snap ([[Snapchat]]) were named initially, but settled for undisclosed terms before the trial began. A 19-year-old girl, referred to by the initials "KGM" or Kaley, and two other plaintiffs were selected for bellwether trials—test cases tried as part of an MDL.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huamani |first=Kaitlyn |last2=Ortutay |first2=Barbara |date=9 Feb 2026 |title=Landmark trial accusing tech giants of harming children with addictive social media begins |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/landmark-trial-accusing-tech-giants-of-harming-children-with-addictive-social-media-begins |url-status=live |access-date=25 Mar 2026 |website=PBS News}}</ref> On March 25, 2026, the California jury concluded in KGM's case that [[Meta]] and Google were guilty of negligent for their apps—[[Instagram]], Facebook, and [[YouTube]]—being deliberately built to be addictive, which the companies' executives knew this and failed to protect their youngest users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allyn |first=Bobby |date=25 Mar 2026 |title=Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial |url=https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5746125/meta-youtube-social-media-trial-verdict |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=npr}}</ref> [[Meta]] was charged to pay $4.2 million for compensatory and punitive damages, and charged Google $1.8 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |last2=Mac |first2=Ryan |last3=Tan |first3=Eli |date=25 Mar 2026 |title=Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

==See also==

*{{Main|List of Google products}}

*[[Advertising overload]]
*[[Google asserts the right to seize phones during repairs]]
*[[Google Nest Protect forced to use Google app]]
*[[Google Nest thermostat smart features disabled]]
*[[Google Pixel Watches do not come with repair options]]

==External links==

*"[https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/google.html XScreenSaver: Google Store Privacy Policy]". Google pretending to care about privacy by forcing a fully-local (no internet) minimal-permission screen-saver app to specify a privacy-policy. That blog-post contains many sources on Google's anti-consumer practices
*[https://theywillbanyou.com/| They Will Ban You - Cases of user accounts banned for unfair reasons]
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Google| ]]

Anti-privacy legislation

2026-05-22T19:59:44Z

JodyBruchonFan: Added EFF.org source.

{{Incomplete|issue 1=needs general improvement of quality and quantity of information}}

[[Anti-privacy legislation]] simply put is legislation that may be created with malicious intent or not that invoke ones right to privacy. In the last decade, governments across the world have introduced various pieces of such legislation, which has caused damage to the privacy consumers have with their technology.

==How it works==
The US legislative process is as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 Feb 2026 |title=The Legislative Process |url=https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119083226/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |archive-date=19 Jan 2026 |access-date=23 Feb 2026 |website=[[United States House of Representatives]]}}</ref>

#A representative '''needs to sponsor a bill'''
#The bill is then '''assigned to a committee''' for study
#If the bill is '''released''' by said committee, the bill is '''put on a calendar to be voted on'''.
#If the '''majority''' of people vote for the bill(51 or more out of 100), then the bill is '''passed'''
#A conference committee made of House & Senate members then '''works out any differences''' '''between the House & Senate version of the bill'''
#Finally, the resulting bill heads back to the House & Senate for final '''approval''' by the '''President''', If the bill is signed, then it has officially become '''law'''.<ref name=":0" />

Now that such anti-privacy legislation has been approved, it can be enforced by federal agencies via penalties.

==Why it is a problem==

===Anti-privacy legislation is a direct infringement of the First and Fourth Amendments found in the Bill of Rights (U.S.A.)===
*The First amendment states:
<blockquote>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or '''prohibiting''' the free exercise thereof; or '''abridging''' the '''freedom of speech''', or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - First Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260307171826/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |archive-date=2026-03-07 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>

If '''Anti-privacy legislation''' were to be implemented, that gives anyone with access to data on someone the ability to '''restrict freedom of speech''' or oppose those with unwanted views of the world, thus infringing the 1st amendment.{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*The Fourth amendment reads as follows:
<blockquote>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against '''unreasonable searches and seizures''', shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - Fourth Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224165919/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |archive-date=2026-02-24 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>'''Anti-privacy legislation''' infringes on a citizen's right to avoid "'''unreasonable searches and seizures'''" since It may require/force citizens to show proof of age('''selfies, id's, credit cards''') without real probable cause and since It may also force said citizen to use less secure services that allow federal agencies to gain higher access to said services and retrieve to whatever data is "needed".{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*'''Anti-privacy legislation''' can also build the framework and foundation for other and more extreme anti-privacy measures, and such anti-privacy measures can lead to the slow development of a '''''surveillance state.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwinter |first=Daniel |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=Surveillance's Slippery Slope; Using Encryption to Recapture Privacy Rights |url=http://www.jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730145810/http://jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |archive-date=2024-07-30 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law}}</ref>

==List of Legislation==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Bill/Law name
!Country/State
!Basic summary of Legislation
!Method of Eroding Privacy
!Status
|-
|[[UK Online Safety Act]]
|United Kingdom
|The UK Online Safety Act is a set of law's that pushes for [[Age verification]] in order to protect quote; "children and adults online". Said enforcement includes disapproving "Illegal Content", & forcing website and domain owners to utilize "highly effective age assurance" to prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content. This act also requires such platforms to " provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise."
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on Oct 26, 2023, Active since Jul 25 2025)
|-
|[https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/253 Florida HB 253]
|Florida, U.S
|Florida's 253 House Bill disallows ones ability to, in their own words, utilize "license plate obscuring devices" to prevent criminals from "escaping from or avoiding detection or arrest in connection with such crime", which could be interpreted as being punished for avoiding [[Flock license plate readers|ALPR]] detection.
|ALPR Jamming Circumvention
|Approved (Signed on May 19th 2025, Active since Oct 1 2025)
|-
|[[Texas Senate Bill 2420 (2025)]]
|Texas, U.S
|Texas Senate Bill 2420(also known as the "App Store Accountability Act") requires app store owners & maintainers to utilize "Commercially reasonable method('s)" In order to verify the ages their users. If someone is In a category that isn't explicitly labeled "adult", then the user is considered a minor and must ask a parent or legal guardian for permission in order to install new applications that may be considered inappropriate for their age group.
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043 California Assembly Bill No. 1043]
|California, U.S
|The California Assembly Bill No. "1043" requires operating system owners, publishers/providers, & developers & maintainers to implement system level age verification via an "accessible interface at account setup", which then is used as an "age signal" for "applications available in a covered application store". Any person that violates this proposed bill(now law) will face a fine of 2,500$ per unintentional violation or 7,500$ per intentional violation.
|Age Indication
|Approved (Active Jan 1, 2027)
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-051 Colorado Senate Bill SB26-051]
|Colorado, U.S
|The Colorado Senate Bill "SB26-051" is a "copycat bill" of California's own "Assembly Bill No. 1043" which requires operating systems of any kind(open source or not), to utilize an interface on account setup to gain an age signal for developers to use in the main app store. Overview of said bill reads as follows; "The bill requires application developers to receive user age information and use it to comply with any applicable law."
|Device-Based Age Indication
|Approved (Active Jan 1, 2028)
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/737/text S.737 - Screen Act]
|U.S
|Senate bill S. 737(also known as the '''Screen Act''') is a bill that pushes for Age verification. The Technology Verification measures listed in section 4 state that a covered platform should adopt and utilize age verification measures, and that such measures must ensure that 1; '''users of the covered platform are not minors''' and 2; '''minors are prevented from accessing any content on the covered platform that is harmful to minors.'''
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1207 S.1207 - Earn It Act]
|U.S
|The Earn It Act quote "revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children" by limiting the "liability protections of interactive computer service providers(Encryption)", essentially making the Earn it Act an "anti-encryption", which is (for the most part) necessary to protect ones own important documents & maintain a level of privacy in the digital age.
|Anti-Encryption
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text S.1748 - Kids Online Safety Act]
|U.S
|The Kids Online Safety Act is one that quote "requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users and visitors under the age of 17. ''Covered platforms'' are online platforms, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services used or likely to be used by individuals under the age of 17, with specified exceptions."
|Censorship/Age-Gating
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146 S.146 - TAKE IT DOWN Act]
|U.S
|The Take It Down Act(stands for '''Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act''') is a law that prohibits the publication of "non-consensual" intimate visual depictions of individuals, both real or '''computer-generated''', and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.", and such covered platforms are; public websites, online services, or applications that allows for user generated content on forums. Such a law could be & shouldn't be used as an excuse for censorship or otherwise prevention of free speech.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/congress-passes-take-it-down-act-despite-major-flaws |title=Congress Passes TAKE IT DOWN Act Despite Major Flaws |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |date=2025-04-28 |author=Jason Kelly |access-date=2026-05-22 }}</ref>
|Anti-Encryption/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|Real-life identity disclosure required to activate SIM cards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Mar 2026 |title=SIM Card Registration |url=https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251208124027/https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |archive-date=2025-12-08 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Privacy International]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bischoff |first=Paul |date=2025-04-23 |title=Which governments impose SIM-card registration laws to collect data on their citizens? |url=https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/sim-card-registration-laws/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/ShIek |archive-date=2026-01-17 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Comparitech]]}}</ref>
|Many countries.
|People are required to associate their real-life identity with their SIM cards, making "burner phones" impossible, and making it impossible to access the cellular Internet without being tracked by the government. Additionally, this can be used to exclude political dissidents from accessing the Internet.
|Identity disclosure
|Approved in many countries over time.
|-
|[https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/SB0073.html Utah S.B. 73]
|Utah, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed House committee
|-
|[https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/136/hb84 Ohio HB 84]
|Ohio, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb130 Wisconsin SB 130]
|Wisconsin, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed Senate
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB%201839&style=new&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 3015/1839]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF2606 Iowa HF 2606]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?year=2026&bill=HB1839&code=R%20&cal=1 Missouri HB 1839 & 901/1346/1412]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2026/HB0072 Wyoming HB 72]
|Wyoming, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/west-virginia-hb-4412/ West Virginia HB 4412]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed the House
|-
|[https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7746.pdf Rhode Island HB 7746]
|Rhode Island, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=3945&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=167424&SessionID=114 Illinois SB 3946]
|Illinois, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0908?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 908]
|Maryland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2522&GA=114 Tennessee HB 2522/SB 2398]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0693?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 693]
|Mayland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF2159 Iowa SF 2159]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=628&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 628]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF864 Iowa HF 864]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first chamber
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=498&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 498]
|West virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S1826 New Jersey S 1826]
|New Jersey, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1878&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 1878]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1271&inflect=1 New Hampshire SB 648]
|New Hampshire, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|New York [https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3591 S3591] / [https://www.nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=3946 A3946]
|New York, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2112&Year=2025&Chamber=House Washington HB 2112]
|Washington, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6333 Parents Over Platforms Act - HR 6333]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF443 Iowa SF 207/443]
|Iowa
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1626 Massachusetts H 1626]
|Massachusetts, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1513 Pennsylvania HB 1513]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Michigan [https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0284 SB284]/[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4429 HB 4429]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb603 Pennsylvania SB 603]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0466&ga=114 Tennessee HB 222 / SB 466]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0191 Michigan SB 191]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF1875&ssn=0&y=2025 Minnesota HF 1875]
|Minnesota
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Minnesota [https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2105&ssn=0&y=2025 SF 2105]/[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=HF1434&y=2025&ssn=0&b=house HF 1434]
|Minnesota, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-8/chapter-19g/ Alabama HB 164]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Oct 1 2024)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alabama-hb-393/ Alabama HB 393]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/al-hb-441/ Alabama HB 441]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alaska-hb-254/ Alaska HB 254]
|Alaska, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/81805 Arizona HB 2112]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on May 13th 2025)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2586/ Arizona HB 2586]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2656/ Arizona HB 2656]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1125]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1298, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1298]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1125, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82735 Arizona SB 1341]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-avs-bill-2023/ Arizona SB 1503]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arkansas-protection-of-minors-from-distribution-of-harmful-material-act-2023/ Arkansas SB 66]
|Arkansas, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since July 31 2023)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-sb-127-2023/ California AB 127]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-avs-bill-2023/ California AB 1501]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-age-appropriate-design-code-act/ California AB 2273 (2022)]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-ab-3080/ California AB 3080]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/case-it-act-2023/ CASE–IT Act (2023)]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-201 Colorado SB 25-201]
|Colorado, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/delaware-hb-265/ Delaware HB 265]
|Delaware, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-hb-3-sb-1792/ Florida HB 3]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jan 1 2025)
|-
|Florida [https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81550 HB 931]/[https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81947 SB 1438]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-sb-1620-2023/ Florida SB 1620]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-avs-bill-2023/ Florida SB 472]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1289498 Louisiana HB Bill/Act No. 440]
|Louisiana, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approve (Active since
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-hb-910/ Georgia HB 910]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Failed (Incorporated in SB 351)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-sb-351/ Georgia SB 351]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2025)
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-hb-448/ Idaho H 448]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-h-498/ Idaho H 498]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2024)
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info Congress H.R.8250]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[[Safe Digital Environments Law]] (Ley de Entornos Digitales Seguros)
|Chile
|There are two bills published for the creation of this law, one focused on education towards internet risks and the other one proposing measurements similar to practices as the ones that have been taking effect in Europe and Australia for users under 16. The second bill might be incompatible with the current [[Net Neutrality Law]] established in 2010.
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Introduced
|}

==What you can do==
In order to oppose/dispute '''Anti-privacy legislation''' created by legislators, you can:

#'''Spread the word'''; not everyone knows about these bills or the mere existence of these types of bills and therefore wont even fight back{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Contact local legislators & representatives;''' If enough people oppose a proposed bill, local legislators may delay the bill or back off on their decision entirely. If enough citizens instead urge a representative to vote against a bill, said representatives could potentially follow up on the citizen's behalf.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Sign Petitions'''; Signing petitions is another way to the message across to both legislators & other people alike.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Support Pro Consumer/Privacy Bills'''; Supporting bills/would-be laws that protect consumer privacy & ownership helps circumvent future bills that aims for the opposite affect.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}

===Tools & Resources===

*[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/ Age Verification Bills] is a sub-site of the the domain [https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/ Action Free Speech Coalition] that specifically lists all bills pushing for any form of "Age verification".
*[https://www.badinternetbills.com/ Bad Internet Bills] is a website listing quote "bad internet bills" in a easily accessible manner.
*[https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker US State Privacy Legislation Tracker] is a sub site of the domain [https://iapp.org/ Iapp] that tracks many but not all pro-privacy or consumer '''U.S''' bills that have passed or not. This includes bills that support consumer rights & bills that businesses are obligated to comply with. (Click [https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf here] to view the chart & [https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg here] to view the map in the '''U.S''')

==External Links==

*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/
*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/
*https://www.badinternetbills.com/
*https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker
*https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf
*https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg

==Further Reading==

*[[:Category:Common license terms]]
*[[:Category:Legislation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]
[[Category:Anti-privacy legislation]]

Google

2026-05-14T00:43:31Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Anti-consumer incidents */ Google doesn't like giving their users choices.

{{Cleanup|Issue 1=Article formatting should follow [[Template:CompanyPreload]]. With Google's history, it may be useful to use tabling for incidents.|Issue 2=Citations need to follow proper formatting. See [[Template:Cite web]].|Issue 3=Citations should be placed after punctuation.|Issue 4=Make sure that section headers are in sentence case where applicable.}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1998
|Industry=Technology
|Logo=Google.webp
|ParentCompany=Alphabet Inc.
|Type=Subsidiary
|Description=Google is one of the most influential technology companies in the world, originally known for developing the most widely used search engine.
|Website=https://www.google.com/
}}

'''{{Wplink|Google|Google LLC}}''', founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is one of the most influential technology companies in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Largest tech companies by market cap |url=https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-market-cap/ |url-status=live |website=companiesmarketcap.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222070659/https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-market-cap/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref> Originally developed as a search engine to organize and index the growing amount of information on the internet, Google has since expanded into a wide range of services and products, becoming a central player in digital advertising, software, hardware, and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Google Products |url=https://about.google/products/ |access-date=10 Mar 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128182647/https://about.google/products/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Google's search engine remains its most well-known service, but the company has significantly diversified its offerings. Key products include the [[Android]] operating system, the [[Google Chrome]] web browser, [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Drive Google Drive] for cloud storage, [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps Google Maps], [[YouTube]], and [[wikipedia:Google_Play|Google Play]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Helpful products, built with you in mind |url=https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205114442/https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>{{Citation needed}} Additionally, the company provides digital advertising services through Google Ads, generating the majority of its revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Feb 2025 |title=Alphabet Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results |url=https://abc.xyz/assets/a3/91/6d1950c148fa84c7d699abe05284/2024q4-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251002181452/https://abc.xyz/assets/a3/91/6d1950c148fa84c7d699abe05284/2024q4-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf |archive-date=2 Oct 2025}}</ref> In recent years, Google has also developed hardware products such as the Pixel smartphone and Nest smart home devices.

Google has faced ongoing scrutiny related to data privacy, competition, and its dominant position in the market, such concerns have stretched as far back as 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Adam |date=5 Mar 2012 |title=Will We Ever Get Strong Internet Privacy Rules? |url=https://ideas.time.com/2012/03/05/will-we-ever-get-strong-internet-privacy-rules/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Time |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205121437/https://ideas.time.com/2012/03/05/will-we-ever-get-strong-internet-privacy-rules/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Sep 2023 |title=REPORT: Google at 25: From “Don’t Be Evil” To ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |url=https://techoversight.org/2023/09/06/google-at-25/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Tech Oversight Project |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://techoversight.org/2023/09/06/google-at-25/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref> The company has been the subject of various legal and regulatory challenges, particularly concerning antitrust issues, the use of personal data, and its impact on consumer choice.{{Citation needed}} The US government is currently engaged in an antitrust lawsuit against Google, with a decision expected early 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Nov 2024 |title=Closing Arguments, November 25: Once, Twice, Three Times a Monopolist |url=https://www.usvgoogleads.com/trial-updates/closing-arguments-november-25-once-twice-three-times-a-monopolist |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=US v Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250906103632/https://www.usvgoogleads.com/trial-updates/closing-arguments-november-25-once-twice-three-times-a-monopolist |archive-date=6 Sep 2025}}</ref> {{UpdateNeeded|date={{subst:August}} {{subst:2025}}|reason=We need updates on this situation.}}

In December 2024, Google announced to organisations that use its advertising products, that from 16 February 2025, it will no longer prohibit them from employing [[wikipedia:Fingerprint_(computing)|fingerprinting]] techniques.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Almond |first=Stephen |date=19 Dec 2024 |title=Our response to Google’s policy change on fingerprinting |url=https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/12/our-response-to-google-s-policy-change-on-fingerprinting/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ico. |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128163957/https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/12/our-response-to-google-s-policy-change-on-fingerprinting/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Anti-consumer incidents==

===Service shutdowns===

====Google Play Music shutdown====
[[wikipedia:Google_Play_Music|Google Play Music]] was a service that allowed users to purchase music, listen via streaming, and download to the local device; alternatively users could pay for a subscription to listen to all music available through streaming. It was publicly launched on the 16th November 2011 and later shutdown in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=Google Play Music, Music Play Store & Music Manager are going away – everything you need to know |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=28 Oct 2020 |title=RIP Google Play Music, 2011 – 2020 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ArsTechnica |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251214224205/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |archive-date=14 Dec 2025}}</ref> Google Play Music further allowed users to upload their own songs to listen on all their devices, with a limit of up to 50,000 files.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=11 Jan 2017 |title=How to Upload Your Music Library to Google Play Music |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=How-To-Geek |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref> Users were able to purchase songs individually or buy whole albums that they could then download and listen to, or stream through the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 Jan 2020 |title=How To Buy Music From Google Play (Now YouTube Music) |url=https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Technobezz |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250805235415/https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |archive-date=5 Aug 2025}}</ref>

In October 2020, Google announced that they would be shutting down Google Play Music, with it being fully shut down by December.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=3 Dec 2020 |title=Google fully shuts down Play Music around the world |url=https://9to5google.com/2020/12/03/google-play-music-dead/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=9To5Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708163846/https://9to5google.com/2020/12/03/google-play-music-dead/ |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> This went ahead with a warning to their users to begin migrating to [[wikipedia:YouTube_Music|YouTube Music]], and that they would be losing access to their purchased songs. Google recommended users should download their purchased songs before the service would shut down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=YouTube Music will replace Google Play Music by end of 2020 |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-end-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=YouTube Official Blog |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260201140126/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-end-2020/ |archive-date=1 Feb 2026}}</ref>

After the shut down, users lost access to the music they paid for, with no way to download them. Google justified this by transferring all playlists and purchase history to YouTube Music, and only refunding songs that were not directly available,<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 Oct 2023 |title=What happened to my songs on Google Music? |url=https://darwinsdata.com/what-happened-to-my-songs-on-google-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Darwin's Data |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223930/https://darwinsdata.com/what-happened-to-my-songs-on-google-music/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chaney |first=Sarah |date=5 Feb 2022 |title=What Happened to Google Play Music? |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happened-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=MUO |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205111318/https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happened-to-google-play-music/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> with no guarantee that the songs will remain available through the new service. Users found that their purchased songs were no longer able to stream at 320kbps on YouTube Music compared to Google Play Music unless they paid for the monthly subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cutlack |first=Gary |date=23 Dec 2012 |title=Google Music UK: everything you need to know |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/software/google-music-uk-everything-you-need-to-know-1120176 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=TechRadar |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251221115733/https://www.techradar.com/news/software/google-music-uk-everything-you-need-to-know-1120176 |archive-date=21 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=L. Hald |first=Nicole |date=24 Mar 2025 |title=How Is YouTube Music Sound Quality in 2025? Is It Any Good? |url=https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/youtube-music-audio-quality.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=NoteBurner |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260217143252/https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/youtube-music-audio-quality.html |archive-date=17 Feb 2026}}</ref> If a user failed to initiate the transfer of their music library or locally download their songs by 24th February 2021, then they lost all access and all data associated with Google Play Music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sodhi |first=Tanishka |date=8 Feb 2021 |title=Google Play Music Data Will Be Deleted on February 24: Here’s How to Transfer to YouTube Music |url=https://www.gadgets360.com/how-to/news/google-play-music-data-deleted-february-24-youtube-how-to-transfer-files-playlists-billing-information-2365609 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Gadgets 360 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112610/https://www.gadgets360.com/how-to/news/google-play-music-data-deleted-february-24-youtube-how-to-transfer-files-playlists-billing-information-2365609 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> YouTube Music does not provide the option to download songs as MP3s, with local downloads requiring an internet connection every 30 days to continue working offline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download music and podcasts to listen to offline |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223930/https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref>

====Google Stadia shutdown====
In January 2023, Google announced the shutdown of its cloud gaming service, Stadia, which was launched in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RIP Google Stadia: the latest news on the discontinued cloud gaming service |url=https://www.theverge.com/23380140/google-stadia-ending-shutdown-latest-news-gaming-tech |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Verge |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260101185119/https://www.theverge.com/23380140/google-stadia-ending-shutdown-latest-news-gaming-tech |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> Stadia required users to purchase games individually, unlike other gaming platforms that offer subscription-based access. Upon the service's closure, Google promised to refund consumers for their purchases, including both games and hardware. The refunds for games and software were issued automatically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ravenscraft |first=Erin |date=10 Nov 2022 |title=Stadia Is Dying. Here’s What’s in Your Refund and How to Get It |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-your-google-stadia-refund/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Wired |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205115111/https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-your-google-stadia-refund/ |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Stadia users were effectively renting access to games, as the platform did not allow for traditional ownership or offline play. With the service discontinued, consumers were left without access to the content they had purchased. Stadia users who had bought controllers and other peripherals for the service were also impacted by the shutdown. While Google offered refunds to customers, many Stadia consumers were left with equipment that no longer performs the advertised functions and limited recourse for repurposing or reselling their devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashworth |first=Mack |date=5 Oct 2022 |title=Stadia Shut Down: How To Use Your Hardware Now Google’s Shutting It Down |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/852697-stadia-shut-down-how-to-use-controller-chromecast-without-app |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Game Revolution |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004224131/https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/852697-stadia-shut-down-how-to-use-controller-chromecast-without-app |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref>

Google Stadia controllers were limited to Wi-Fi connectivity, however upon shut down they started offering an update to allow them to connect through Bluetooth, the update service website was scheduled to shut down on the 31st December 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Devine |first=Richard |date=17 Jan 2023 |title=Bluetooth support for Google Stadia Controller arrives — Here's how to enable it and play PC games |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/bluetooth-support-for-google-stadia-controller-arrives-heres-how-to-enable-it-and-play-pc-games |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Windows Central |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251109164004/https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/bluetooth-support-for-google-stadia-controller-arrives-heres-how-to-enable-it-and-play-pc-games |archive-date=9 Nov 2025}}</ref>

====Manifest V2 shutdown====
On July 24, 2025, Google permanently disabled all Manifest V2 extensions for Chrome 138 users as well as making Chromium (a browser that many other browsers use as their base) switch to Manifest V3, and disabled the ability to turn them back on.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-23 |title=Manifest V2 support timeline |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808191702/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-date=2025-08-08 |access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref>

Manifest V3 disabled the <code>webRequestBlocking</code> permission in the <code>webRequest</code> API<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers}}</ref>, preventing many ad content blockers (such as uBlock Origin) from working.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=Understanding Manifest V3 and the Future of uBlock Origin |url=https://ublockorigin.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250812114916/https://ublockorigin.com/ |archive-date=2025-08-12 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=uBlock Origin - Free, open-source ad content blocker}}</ref> Google cites performance reasons <ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers |quote="In Manifest V2, blocking web requests could significantly degrade both the performance of extensions and the performance of pages they work with."}}</ref>, but this is dubious; restricting content blockers prevents users from impeding their tracking and surveillance, meaning they can create a larger profit from the data gained. This is likely the ulterior motive, although unproven.

====Google Jamboard shutdown====
{{Main|Google Jamboard}}
In September 2023, Google revealed plans to retire its Jamboard service, as the product would be transitioned to a view-only format by October 1, 2024, and completely shut down by December 31, 2024. As a result, users had little time to transfer their data before the final transition and no refunds were ever issued to hardware buyers.

The Jamboard product was a $5,000 device that Google pitched as a collaborative tool through its Google Workspace service. After the service no longer existed, however, the device became a brick and the users as well as the buyers were left unsupported and uncompensated.

Situations like this highlight the vulnerability of the consumer market since proprietary products are completely at the hands of developers who can cut services on a whim. Thus, consumer protection must be taken to another level to ensure that no matter what companies get rid of, support and compensatory avenues exist.

===Google Assistant Third Party List Support===
On June 20th, 2023, Google disabled 3rd party list support for Google Assistant<ref>{{Cite web |access-date=2025-09-16 |title=Where are my old lists? |url=https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427212604/https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-date=2025-04-27}}</ref>. This feature allowed lists through 3rd party services such as AnyList or Todoist to be managed via Google Assistant. The only list provider available through Google Assistant after this change was Google Keep<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathur |first=Chandraveer |website=Android Police |date=2023-05-31 |title=Google Assistant is killing support for notes and lists integration with third-party apps |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/google-assistant-ending-support-third-party-notes-lists/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218051543/https://www.androidpolice.com/google-assistant-ending-support-third-party-notes-lists/ |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref>.

===Pixel 4a battery reduction update===
{{Main|Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program}}
On January 6, 2025, Google issued a software update to the Pixel 4a that significantly decreased battery capacity on "Impacted Devices". Not all units were affected. It's speculated that the affected units have defective batteries and may pose a safety risk if the update is not applied, but Google never disclosed the reason(s) that the update was deemed necessary. Google removed all factory images for previous versions of the system software from their website, making it difficult to revert the update.

As compensation, Google offered a free battery replacement only in select countries. In other countries, you could choose between a $50 USD payment or $100 USD worth of Google Store credits. However, some users reported difficulty obtaining their compensation.

===Blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps===
{{Main|Google blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps}}
On 25 August 2025, '''[[Google]]''' announced that starting in 2026 it will block the installation of Android apps from outside the Play Store unless the developer has verified their identity with Google. The policy will first roll out in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026, with global enforcement targeted for 2027.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Frey |first=Suzanne |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=A new layer of security for certified Android devices |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Android Developers Blog |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128013331/https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=TechCrunch |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211509/https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref> This marks a significant change to Android's long-standing support for sideloading apps.

Devices without [[Google Mobile Services]] or running [[wikipedia:List_of_custom_Android_distributions|custom ROMs]] are exempt.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829170329/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=The Register}}</ref> Critics argue this restricts user freedom, impacts independent developers, and may enable Google to block apps it disapproves of, such as ad-blockers, raising concerns about privacy and control over personal devices.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=The Register |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119211440/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |first= |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/810335/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=BleepingComputer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250829215120/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/810335/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/ |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===Banning domain-blockers from Play Store===
Since 2013, Google has taken down all apps on G-Play that can block connections to arbitrary [[wikipedia:Domain_Name_System|domain-names]] via [https://developer.android.com/develop/connectivity/vpn the official VPN API], most of those apps being marketed as ad-blockers.<ref>https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-kicks-ad-blocker-apps-off-play-store/</ref> This forced apps such as AdGuard and NetGuard to distribute their ad-blocking features elsewhere.<ref>https://adguard.com/en/blog/adguard-google-play-removal.html</ref><ref>https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/7308869411ff87649bf3a46a9c7c08f1e5353801/ADBLOCKING.md?plain=1#L6</ref><ref>https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/7308869411ff87649bf3a46a9c7c08f1e5353801/ADBLOCKING.md?plain=1#L106</ref>

Google cites their own Developer Distribution Agreement (terms of service for devs), claiming that those apps are "disruptive", as if to imply hacking or cracking. Many people claim that's an invalid excuse, and that the ulterior motive was to increase ad-revenue.

===Pixel devices bricked due to confusing reasons===
Numerous Google Pixel phones have gotten bricked as a result of different use cases, such as accidentally switched slots, flashing custom ROMs, or downgrading the bootloader version of the device after an [[Anti-rollback/ARB for device firmware|Anti-Rollback (ARB)]] increment (accidentally or otherwise), or installing the June 2025 update.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simons |first=Hadlee |date=2025-08-26 |title=Some Pixels are bricked and Google apparently won't help revive them |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108045933/https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |archive-date=8 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Android Authority}}</ref> The device enters an emergency download state called Pixel ROM Recovery, which is a Google modification of Samsung's EUB mode on Exynos chipsets. In this mode, it refuses to enter Android recovery or [[wikipedia:Fastboot|Fastboot]], making it near impossible to restore the operating system on the device. The only way to fix it is to use Pixel ROM Recovery to boot a special, Google-signed recovery bootloader into RAM and flash a working version of Android from there.

This recovery bootloader is just a regular bootloader as it appears in Google factory images, but with a special "USB boot" bit flag set to 1. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-11 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330#comment19 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112358/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref>

However, this recovery bootloader is inaccessible to the public, and is not possible to recreate it without Google's private keys. This makes it impossible to repair a device in this state, other than to do a technically challenging repair involving desoldering the UFS chip to repopulate its contents or by replacing the motherboard altogether. Google stores and service centers outside of the US do not offer support for the device if it is out of warranty, even though the issue is completely fixable by software.

Numerous developers have worked on trying to find a solution to this issue, and have succeeded to varying extents. However, devices bricked due to the ARB trigger remain impossible to fix. Google has not provided any recovery images to resolve this issue, despite there being a sizable post on their bug tracker.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-10 |title=Pixel recovery bootloaders lack security reasoning for guarding |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-12 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112358/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> despite the fact that Google providing the recovery images for the repair will not compromise security, as explained by one of the developers in their report.<ref name=":4" />

===Phone number requirement for new accounts===
Since 2020, Google has increasingly forced users to verify phone-numbers via SMS during account registration,<ref>https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification</ref><ref>https://reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/</ref> in an effort to "mitigate spam, bot activity, and account abuse"<ref>{{Cite web |first=CLRN |date=2025-07-25 |title=How to skip phone verification while creating Gmail account? |url=https://www.clrn.org/how-to-skip-phone-verification-while-creating-gmail-account/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Learning Resource Network}}</ref>. They have a system that immediately detects reuse of numbers, so no accounts can have the same associated number.{{Citation needed}} This, paired with [[YouTube#Forced sign-in|YouTube's sign-in requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.

=== Taking away choice from the user ===
Google has a long history of patronizing their user base by taking away options or not giving users a choice in the first place.

For example, in 2014, Google removed normal MicroSD write access on Android 4.4, limiting each application to their own dedicated folder, arguing that this makes it easy to remove all files left by the app during uninstallation, given that no app can leave files outside their own dedicated folder.

No menu option to change this behaviour was given to the user, therefore users who wanted to restore normal write access were forced to resort to inofficial methods involving bootloader unlocking and rooting.

It should be noted that Google's own Android smartphones and tablet computers (Nexus and Pixel devices) never featured a memory card slot. Similar restrictions were later added to USB on-the-go storage.<ref name=android-traditional-storage>{{cite web |url=https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional |title=Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project }}</ref>

In 2018, Google added a clipboard manager to their keyboard app, Gboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |title=Gboard 7.7 adds a Clipboard Manager feature to Google's keyboard app }}</ref> But in 2022, Google decided on behalf of their users that they don't need to retain clipboard items for any longer than one hour. Therefore, they added an one-hour time limit, meaning any clipboard item older than one hour is automatically deleted, with no option to change this behaviour. The only way to retain clipboard items for more than one hour is to manually mark them as "pinned".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://techzle.com/remember-android-13-clears-clipboard-1-hour-after-copying |title=Remember: Android 13 clears clipboard 1 hour after copying}}</ref>

In 2019, Google took away the ability to turn off the "pull-to-refresh" gesture on the mobile edition of their Chrome web browser, following by refusing to reinstate the option after an abnormally high number of complaints that the gesture causes accidental refreshes. See [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

In 2025, Google announced their [[Android Developer Verification]] program, which if executed will make it impossible to run apps by developers not personally identified and approved by Google.

==Controversies==
===Account lockouts===
Google has been reported to have randomly locked people out of their accounts due to ostensible security reasons, which are not lifted even if the user had provided the correct credentials and/or even if the user have correctly followed all the verification prompts such as SMS verification. These have caused anguishes for many affected users who are unable to access their contents, emails and services as a result. Furthermore, some had reported that they are forced to undergo SMS verification even when recovery email addresses are already configured to their accounts, thereby likely constituting instances of [[Forced identification|forced verification]] in broad senses.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/n5card/mike_rose_no_more_robots_publisher_locked_out_of/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20210505101632/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/n5card/mike_rose_no_more_robots_publisher_locked_out_of/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oy8qb8/fyi_google_can_lock_you_out_of_your_account_for/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20210805030048/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oy8qb8/fyi_google_can_lock_you_out_of_your_account_for/ Archived])</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/154yht0/dae_noticed_that_google_had_taken_security/ ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230720181226/https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/154yht0/dae_noticed_that_google_had_taken_security/ Archived])</ref>

===Deletion of inactive accounts===
In May 2023, Google announced that [[Inactive account deletion|deletion of inactive user accounts]] would occur starting in December 2023, citing security reasons, noting that old and unused accounts are more likely to be compromised. Google claimed that "Forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, have not had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user," while saying that Google "has no plans to delete [[YouTube]] videos".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawler |first1=Richard |title=Google might delete your Gmail account if you haven't logged in for two years |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725438/google-gmail-deleting-inactive-accounts |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205121216/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725438/google-gmail-deleting-inactive-accounts |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=Jon |title=Reminder: Google is about to start purging inactive accounts |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23979178/google-inactive-accounts-deletion-december-2023-psa-reminder |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251212230239/https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23979178/google-inactive-accounts-deletion-december-2023-psa-reminder |archive-date=12 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Amadeo |first1=Ron |title=Google's new "inactive account" policy won't delete years of YouTube videos |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/googles-new-inactive-account-policy-wont-delete-years-of-youtube-videos/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en-us |date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251212092014/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/googles-new-inactive-account-policy-wont-delete-years-of-youtube-videos/ |archive-date=12 Dec 2025}}</ref> The decision to delete inactive accounts has sparked some criticism and backlash. The cited security rationale behind such decision was ridiculed and was compared to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Novet |first1=Jordan |title=Google's plan to purge inactive accounts isn't sitting well with some users |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html |website=CNBC |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date
=19 August 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250831223936/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html |archive-date=31 Aug 2025}}</ref> Such policies could adversely affect those who had good reasons to become inactive for a long time, such as hospitalization, prison incarceration, and being in totalitarian countries which have prolonged internet shutdowns. Moreover, the Anonymous hacktivist collective has protested against the decision to delete inactive accounts multiple times, describing them as "harsh" and saying that the decision will "destroy history".<ref>{{cite web |date=18 July 2023 |title=Anonymous puts Taiwan flag, national anthem on 2 UN websites {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-07-18 09:56:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4946597 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20231014070719/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4946597 Archived])</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=18 October 2023 |title='Anonymous' hacks Chinese government site to protest Israel–Hamas war {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-10-18 19:03:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5022840 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20240221120716/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5022840 Archived])</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 December 2023 |title=Anonymous posts Taiwan flag on UN site {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-12-08 17:26:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5055454 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20240228035811/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5055454 Archived])</ref>

===Google device repair program restrictions===
{{Main|Google asserts the right to seize your phone during a repair}}
Google's Service & Repair Program terms explicitly state that any device containing non-Google-authorized parts "will not be returned" to the customer.

===Target API level requirements for Google Play apps===
Google's policy of requiring apps for Android to target recent API levels to appear in the Play Store<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 Aug 2024 |title=Policy Center |url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Play Console Help |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260215054419/https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en |archive-date=15 Feb 2026}}</ref> creates a continuous cycle of maintenance and redevelopment that can be especially burdensome for smaller developers, indie creators, and consumers.

The requirement for apps to target newer APIs each year serves some legitimate security and feature purposes. However, it also effectively functions as a form of forced obsolescence. Even perfectly functional apps that don't need technical updates must be regularly reworked just to remain visible on the Play Store.

This creates several issues:

*Development resources must be allocated to updating apps rather than creating new features
*Smaller teams and individual developers are placed at a disadvantage attempting to keep up with the constant update cycle
*Legacy apps that are no longer actively maintained disappear, even if they're still useful
*The cost of maintaining apps increases, potentially making some projects financially nonviable
*Losing access to previously purchased apps when upgrading devices
*Users being unable to reinstall older apps that worked perfectly well for their needs
*Facing unexpected costs to replace functionality they've already paid for
*Dealing with the frustration of discovering favorite apps have disappeared

While Google argues this approach improves the Android ecosystem's security and functionality, it does place a significant burden on developers and can lead to the premature "death" of otherwise functional applications.

This creates a troubling disconnect in digital ownership. Consumers reasonably expect that when they purchase an app, they should maintain access to it across their devices over time. Instead, they discover their digital purchases can effectively vanish due to policy decisions beyond their control.

===Ban on third-party tech support ads===
Google prohibits tech support ads on their platform if they are not authorised by the manufacturer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graff |first=David |date=31 Aug 2018 |title=Restricting ads in third-party tech support services |url=https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |website=Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112170608/https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

===The chargeback incident===
In November 2022, a Google customer accidentally purchased two Google Pixel smartphones instead of one, directly from Google (no third-party reseller), and tried to return one package to Google for a refund, but the shipping was unsuccessful.

A Google customer support person suggested the customer to perform a chargeback. The customer acted accordingly without understanding the implications, resulting in the termination of their Google account shortly after. The account was 15 years old at that time.<ref>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3393/danger-chargeback-equals-account-permanently-banned DANGER!!!: Chargeback = ACCOUNT PERMANENTLY BANNED. - Virtual curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260205120523/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3393/danger-chargeback-equals-account-permanently-banned Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/zndbku/tifu_by_accidentally_buying_two_google_pixels_and/ TIFU by accidentally buying two Google Pixels and ended up getting my 15 year old Google Account permanently banned. - Reddit] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260113140546/https://old.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/zndbku/tifu_by_accidentally_buying_two_google_pixels_and/ Archived])</ref>

==Anti-consumer legal cases==
===Privacy violations===
====''Rodriguez v. Google LLC'' (''May 2021—September 2025'')====
Google's "Web & App Activity" (WAA) setting had the ability to be paused. Reportedly, despite this setting being paused by consumers, Google would continue to collect consumer data regardless of consent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rodriguez v. Google LLC |url=https://www.googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ#faq1 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251011171640/https://googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ |archive-date=11 Oct 2025}}</ref> Google collected mobile device data for eight years from users who opted out of tracking under the WAA.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Staab |first=Theresa |date=18 Sep 2025 |title=Someone is Always Watching: Implications of Google's WAA Privacy Case |url=https://lawreview.syr.edu/someone-is-always-watching-implications-of-googles-waa-privacy-case/ |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Syracuse Law Review}}</ref> The dates of use/activity in question were between July 1, 2016 and September 23, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Oct 2024 |title=FAQs: Google Web App Activity lawsuit |url=https://help.wfu.edu/support/solutions/articles/13000825158-faqs-google-web-app-activity-lawsuit |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Wake Forest University}}</ref> On September 3, 2025, the San Francisco Federal Court jury held Google liable two of three claims of privacy invasion. The plaintiffs were awarded $425.7 million in compensatory damages for invasion of privacy, totaling around $4 per person for the approximate 98 million affected users, but since the jury found that Google did not act with malicious intent, no punitive damages were awarded.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Mollman |first=Brittney |last2=Sosnicki |first2=Luke |date=2025-09-05 |title=Federal Jury Awards $425.7 Million in Google Privacy Case: Key Takeaways on Consent Design and Litigation Risk |url=https://www.thompsoncoburn.com/insights/federal-jury-awards-425-7-million-in-google-privacy-case-key-takeaways-on-consent-design-and-litigation-risk/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |work=Thompson Coburn LLP}}</ref> Google filed an appeal to this verdict "on the basis that the jury misunderstood the functionality of its privacy tools and that users were adequately informed through layered disclosures and consent flows"<ref name=":6" />. Claim submission may begin once the appeals process finishes<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-05 |title=$425M Verdict in Google Web & App Activity Privacy Class Action Lawsuit — Do You Qualify? |url=https://openclassactions.com/settlements/google-web-and-app-activity-privacy-class-action-lawsuit.php |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=OpenClassActions}}</ref>.

====''Thele v. Google LLC'' (''November 2025—'')====
On the 11th of November, 2025, Thomas Thele filed a demand for jury trial in a class action complaint against Google LLC. In the filing it states that "on or about October 10, 2025, Google secretly turned on Gemini for all its users’ Gmail, Chat, and Meet accounts, enabling AI to track its users’ private communications contained in those platforms without the users’ knowledge or consent" <ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolfson |first=Tina |last2=Ahdoot |first2=Robert |last3=Maya |first3=Theodore |last4=Brown |first4=Alyssa |date=2025-11-11 |title=UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA - CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL |url=https://www.classaction.org/media/thele-v-google-complaint_2.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=ClassAction}}</ref>. The suit "alleges that Google is violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burnson |first=Robert |date=2025-11-12 |title=Google sued for allegedly using Gemini AI to secretly track user data |url=https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/google-sued-for-allegedly-using-gemini-ai-to-secretly-track-user-data-125111200603_1.html |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Business Standard}}</ref>, a law enacted in 1967 which dictates the terms by which advances in technology can be used for the purpose of invading the privacy of citizens<ref>{{Cite web |date=1967 |title=CHAPTER 1.5. Invasion of Privacy |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&part=1.&title=15.&chapter=1.5 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Legislative Information}}</ref>. The defendant, Google LLC, filed a Motion to Dismiss which is scheduled to be heard on May 1, 2026<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-27 |title=Thele v. Google LLC |url=https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/61129560/Thele_v_Google_LLC |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=PacerMonitor}}</ref>.

===Anti-competitive behavior===
====''Epic Games, Inc. v. Google Inc.'' (''August 2020—May 2025'')====
Google takes a 30% share of all revenue made through all sales made on the Play Store, which is a comparable figure to other digital storefronts such as the [[Apple App Store]] and [[Steam]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Tom |date=7 Oct 2019 |title=Report: Steam's 30% Cut Is Actually the Industry Standard |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard |url-status=live |website=ign.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211034837/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> On 13th August 2020, [[Epic Games]] CEO Tim Sweeney updated both iOS and Android versions of ''Fortnite'' to redirect users to Epic Games' storefront to purchase in-game currency ("V-Bucks") alongside the respective first-party storefront, with incentives including cheaper prices if buying from Epic Games directly. This violated the Terms of Service of both Apple and Google's storefronts, and ''Fortnite'' was removed from both app stores the same day.

Epic Games would use this motion to file federal lawsuits against both Google and Apple, citing that these practices meant that the companies were engaging in anti-competitive behavior. Google lost in the lawsuit, but attempted to appeal the decision, in which they lost again.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=31 July 2025 |title=Epic just won its Google lawsuit again, and Android may never be the same |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/716856/epic-v-google-win-in-appeals-court |access-date=21 August 2025 |work=The Verge |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111151936/https://www.theverge.com/news/716856/epic-v-google-win-in-appeals-court |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===Social media addiction bellwether trials===
====Los Angeles Superior Court, JCCP 5255 (''2026'')====
Starting in January of 2026, [[Meta]] (Facebook and [[Instagram]]) and [[Google]] ([[YouTube]]) faced legal claims of their platforms being intentionally addictive and harmful to children. [[ByteDance]] ([[TikTok]]) and Snap ([[Snapchat]]) were named initially, but settled for undisclosed terms before the trial began. A 19-year-old girl, referred to by the initials "KGM" or Kaley, and two other plaintiffs were selected for bellwether trials—test cases tried as part of an MDL.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huamani |first=Kaitlyn |last2=Ortutay |first2=Barbara |date=9 Feb 2026 |title=Landmark trial accusing tech giants of harming children with addictive social media begins |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/landmark-trial-accusing-tech-giants-of-harming-children-with-addictive-social-media-begins |url-status=live |access-date=25 Mar 2026 |website=PBS News}}</ref> On March 25, 2026, the California jury concluded in KGM's case that [[Meta]] and Google were guilty of negligent for their apps—[[Instagram]], Facebook, and [[YouTube]]—being deliberately built to be addictive, which the companies' executives knew this and failed to protect their youngest users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allyn |first=Bobby |date=25 Mar 2026 |title=Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial |url=https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5746125/meta-youtube-social-media-trial-verdict |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=npr}}</ref> [[Meta]] was charged to pay $4.2 million for compensatory and punitive damages, and charged Google $1.8 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |last2=Mac |first2=Ryan |last3=Tan |first3=Eli |date=25 Mar 2026 |title=Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

==See also==

===Products and services===
{{Main|List of Google products}}

===Controversies===

*[[Advertising overload]]
*[[Google asserts the right to seize phones during repairs]]
*[[Google Nest Protect forced to use Google app]]
*[[Google Nest thermostat smart features disabled]]
*[[Google Pixel Watches do not come with repair options]]

==External links==

*"[https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/google.html XScreenSaver: Google Store Privacy Policy]". Google pretending to care about privacy by forcing a fully-local (no internet) minimal-permission screen-saver app to specify a privacy-policy. That blog-post contains many sources on Google's anti-consumer practices

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Google]]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-05-03T10:49:12Z

JodyBruchonFan: source, improved wording

<div style="background-color:#FFC; color:black; padding:0 1em; border-radius:10px; border:1px solid black; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 black, 2px 2px 2px 2px white inset; background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, #FFF, #FFC); margin-bottom:1em;">
<div class="center" style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing: 0.1em; color:#777;">They will not save us.</div>
<div class="center" style="font-size:60%; letter-spacing:0.1em;">Lose your faith in the legal system.</div>
The legal system will probably not save us. In fact, it has been '''protecting''' the big tech oligopoly all along.

Examples include the [[DMCA Section 1201]] outlawing the removal of digital restrictions malware (DRM) and making some kinds of repair a legal mine field, and patent laws making it a legal mine field for anyone to create products competing with the oligopoly, if they even get that far.<ref>[https://www.defectivebydesign.org/faq#circumvent DRM Frequently Asked Questions | Defective by Design]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251023035930/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/patent.html Patent - LRS Wiki]</ref> Also, remember what treatment the hero who leaked the iPhone 4 prototype to the public back in 2010 has received?<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQkoZX9Mog Real Thoughts on Tech Leaks!] - Marques Brownlee</ref> Now they are increasing surveillance with mandatory age verification in operating systems.<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!] - Jody Bruchon</ref><ref>[https://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2026/03/msg00000.html On the unfortunate need for an "age verification" API for legal compliance reasons in some U.S. states] - lists.debian.org</ref>

As you can see, the nepotist legal system has a history of overwhelmingly siding with the '''big corporations against the users''', not the other way round. It has been '''actively''' (and passively through inaction and inertia) '''supporting''' the big corporations in taking away nice things. And now we are begging to the very same legal system to come and save ''us''?

What do I mean by "inertia"? We have to fight battles to get governors to notice us and gracefully give us back tiny bits of repairability and freedom, all while technofascists in skyscrapers only had to snap their fingers and DRM was law.

We have been waiting since over 20 years for the law against non-replaceable batteries.<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuTcavAzopg iPod's Dirty Secret - from 2003] - Casey Neistat</ref> In a system that sided with consumers, this shouldn't have taken until the next sunrise, let alone 20 years. Did the technofascist RIAA have to wait 20 years to realize its wet dream of DMCA, a stupid law that bankrupted entire families because someone harmlessly copied a dozen music tracks?<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUm6no5MXYA The People Who Were Sued for Downloading Music... What Ever Happened?] - Bandsplaining</ref> Even if you believe this should not go unpunished, it is safe to say that these punishments are wildly disproportionate.

It probably won't be long until the Linux Foundation (headquartered in California) will be forced to implement backdoors like Microsoft, and technocrats in skyscrapers will, without further ado, make a law against removing those backdoors - the very same thing they did with DRM.<ref>[https://digdeeper.club/articles/technological_slavery.xhtml Technological slavery] - Dig Deeper</ref> Yes, they can.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can] - Miloslav Číž</ref> If ''you'' can think of it, so can ''they''.

We have to - in one way or the other - take matters into our own hands.

As for how we are going to accomplish this, I unfortunately don't have the answers. But what I ''do'' know is that hoping for some legal miracle to give us back our freedoms and ownership over what we paid for - is not it.

----
<div class="center" style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing: 0.1em; color:#777;">Footnotes</div>
<references />

----
<div class="center" style="font-size:60%; margin:1em;">I hereby release this text into the public domain under [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ CC0 1.0].</div>
</div>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
File:Android dev verif 1984.png|1984 (made by [[User:Rudxain|Rudxain]])
</gallery>

Unfortunately, most people won't care until it is too late. Most people just want to satisfy their daily dose of WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or whatever instant gratification there is. They don't see the long term loss of freedom. It is the [https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131043/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/slowly_boiling_the_frog.html boiling frog effect] metaphor. Or, as Louis Rossman calls it, death by a thousand cuts.

See also: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEY906hRoG4 Jody Bruchon's response to "It's okay because hackers will always find a way to hack around it!"].

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

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To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== How to insult Google's user interface designers ==
By adding this to your website's CSS:
<pre>
html, body { overscroll-behavior: contain; }
</pre>

This will insult the lack of intelligence of whoever thought [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|making pull-to-refresh mandatory in Chrome]] was a brilliant idea.

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]'', 7:44.

----

<blockquote>
If you think [people in positions of authority] can't do something, you are wrong; unless it is directly violating a law of physics, they can do it. For example you may think "haha they can't start selling air, people would revolt", "hahaaa, they can't make people believe 1 + 1 equals 2000, it's too obvious of a lie" or "hahaaa they can't lie about history when there is a ton of direct evidence for the contrary freely accessible on the Internet, they can't censor something that's all over the Internet and in billions of books" -- yes, they can do all of this.

[...]

You think "hahaha, if we create this super encrypted/decentralized computer network, we can simply communicate and they can do nothing about it, BAZINGA" -- well, no you can't. How can they stop this? '''They will simply ban computers''' you idiot, in fact you have only given them the reason to.

You say "hahaha but I can have this calculator in my basement hidden" -- well, how many people will participate in your network if revealing such participation is punished not only by death sentence, but death sentence for you whole family; if even people who know about you participating in the network and not reporting you face the same punishment (already the case in some pseudocommunist countries)?

If in addition people have no free time, if they don't have electricity at home, no will to live and there are also government signal jammers everywhere just in case? Enjoy your guerrilla resistance network with three people armed with calculators.

You say "bbbb...but that cant happen ppl would revolt" -- NO. Have you seen chicken at chicken farm revolt? (Except in that one movie lol). "BBBb...BUT... people are not chicken". NO. People are literally physically chicken (to a stupid argument you get stupid counterargument).

[...]

Admit it, whatever they do you will conform even if you're angry about it because not conforming would cause you discomfort and you like comfort, so here you have it: they can do whatever they want. You want war? Probably not, but if they start it, you will go to war, you will help them make weapons, you will kill. You want to watch ads? Probably not, but if they put them up you will watch them. You want to get up every day at 5 AM and spend your day doing something that has no meaning and which you hate doing? Maybe, but it doesn't even matter if you want, you will do it despite wanting or not.
</blockquote>
- from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can]'' by Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher. Bolded for emphasis.

"They will simply ban computers" - and if not, they will [[Anti-privacy_legislation|backdoor everything]]. Looks like the "tinfoil hat" people weren't so crazy after all.

----

== Should you feel sorry for the Starmer UK government? ==
A poetic masterpiece by Jody Bruchon on the Starmer UK government!
(Source: ''[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs Time To Cut Off Internet To The UK And Australia, F Them - ROLLIN' RAMPAGE - Jody Bruchon]'', 11:29)


<div style="text-align:center; font-family:'Script MT Font','times new roman',serif; white-space:pre;">
The UK government is actually saying to X:
''"Hey, don't do that, you're gonna make us look bad!"''

Well, ____ you!
____ you!

Oh, I'll make you look bad!
Oh, you ____ with me, and then I make you look bad,
by doing what you told me to do?

Oh, boohoo!
Oh, oh, what a tragedy!
I feel so bad for the poor Starmer UK government!

Aww, I made you look bad on the Internet
by doing exactly what you told me to do?

And it had exactly the response
that I told you it would have?

Oh, how sudden, couldn't see this coming.
Oh, that's hoooorrible!
I feel so baaaaaaaaaaaaad!

Except I ____ing '''don't.'''
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-05-03T08:54:23Z

JodyBruchonFan: The legal system is a false hope.

<div style="background-color:#FFC; color:black; padding:0 1em; border-radius:10px; border:1px solid black; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 black, 2px 2px 2px 2px white inset; background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, #FFF, #FFC); margin-bottom:1em;">
<div class="center" style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing: 0.1em; color:#777;">They will not save us.</div>
<div class="center" style="font-size:60%; letter-spacing:0.1em;">Lose your faith in the legal system.</div>
The legal system will probably not save us. In fact, it has been '''protecting''' the big tech oligopoly all along.

Examples include the [[DMCA Section 1201]] outlawing the removal of digital restrictions malware (DRM) and making some kinds of repair a legal mine field, and patent laws making it a legal mine field for anyone to create products competing with the oligopoly, if they even get that far.<ref>[https://www.defectivebydesign.org/faq#circumvent DRM Frequently Asked Questions | Defective by Design]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251023035930/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/patent.html Patent - LRS Wiki]</ref> Also, remember what treatment the hero who leaked the iPhone 4 prototype to the public back in 2010 has received?<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQkoZX9Mog Real Thoughts on Tech Leaks!] - Marques Brownlee</ref> Now they are increasing surveillance with mandatory age verification in operating systems.<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!] - Jody Bruchon</ref>

As you can see, the nepotist legal system has a history of overwhelmingly siding with the '''big corporations against the users''', not the other way round. It has been '''actively''' (and passively through inaction and inertia) '''supporting''' the big corporations in taking away nice things. And now we are begging to the very same legal system to come and save ''us''?

What do I mean by "inertia"? We have to fight battles to get governors to notice us and gracefully give us back tiny bits of repairability and freedom, all while technofascists in skyscrapers snipped their fingers and DRM was law.

We have been waiting since over 20 years for the law against non-replaceable batteries.<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuTcavAzopg iPod's Dirty Secret - from 2003] - Casey Neistat</ref> In a system that sided with consumers, this shouldn't have taken until the next sunrise, let alone 20 years. Did the technofascist RIAA have to wait 20 years to realize its wet dream of DMCA, a stupid law that bankrupted entire families because someone harmlessly copied a dozen music tracks?<ref>Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUm6no5MXYA The People Who Were Sued for Downloading Music... What Ever Happened?] - Bandsplaining</ref> Even if you believe this should not go unpunished, it is safe to say that these punishments are wildly disproportionate.

It probably won't be long until the Linux Foundation (headquartered in California) will be forced to implement backdoors like Microsoft, and technocrats in skyscrapers will, without further ado, make a law against removing those backdoors - the very same thing they did with DRM.<ref>[https://digdeeper.club/articles/technological_slavery.xhtml Technological slavery] - Dig Deeper</ref> Yes, they can.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can] - Miloslav Číž</ref> If ''you'' can think of it, so can ''they''.

We have to - in one way or the other - take matters into our own hands.

As for how we are going to accomplish this, I unfortunately don't have the answers. But what I ''do'' know is that hoping for some legal miracle to give us back our freedoms and ownership over what we paid for - is not it.

----
<div class="center" style="font-size:200%; letter-spacing: 0.1em; color:#777;">Footnotes</div>
<references />

----
<div class="center" style="font-size:60%; margin:1em;">I hereby release this text into the public domain under [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ CC0 1.0].</div>
</div>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
File:Android dev verif 1984.png|1984 (made by [[User:Rudxain|Rudxain]])
</gallery>

Unfortunately, most people won't care until it is too late. Most people just want to satisfy their daily dose of WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or whatever instant gratification there is. They don't see the long term loss of freedom. It is the [https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131043/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/slowly_boiling_the_frog.html boiling frog effect] metaphor. Or, as Louis Rossman calls it, death by a thousand cuts.

See also: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEY906hRoG4 Jody Bruchon's response to "It's okay because hackers will always find a way to hack around it!"].

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
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| id-c = #400
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| info = This user is a proud [[User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber|DownloadTuber]].
| info-c = #222
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</div>

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== How to insult Google's user interface designers ==
By adding this to your website's CSS:
<pre>
html, body { overscroll-behavior: contain; }
</pre>

This will insult the lack of intelligence of whoever thought [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|making pull-to-refresh mandatory in Chrome]] was a brilliant idea.

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]'', 7:44.

----

<blockquote>
If you think [people in positions of authority] can't do something, you are wrong; unless it is directly violating a law of physics, they can do it. For example you may think "haha they can't start selling air, people would revolt", "hahaaa, they can't make people believe 1 + 1 equals 2000, it's too obvious of a lie" or "hahaaa they can't lie about history when there is a ton of direct evidence for the contrary freely accessible on the Internet, they can't censor something that's all over the Internet and in billions of books" -- yes, they can do all of this.

[...]

You think "hahaha, if we create this super encrypted/decentralized computer network, we can simply communicate and they can do nothing about it, BAZINGA" -- well, no you can't. How can they stop this? '''They will simply ban computers''' you idiot, in fact you have only given them the reason to.

You say "hahaha but I can have this calculator in my basement hidden" -- well, how many people will participate in your network if revealing such participation is punished not only by death sentence, but death sentence for you whole family; if even people who know about you participating in the network and not reporting you face the same punishment (already the case in some pseudocommunist countries)?

If in addition people have no free time, if they don't have electricity at home, no will to live and there are also government signal jammers everywhere just in case? Enjoy your guerrilla resistance network with three people armed with calculators.

You say "bbbb...but that cant happen ppl would revolt" -- NO. Have you seen chicken at chicken farm revolt? (Except in that one movie lol). "BBBb...BUT... people are not chicken". NO. People are literally physically chicken (to a stupid argument you get stupid counterargument).

[...]

Admit it, whatever they do you will conform even if you're angry about it because not conforming would cause you discomfort and you like comfort, so here you have it: they can do whatever they want. You want war? Probably not, but if they start it, you will go to war, you will help them make weapons, you will kill. You want to watch ads? Probably not, but if they put them up you will watch them. You want to get up every day at 5 AM and spend your day doing something that has no meaning and which you hate doing? Maybe, but it doesn't even matter if you want, you will do it despite wanting or not.
</blockquote>
- from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can]'' by Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher. Bolded for emphasis.

"They will simply ban computers" - and if not, they will [[Anti-privacy_legislation|backdoor everything]]. Looks like the "tinfoil hat" people weren't so crazy after all.

----

== Should you feel sorry for the Starmer UK government? ==
A poetic masterpiece by Jody Bruchon on the Starmer UK government!
(Source: ''[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs Time To Cut Off Internet To The UK And Australia, F Them - ROLLIN' RAMPAGE - Jody Bruchon]'', 11:29)


<div style="text-align:center; font-family:'Script MT Font','times new roman',serif; white-space:pre;">
The UK government is actually saying to X:
''"Hey, don't do that, you're gonna make us look bad!"''

Well, ____ you!
____ you!

Oh, I'll make you look bad!
Oh, you ____ with me, and then I make you look bad,
by doing what you told me to do?

Oh, boohoo!
Oh, oh, what a tragedy!
I feel so bad for the poor Starmer UK government!

Aww, I made you look bad on the Internet
by doing exactly what you told me to do?

And it had exactly the response
that I told you it would have?

Oh, how sudden, couldn't see this coming.
Oh, that's hoooorrible!
I feel so baaaaaaaaaaaaad!

Except I ____ing '''don't.'''
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

Screenshot blocking

2026-04-26T20:36:59Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* On Android */ Better wording.

{{ToneWarning}}{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Makes specific claims without citations}}
'''Screenshot blocking''' prevents the owner of a computing device from capturing screenshots and screen recordings. Some operating systems such as [[Android]] and [[Apple]] [[iOS]] let app makers block the device owners from capturing screenshots and screen recordings of certain content. This may be done to prevent copyrighted content from being copied, such as [[Netflix]] blocking screenshots of the app<ref name="netflix-vdocipher">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Vishal |date=2026-01-14 |title=Netflix DRM: How & Why of Encrypted Video Security (2025)? |url=https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=vdocipher |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251015170902/https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |archive-date=15 Oct 2025}}</ref>. However, some instances of screenshot blocking may be seen as excessive and unnecessary in some cases, thus violating ownership of consumers by unreasonably limiting what they are allowed to do with their devices.

==How it works==
Blocking screenshots is typically a restriction set by individual apps, not something that automatically applies across all apps or devices. Here's how it works, depending on the platform:

=== On Android ===
On [[Android]], apps can block screenshots using a flag called: <code>WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE</code>. When this flag is set on an activity, it prevents the content from being captured in screenshots, screen recordings, and even in the app switcher (recent apps view). This is often used by apps like, banking apps, media streaming services (e.g. Netflix), and secure messaging apps.<ref>[https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams WindowManager.LayoutParams | API reference | Android Developers] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260401090300/https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams Archived])</ref><ref name="netflix-vdocipher" />

On the Android developer website, Google encourages app makers to add an option to temporarily allow screenshots:

<blockquote>
Note: To provide transparency and user control, consider adding a setting in your app that allows users to toggle this flag.
</blockquote>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://developer.android.com/about/versions/14/features/screenshot-detection |title=Detect when users take device screenshots |website=Android Developers |access-date=2026-04-26 }}</ref>

At the same time, Google failed to provide a built-in option in Android that would let device owners have the final choice to override this restriction without having to rely on permission from the app.

=== On iOS ===
On [[iOS]], iOS does not give developers an official flag like <code>FLAG_SECURE</code>, but they use workarounds, like displaying sensitive content in a <code>UIView</code> with custom rendering, then hiding or blurring it when the app detects screenshot events or apps going into background or app switcher{{Citation needed}}.

On desktop systems, blocking screenshots is more difficult because users typically have full control over the operating system, and there is no built-in API to prevent screenshots. Third-party tools or system-level protections are needed. Although, enterprise apps may block screenshots using [[digital rights management]] (DRM), [[wikipedia:Desktop_virtualization|virtual desktop infrastructure]] (VDI), or overlay detection / screen capture prevention libraries{{Citation needed}}.

==Why it happens==
Companies tend to cite the following reasons for blocking screenshots:

'''Protecting sensitive information'''

Apps that handle financial data (banks, payment apps) or confidential documents may block screenshots to reduce the risk of accidental data leaks. Screenshots could be captured and shared without consent, which could expose personal information like account numbers or passwords.

'''Content protection and licensing'''

Media apps (streaming services, e-books, and some news apps) sometimes block screenshots or recordings to prevent piracy or unauthorized redistribution of copyrighted content. Examples include Netflix and [[Spotify]]. However, there are legitimate uses such as quotations, which falls under fair use.

'''Privacy of other users'''

Messaging apps may prevent screenshots in certain contexts to protect the privacy of the other party. One such example are "disappearing messages" in [[WhatsApp]].

'''Regulatory or contractual requirements'''

In some industries, companies must comply with legal rules around data protection or digital content licensing, which may include preventing local copies from being made.

==Why it is a problem==

===Impedes ownership===
On desktop operating systems like [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[wikipedia:Linux|Linux]], users have always been able to take screenshots or recordings of whatever is on their screen, without programs being able to block it. By contrast, many mobile apps restrict or disable this feature. This raises concerns because it limits a device owner’s ability to fully use their own device. Since a smartphone is personal property, users should retain control over its features, including the ability to capture their own screen rather than having that option dictated by app developers.

===Overuse===
Some apps implement screenshot blocking in situations where it is unnecessary. For example, since 2018, [[Google Chrome|Chrome]] has blocked screenshots while in Incognito mode. It is unclear what this restriction is meant to protect against, given that Incognito browsing already functions by not saving history or [[Web cookie|cookies]].

There are legitimate reasons to take a screenshot in Incognito mode. Developers may need to capture how a website looks to first-time visitors, or users might want to save information temporarily without adding it to their browsing history. In these cases, blocking screenshots serves no meaningful security purpose and only prevents the device owner from using their phone’s features as intended.

===Ineffective===
Screens can be photographed from an external device. The quality of the image is likely to be lower, but it generally does not prevent someone from being able to reach alphanumerical information such as banking details and text-based messages.

===Prevention of bug reports===
Screenshot blocking and screen recorder blocking might discourage users from reporting bugs by making it more difficult to document the bugs.

==Incidents==

===ALDI TALK===
Earlier in 2025, the German cellular provider ALDI TALK blocked screenshots throughout its entire app.{{CitationNeeded}} The app displays information such as how much high-speed data a subscriber has remaining. Blocking screenshots of such basic information seems unnecessary, and applying the restriction across the entire app because some “private” content might appear in certain sections is excessive.

===WhatsApp===
The developers of WhatsApp have threatened with blocking screenshots inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots<ref>[https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations] ([https://megalodon.jp/2026-0416-0213-11/https://cybersecuritynews.com:443/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ Archived])</ref>.
</blockquote>WhatsApp blocked screenshots of profile pictures in 2024, citing it as a measure to protect privacy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Feb 2026 |title=About profile photo screenshot blocking |url=https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-1223-0217-58/https://faq.whatsapp.com:443/1799783917198636 |archive-date=23 Dec 2024 |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WhatsApp Help Center}}</ref> However, once a profile picture has been uploaded to WhatApp, it is no longer a private image.

==It's a local file==
When you take a screenshot, the screenshot is stored locally inside the encrypted internal storage of your smartphone, protected by a user's lockscreen credentials. As a local file, it remains fully under the user's control.

==External displays==
The "<code>SECURE</code>" flag on Android is responsible for screenshot blocking and screen recording blocking. However, it has another purpose: It prevents content from appearing on external displays such as HDMI and [[wikipedia:Miracast|Miracast]].

Screen contents can only appear on an external screens if the smartphone owner has chosen to connect an external screen. If the owner does private stuff, they should disconnect the external screen anyway.

Ways to solve this would be to let the user choose which apps can appear on external displays, or let the user decide whether they want to hide content flagged by the app developers as "<code>SECURE</code>".

The "<code>SECURE</code>" flag is not just used to hide "sensitive" content, but also by streaming service providers to prevent screenshots and screen recordings, even though there are legitimate purposes for it (fair use). As a side effect, you can not connect your phone to a TV or monitor to watch on a big screen, so you have to hope the TV has native support for your streaming provider.

In any case, the device owner must have the final say.

==Third-party screen recorders==
Another reason cited for screenshot/screen recorder blocking is the narrow possibility that third-party screen recorder apps contain [[spyware]].

Third-party apps can only capture the screen if the phone owner allows them. It would make sense to let the user decide which third-party apps can capture content marked as "<code>SECURE</code>". But the pre-installed screenshot and screen recording tool should never be blocked because they don't contain spyware (unless the phone maker chose to put it in, in which case you would have a much greater problem). If users wish to guarantee that their screen recorder software does not contain spyware, they can utilise [[wikipedia:Open-source_software|open source]]  screen recorders.

In any case, there is no reason to block the '''built-in''' screenshot and screen recording tools just because misbehaving third-party apps may be out there.

==Screenshot detection==
Android 14 has added a "screenshot event" and Android 15 a "screen recording event". This allows apps to register when the owner takes a screenshot or screen recording. An online poll shows most users are opposed to screenshot detection.<ref>[https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Android 14's screenshot detection system is getting adopted by more apps] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251212004411/https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Archived])</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Data lock-in]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Common terms]]

Screenshot blocking

2026-04-26T20:32:48Z

JodyBruchonFan: It prevents bug reports.

{{ToneWarning}}{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Makes specific claims without citations}}
'''Screenshot blocking''' prevents the owner of a computing device from capturing screenshots and screen recordings. Some operating systems such as [[Android]] and [[Apple]] [[iOS]] let app makers block the device owners from capturing screenshots and screen recordings of certain content. This may be done to prevent copyrighted content from being copied, such as [[Netflix]] blocking screenshots of the app<ref name="netflix-vdocipher">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Vishal |date=2026-01-14 |title=Netflix DRM: How & Why of Encrypted Video Security (2025)? |url=https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=vdocipher |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251015170902/https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |archive-date=15 Oct 2025}}</ref>. However, some instances of screenshot blocking may be seen as excessive and unnecessary in some cases, thus violating ownership of consumers by unreasonably limiting what they are allowed to do with their devices.

==How it works==
Blocking screenshots is typically a restriction set by individual apps, not something that automatically applies across all apps or devices. Here's how it works, depending on the platform:

=== On Android ===
On [[Android]], apps can block screenshots using a flag called: <code>WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE</code>. When this flag is set on an activity, it prevents the content from being captured in screenshots, screen recordings, and even in the app switcher (recent apps view). This is often used by apps like, banking apps, media streaming services (e.g. Netflix), and secure messaging apps.<ref>[https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams WindowManager.LayoutParams | API reference | Android Developers] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260401090300/https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams Archived])</ref><ref name="netflix-vdocipher" />

On the Android developer website, Google encourages app makers to add an option to temporarily allow screenshots:

<blockquote>
Note: To provide transparency and user control, consider adding a setting in your app that allows users to toggle this flag.
</blockquote>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://developer.android.com/about/versions/14/features/screenshot-detection |title=Detect when users take device screenshots |website=Android Developers |access-date=2026-04-26 }}</ref>

At the same time, Google failed to provide a built-in option to let device owners have the final choice to override this restriction without having to rely on permission from the app.

=== On iOS ===
On [[iOS]], iOS does not give developers an official flag like <code>FLAG_SECURE</code>, but they use workarounds, like displaying sensitive content in a <code>UIView</code> with custom rendering, then hiding or blurring it when the app detects screenshot events or apps going into background or app switcher{{Citation needed}}.

On desktop systems, blocking screenshots is more difficult because users typically have full control over the operating system, and there is no built-in API to prevent screenshots. Third-party tools or system-level protections are needed. Although, enterprise apps may block screenshots using [[digital rights management]] (DRM), [[wikipedia:Desktop_virtualization|virtual desktop infrastructure]] (VDI), or overlay detection / screen capture prevention libraries{{Citation needed}}.

==Why it happens==
Companies tend to cite the following reasons for blocking screenshots:

'''Protecting sensitive information'''

Apps that handle financial data (banks, payment apps) or confidential documents may block screenshots to reduce the risk of accidental data leaks. Screenshots could be captured and shared without consent, which could expose personal information like account numbers or passwords.

'''Content protection and licensing'''

Media apps (streaming services, e-books, and some news apps) sometimes block screenshots or recordings to prevent piracy or unauthorized redistribution of copyrighted content. Examples include Netflix and [[Spotify]]. However, there are legitimate uses such as quotations, which falls under fair use.

'''Privacy of other users'''

Messaging apps may prevent screenshots in certain contexts to protect the privacy of the other party. One such example are "disappearing messages" in [[WhatsApp]].

'''Regulatory or contractual requirements'''

In some industries, companies must comply with legal rules around data protection or digital content licensing, which may include preventing local copies from being made.

==Why it is a problem==

===Impedes ownership===
On desktop operating systems like [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[wikipedia:Linux|Linux]], users have always been able to take screenshots or recordings of whatever is on their screen, without programs being able to block it. By contrast, many mobile apps restrict or disable this feature. This raises concerns because it limits a device owner’s ability to fully use their own device. Since a smartphone is personal property, users should retain control over its features, including the ability to capture their own screen rather than having that option dictated by app developers.

===Overuse===
Some apps implement screenshot blocking in situations where it is unnecessary. For example, since 2018, [[Google Chrome|Chrome]] has blocked screenshots while in Incognito mode. It is unclear what this restriction is meant to protect against, given that Incognito browsing already functions by not saving history or [[Web cookie|cookies]].

There are legitimate reasons to take a screenshot in Incognito mode. Developers may need to capture how a website looks to first-time visitors, or users might want to save information temporarily without adding it to their browsing history. In these cases, blocking screenshots serves no meaningful security purpose and only prevents the device owner from using their phone’s features as intended.

===Ineffective===
Screens can be photographed from an external device. The quality of the image is likely to be lower, but it generally does not prevent someone from being able to reach alphanumerical information such as banking details and text-based messages.

===Prevention of bug reports===
Screenshot blocking and screen recorder blocking might discourage users from reporting bugs by making it more difficult to document the bugs.

==Incidents==

===ALDI TALK===
Earlier in 2025, the German cellular provider ALDI TALK blocked screenshots throughout its entire app.{{CitationNeeded}} The app displays information such as how much high-speed data a subscriber has remaining. Blocking screenshots of such basic information seems unnecessary, and applying the restriction across the entire app because some “private” content might appear in certain sections is excessive.

===WhatsApp===
The developers of WhatsApp have threatened with blocking screenshots inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots<ref>[https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations] ([https://megalodon.jp/2026-0416-0213-11/https://cybersecuritynews.com:443/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ Archived])</ref>.
</blockquote>WhatsApp blocked screenshots of profile pictures in 2024, citing it as a measure to protect privacy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Feb 2026 |title=About profile photo screenshot blocking |url=https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-1223-0217-58/https://faq.whatsapp.com:443/1799783917198636 |archive-date=23 Dec 2024 |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WhatsApp Help Center}}</ref> However, once a profile picture has been uploaded to WhatApp, it is no longer a private image.

==It's a local file==
When you take a screenshot, the screenshot is stored locally inside the encrypted internal storage of your smartphone, protected by a user's lockscreen credentials. As a local file, it remains fully under the user's control.

==External displays==
The "<code>SECURE</code>" flag on Android is responsible for screenshot blocking and screen recording blocking. However, it has another purpose: It prevents content from appearing on external displays such as HDMI and [[wikipedia:Miracast|Miracast]].

Screen contents can only appear on an external screens if the smartphone owner has chosen to connect an external screen. If the owner does private stuff, they should disconnect the external screen anyway.

Ways to solve this would be to let the user choose which apps can appear on external displays, or let the user decide whether they want to hide content flagged by the app developers as "<code>SECURE</code>".

The "<code>SECURE</code>" flag is not just used to hide "sensitive" content, but also by streaming service providers to prevent screenshots and screen recordings, even though there are legitimate purposes for it (fair use). As a side effect, you can not connect your phone to a TV or monitor to watch on a big screen, so you have to hope the TV has native support for your streaming provider.

In any case, the device owner must have the final say.

==Third-party screen recorders==
Another reason cited for screenshot/screen recorder blocking is the narrow possibility that third-party screen recorder apps contain [[spyware]].

Third-party apps can only capture the screen if the phone owner allows them. It would make sense to let the user decide which third-party apps can capture content marked as "<code>SECURE</code>". But the pre-installed screenshot and screen recording tool should never be blocked because they don't contain spyware (unless the phone maker chose to put it in, in which case you would have a much greater problem). If users wish to guarantee that their screen recorder software does not contain spyware, they can utilise [[wikipedia:Open-source_software|open source]]  screen recorders.

In any case, there is no reason to block the '''built-in''' screenshot and screen recording tools just because misbehaving third-party apps may be out there.

==Screenshot detection==
Android 14 has added a "screenshot event" and Android 15 a "screen recording event". This allows apps to register when the owner takes a screenshot or screen recording. An online poll shows most users are opposed to screenshot detection.<ref>[https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Android 14's screenshot detection system is getting adopted by more apps] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251212004411/https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Archived])</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Data lock-in]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Common terms]]

Internet Archive

2026-04-22T16:47:45Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) */ + minimalist browsers

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American digital library hosting scanned books, music, videos, software, and archived websites.
|Founded=1996
|Industry=Archive, Library
|Logo=Internet Archive.png
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Non-profit
|Website=https://archive.org/
}}
The '''{{Wplink|Internet Archive}}''' is an American non-profit digital library founded in 1996 to provide free "universal access to all knowledge" and preserve digital history.

==Consumer-impact summary==
The archive can be a useful resource for consumers to access information about discontinued products, companies which are no longer operating, and articles which are removed from web sites.

[TBA]

==Incidents==

===Login-only items for legally dubious content (2016-present)===
On January 13, 2016, Hank Bromley (hank_b) of the Internet Archive created a collection of uploads considered legally dubious and only viewable with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download & Streaming : Log In Required : Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/loggedin?tab=about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-0311-0532-32/https://archive.org:443/details/loggedin?tab=about |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

These uploads cannot be viewed or downloaded by logged-out users but can be accessed by anyone with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive Forums: Log In Required, after logging in. |url=https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222222400/https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

===Archived website removal===
{{Main|Internet Archive/Blocked companies}}
The Archive accepts DMCA takedown requests of websites whose owners no longer want their sites archived<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bixenspan |first=David |date=2018-11-28 |title=When the Internet Archive Forgets |url=https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250805030527/https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |archive-date=2025-08-05 |access-date=2025-08-31 |work=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref> causing certain sites to be inaccessible.

The Internet Archive ''used'' to hide material covered by robots.txt restrictions but that was changed on April 17, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Mark |date=2017-04-17 |title=Robots.txt meant for search engines don’t work well for web archives |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417131508/http://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |archive-date=2017-04-17 |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Removal of noindex function on uploaded items===
On 2023 the Internet Archive reportedly removed the ability for users to use the noindex function, which used to result in the items being hidden from its internal search engine, while making the items whose noindex value is true to appear on the search engine. The decision was criticized on the grounds that it may jeopardize users' rights, including privacy. When confronted about it, Jason Scott, who's a staffmember of the Internet Archive, reportedly responded with the following:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-22 |title=The removal of "noindex" from the Internet Archive, and associated risks. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214121917/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |archive-date=2024-12-14 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Internet Archive Ish |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215072041/https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |archive-date=2024-12-15 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref>

<blockquote>''There is no bug or mistake in removing no-index settings for many Internet Archive items in the Community collection.''

''At no point was the Archive contacted to arrange a situation of no-indexing (or Darking) items with an intention of later release; the no-index setting was not documented for this use, and represented a security hole that was closed. Tens of thousands of items were found, being used for encrypted files hidden from the search engine, and represented a major problem, so many items have been removed or set noindex quickly.''

''A number of people have contacted us explaining situations where items might need to be made no-indexed, in a collection for later or timed release for example, but they've done it with communication and discussing their needs, not just uploading files under disposable accounts and then assuming the archive would keep them un-accessible in perpetuity. In some cases their requests have gotten arrangements so that community items that were noindex are noindex again, in separate collections.''

''A situation can theoretically exist where the original uploader can e-mail us from their e-mail address and discuss arrangements, but you've indicated you intentionally obfuscated your location and have disposed your addresses. If you're able to gain access again, you can mail through those addresses.''

''An additional situation is you can e-mail info@archive.org if you want to report items at the archive (by identifier) that you believe might need to be removed from the archive; we receive a number of these requests throughout the months and respond according to policy.''</blockquote>

The following pseudocode was shared by a user who criticized the decision, if the Internet Archive decides to reinstate the ability for users to use the noindex function while re-hiding all the formerly noindexed items from the search engines:

<blockquote>noindex items if:

(

items-noindexed-by-user-in-the-past = true;

OR items-noindexed-by-IA-in-the-past = true);

AND (

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-USER-before-May-2023 = false;

OR

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-IA-before-May-2023 = false;

)</blockquote>

===Data breaches (2012-2024)===
On May 19, 2017, The Archive's Development Manager made a blog post detailing that anyone who had created their account before 2012 had to change their password as the site had been breached with user's public information and lightly encrypted passwords being leaked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Katie |date=2017-05-19 |title=Re: User account breach {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520030556/https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |archive-date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

On October 9, 2024, users on the Internet Archive got pop-ups that the website had been hacked with notifications appearing from the perpetrators at around 9PM CST,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Dark Web Informer on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321121941/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> and an hour later Troy Hunt of HaveIBeenPwned confirmed the breach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Troy |date=2024-10-09 |title=Troy Hunt on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321122129/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref>

Around 31 million users were affected with their user IDs, Emails, encrypted passwords and usernames being leaked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=2024-10-11 |title=31 million users impacted by Internet Archive data breach — what we know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109231711/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |archive-date=2024-11-09 |access-date=2025-08-16 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref>

=== Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) ===
Up until 2022, Archive.org was one of the few remaining major websites that could be browsed and searched without [[JavaScript]]. JavaScript was only used where necessary, for example to enable bottomless scrolling. This is known as progressive enhancement.<ref name=jakearchibald>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

Since 2023 however, large parts of the Archive.org website (including the home page, collection pages, and the search engine) can no longer be browsed at all without JavaScript, because the legacy HTML-based user interface was replaced with a Google Lit web app. As of April 2026, only individual item pages remain viewable without JavaScript.<ref>Before change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3vxC8 2023-06-28]. After change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sdLIp 2023-09-28]</ref>

This made it impossible to browse the site on legacy systems that do not support modern web browsers, as well as minimalist web browser alternatives to the Google-Mozilla duopoly, and slowed down loading on modern web browsers because lots of code has to be executed before any content can appear on screen, putting the content at the end of the rendering path.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critical rendering path – Mozilla Developer Network |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Critical_rendering_path |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Internet Archive]]

JavaScript

2026-04-22T07:55:24Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Consumer impact summary */ It's not just about old browsers but also minimalist lightweight ones that are alternatives to the Google-Mozilla duopoly.

{{Cleanup}}
{{Irrelevant}}
{{ProductCargo
|Company=
|ReleaseYear=1995
|InProduction=Yes
|Category=Software
|Website=https://openjsf.org/,https://tc39.es/ecma262/multipage/
|Description=A high-level programming language that's also the "lingua franca of the web"
|Logo=JavaScript-logo.png}}

'''{{Wplink|JavaScript}}''' (JS), not to be confused with {{Wplink|ECMAScript}} (ES), is a {{Wplink|programming language}} and core technology of {{Wplink|World_Wide_Web|the Web}}, alongside [[wikipedia:HTML|HTML]] and [[wikipedia:CSS|CSS]]. It was created by [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]] in 1995.<ref>https://exploringjs.com/es5/ch04.html</ref> As of 2025, the overwhelming majority of [[wikipedia:Website|websites]] (98.9%) uses JS for [[wikipedia:Client_(computing)|client]]-side [[wikipedia:Web_page|webpage]] behavior.<ref name="deployedstats">{{cite web |title=Usage Statistics of JavaScript as Client-side Programming Language on Websites |url=https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cp-javascript |access-date=27 Feb 2024 |website=W3Techs}}</ref> It's even used on the [[wikipedia:Server_(computing)|server]]-side (see [[wikipedia:Node.js|Node.js]]).

JS is also known to enhance the [[wikipedia:User_experience|user-experience]] (UX). The [[wikipedia:World_Wide_Web_Consortium|World Wide Web Consortium]] (W3C) provides comprehensive guidelines for such purposes.<ref>https://www.w3.org/wiki/The_principles_of_unobtrusive_JavaScript</ref>

For the entirety of this article (unless stated otherwise) the terms "JavaScript" and "JS" will be defined as "ECMAScript with access to [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API Web APIs]" or "ES+WebAPI" for short.

==Consumer impact summary==

*'''Degraded accessibility''': Dynamic and/or active content is well-known to have poor accessibility for users with visual and/or cognitive impairments. While standards such as [[wikipedia:WAI-ARIA|WAI-ARIA]] were created to mitigate this, it's no silver bullet, especially when developers aren't aware of ARIA.
*'''Degraded compatibility''': While HTML and CSS degrade gracefully, meaning web browsers not supporting a certain feature will simply ignore it and load the rest of the page, JavaScript does not. If any JavaScript feature is not supported by a web browser and not caught using a <code>try</code>...<code>catch</code> block, the rest of the script is not executed, which usually breaks the entire site if it requires JavaScript for basic functions, as "web apps" usually do. This makes accessing a website impossible from legacy systems that do not support recent web browser versions or minimalist web browsers that challenge the Google-Mozilla duopoly, rather than being able to use some parts of a website.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://digdeeper.club/articles/browsers.xhtml#minimal |title=How to choose a browser for everyday use? § Why "minimalist" browsers suck. |author=Dig Deeper |access-date=2026-04-22 }}</ref>
*'''Lack of transparency''': To optimize network bandwidth, JS code is typically served in [[wikipedia:Minification_(programming)|minified]] form, which makes it harder to understand for humans. This is particularly problematic if the original source is not publicly [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|available]], which is typically the case of [[wikipedia:Proprietary_software|proprietary software]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Carson |date=21 Sep 2023 |title=The #ViewSource Affordance |url=https://htmx.org/essays/right-click-view-source/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260228105626/https://htmx.org/essays/right-click-view-source/ |archive-date=28 Feb 2026 |access-date=24 Mar 2026 |website=</> htmx ~ Essays}}</ref>
*'''Excessive tracking''': JS is much more capable than HTML and [[CSS]] '''combined''' to track user behavior.<ref>https://clickclickclick.click/</ref> JS can communicate with almost any server (only limited by [[wikipedia:Cross-origin_resource_sharing|CORS]]) at any time (limited by connection availability), using a plethora of protocols. JS can get hardware information and compute a [[Device fingerprint|fingerprint of the device]], user, or both.<ref>https://privacycheck.sec.lrz.de/</ref><ref>https://abrahamjuliot.github.io/creepjs</ref><ref>https://www.deviceinfo.me/</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn how identifiable you are on the Internet |url=https://www.amiunique.org/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Am I Unique ?}}</ref>
*'''Market control''': JS is built into almost every web-browser and [[wikipedia:User_agent|user-agent]] (UA), including "light-weight" ones (such as [[wikipedia:W3m|w3m]]), incentivizing companies to use it for everything, since "there's no need to worry about compatibility or portability".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Everyone has JavaScript, right? |url=https://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/everyonehasjs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260316024516/https://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/everyonehasjs.html |archive-date=16 Mar 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Kryogenix Consulting}}</ref>
*'''Security risks''': It is well-known that JS is poorly-designed,<ref>https://github.com/denysdovhan/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://github.com/brianleroux/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/ideas/blob/aa9a80252a4b7c9c51f32eda5c716e96220ed96e/software/evar/with_bf.js</ref> even [[wikipedia:Ecma_International|tc39]] acknowledges that{{Citation needed}}. This leads to programmers and even experienced software-devs to accidentally add vulnerabilities to their code. That, and the fact that ES is [[wikipedia:Turing_completeness|Turing-complete]] (both [https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/#mathematical-vs-practical in practice and in theory]), makes [[wikipedia:Debugging|debugging]] and [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse-engineering]] impractical in big code-bases. It's worth noting that tooling, such as [[wikipedia:TypeScript|TypeScript]] and [[wikipedia:ESLint|ESLint]], exist to substantially minimize the likelihood of [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].
*'''Degraded performance (web apps)''': "Web apps" load slower than traditional web sites because lots of code has to be processed by the web browser before any content can appear on screen, putting the content at the end of the rendering path.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critical rendering path – Mozilla Developer Network |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Critical_rendering_path |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

==How it works==
Whenever a user visits a webpage, an average web-browser will execute the JS code it finds in <code><script></code> [[wikipedia:HTML_element|tags]]. This code could do anything from updating part of the [[wikipedia:Document_Object_Model|DOM]]-tree only when the user requests it, to showing a [[wikipedia:Pop-up_ad|popup/popunder]].

When JS tries to access a "privacy-sensitive" API (such as the microphone) the browser pauses it until the user has granted access for the first time. This is typically done on a per-domain basis. However, as mentioned earlier, many other APIs don't need to ask permission before fetching data.

It's worth noting that JS has a privileged position, relative to [[wikipedia:WebAssembly|Wasm]], because of its first-class access to Web APIs.

==Why it is a problem==

===Tracking===
Many webpages (and even entire websites), force the user to keep JS enabled, otherwise they break or deliberately refuse to work. CSS stylesheets combined with HTML should be fine with most basic websites or webpages that do not need complex client side interaction.

The data collected by malicious JS makes it trivial to serve [[personalized ads]], even across unrelated sites. Some sites collect so much data that they are indistinguishable from [[spyware]] (see also [[wikipedia:Keystroke_logging|key-logging]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |date=20 Jun 2017 |title=Before You Hit ‘Submit,’ This Company Has Already Logged Your Personal Data |url=https://gizmodo.com/before-you-hit-submit-this-company-has-already-logge-1795906081 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260220091637/https://gizmodo.com/before-you-hit-submit-this-company-has-already-logge-1795906081 |archive-date=20 Feb 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref>

===Security===
Browser-engine developers (such as [[Google]] and [[Mozilla]]) not only feel compelled, but are financially incentivized to optimize JS to its limits. This leads to complex code-bases that are harder to verify for correctness. Browser vendors mitigate this via [[wikipedia:Sandbox_(computer_security)|sandboxing]]. Unfortunately, since modern browsers compile JS to native CPU code (see [[wikipedia:Just-in-time_compilation|JIT]]) to improve performance, this introduces a higher risk of sandbox-escape.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Johnathan |date=4 Aug 2021 |title=Super Duper Secure Mode |url=https://microsoftedge.github.io/edgevr/posts/Super-Duper-Secure-Mode/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218110912/https://microsoftedge.github.io/edgevr/posts/Super-Duper-Secure-Mode |archive-date=18 Feb 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Microsoft Browser Vulnerability Research}}</ref> Some examples of this are as follows:

*[[wikipedia:Cross-site_scripting|XSS]], which [[wikipedia:NoScript|NoScript]] tries to mitigate
*[[wikipedia:Arbitrary_code_execution|Arbitrary code execution]] and [[wikipedia:Code_injection|code injection]]. Typically caused by <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/eval eval]</code> (part of ES), but there are Web APIs (such as <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setTimeout setTimeout]</code> and <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setInterval setInterval]</code>) that can be misused as well.
*Remote code execution. This is used by hackers and crackers to build [[wikipedia:Botnet|bot-nets]] for [[wikipedia:Ddos#Distributed_DoS|DDoS]] or [[wikipedia:Cryptocurrency|crypto]]-mining, but it's mostly used for spyware since it can hide more easily.

===Performance===
{{See also|Bloatware}}
If the DOM-tree is dynamically generated by JS (such as [[wikipedia:Web_framework|frameworks]]), the user must wait longer before the browser can display content. This is because HTML+CSS can be parsed and rendered incrementally (immediately as the bytes arrive to the client), while JS must (typically) be completely parsed and then executed.

If the JS fails to load for any reason, the user is left with no content.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Luu |first=Dan |title=How web bloat impacts users with slow connections |url=https://danluu.com/web-bloat/ |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> If the page relies on JS to display content from the main document, the browser will waste bandwidth and time downloading data that won't be shown to the user; this is the case of sites with "splash screens" or "spinners" that use CSS to hide content until it's "ready to be seen" and then un-hidden by JS.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/blob/b1086023e7db98dee55d425edc20722e641dd4b8/rx.abp#L71-L75</ref>

===Scraping===
{{Main|Artificial intelligence/training}}
Since the rise of big LLM's many brokers have started offering scraping services for companies that want more training data for their AI. And to that end, a lot of [[wikipedia:Headless_browser|headless browser]] agents have begun to scrape (collect a sites information provided) even with the site's <code>robots.txt</code> provided as a common standard to tell agents not to do so. This has lead to many forums and websites that had not used JS before to start implementing [[CAPTCHA|CAPTCHAS]] (or [[wikipedia:Anubis_(software)|Anubis]]), to prevent increased overhead and bandwidth costs.

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents related to this technology. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Google Search requires JS (2025)===
In January 2025, Google's web-search engine mandates that user-agents must have JS enabled. Google's justification was that it's a defense mechanism against abusive bots (see also [[Deceptive language frequently used against consumers]]).<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/google-begins-requiring-javascript-for-google-search/</ref><ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/18/google-search-javascript</ref><ref>https://serpapi.com/blog/google-now-requires-javascript/</ref> However, some people claim that it's an invalid justification.<ref>https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2025/javascript-required/</ref>

==Proposals and alternatives==

*'''Extension''': turning JS into an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]], so that users can choose to install it, is a way to discourage abuse and incentivize static/passive pages. To do this, JS must be deprecated as a Web Standard, but not deprecated as language or API.
*'''Deprecation''': John Gruber says that JS should never have been added to browsers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=22 Jun 2017 |title=Gizmodo Investigation Exposes Websites Collecting Form Data Before You Hit 'Submit' |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180650/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |archive-date=19 Mar 2026 |access-date=20 Mar 2026 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=27 Jun 2017 |title=Using Today's Web Without JavaScript |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180612/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |archive-date=19 Mar 2026 |access-date=20 Mar 2026 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref> The [[wikipedia:Gopher_(protocol)|Gopher]] and [[wikipedia:Gemini_(protocol)|Gemini]] projects advocate for a simpler web.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project Gemini |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/ |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> If JS were to be completely removed from the web, this would allow users to navigate without worrying about invisible tracking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Sep 2023 |title=Project Gemini FAQ § Why not just use a subset of HTTP and HTML? |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/docs/faq-section-7.gmi#79-why-not-just-use-a-subset-of-http-and-html |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> Even if not all JS was removed, this would allow tools like [[wikipedia:UBlock_Origin|uBO]] to adapt their filters for non-JS users.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/a326c9db28c9f7eb6e30e6a737ca4aeae0d2ee39/post/js-abuse.md#to-do</ref>
*'''Feature-freeze''': There has been discussion about feature-freezing JS so that it becomes "JS0" (for lack of better name).<ref>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ylROTu3N6MyHzNzWJXQAc7Bo1O0FHO3lNKfQMfPOA4o/</ref> The main purpose is to make it easier for browser implementers to keep browsers secure and stable.

==External links==

*[https://libredirect.github.io/faq.html LibRedirect explaining why it exists], and how [[Google Chrome]]'s MV3 limits it
*Google being anti-competitive towards [[Firefox]]: https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues/discussions/3240
*[https://github.com/iam-py-test/my_filters_001/blob/fc5f61eff0b0d821cb426bea76b18937072bc390/no-js-warnings.txt Websites that nag users to enable JS, even when it provides negligible value]
*Discord being extremely bloated to the point of crashing when opening Developer-tools: https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/blob/42220bd4f80052ee15136dff7269df19529c43ec/rx.ubo#L3-L19. This is not the fault of bloated JS, it's likely a bloated DOM-tree, but discord only bloats the DOM when JS is enabled.
*[https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/enough-withthejavascriptalready/23262138 "Enough with the JavaScript already!"]
*[https://eev.ee/blog/2016/03/06/maybe-we-could-tone-down-the-javascript "Maybe we could tone down the JavaScript"]
*[https://www.kryogenix.org/code/dont-need-that-js "You really don't need all that JavaScript, I promise"]
*https://gomakethings.com/why-progressive-enhancement-still-matters/
*https://www.viget.com/articles/the-case-against-progressive-enhancements-flimsy-moral-foundation
*[https://youtu.be/xE9W9Ghe4Jk "Shipping a button in 2026…"], by Kai Lentit. This illustrates the burnout and fatigue software developers can experience on a daily basis
*[https://grugbrain.dev/#grug-on-front-end-development HTMX developer advocating for less JS]
*[https://idlewords.com/talks/website_obesity.htm "Web Obesity Crisis"]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/js-bloat JS bloat (2024)]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/disenchantment How JS makes web apps more unstable]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html GNU/FSF explaining why JS takes freedom away]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/wwworst-app-store.html GNU/FSF explaining why "web apps" shouldn't exist]. '''WARNING''': contains overzealous claims! ([https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/re_twwwas.md according to Rudxain]). Related: [[wikipedia:Local-first_software|Local-first]]
*[https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/05/using-the-web-with-javascript-turned-off/ "I Used The Web For A Day With JavaScript Turned Off"]
*[https://tobyho.com/2010/03/11/how-much-of-the-web-actually/ "How Much of the Web Actually Work Without Javascript"]
*[https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/js-abuse.md Blog-post with more sources]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Internet Archive

2026-04-18T20:52:36Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) */ typo

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American digital library hosting scanned books, music, videos, software, and archived websites.
|Founded=1996
|Industry=Archive, Library
|Logo=Internet Archive.png
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Non-profit
|Website=https://archive.org/
}}
The '''{{Wplink|Internet Archive}}''' is an American non-profit digital library founded in 1996 to provide free "universal access to all knowledge" and preserve digital history.

==Consumer-impact summary==
The archive can be a useful resource for consumers to access information about discontinued products, companies which are no longer operating, and articles which are removed from web sites.

[TBA]

==Incidents==

===Login-only items for legally dubious content (2016-present)===
On January 13, 2016, Hank Bromley (hank_b) of the Internet Archive created a collection of uploads considered legally dubious and only viewable with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download & Streaming : Log In Required : Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/loggedin?tab=about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-0311-0532-32/https://archive.org:443/details/loggedin?tab=about |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

These uploads cannot be viewed or downloaded by logged-out users but can be accessed by anyone with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive Forums: Log In Required, after logging in. |url=https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222222400/https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

===Archived website removal===
{{Main|Internet Archive/Blocked companies}}
The Archive accepts DMCA takedown requests of websites whose owners no longer want their sites archived<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bixenspan |first=David |date=2018-11-28 |title=When the Internet Archive Forgets |url=https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250805030527/https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |archive-date=2025-08-05 |access-date=2025-08-31 |work=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref> causing certain sites to be inaccessible.

The Internet Archive ''used'' to hide material covered by robots.txt restrictions but that was changed on April 17, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Mark |date=2017-04-17 |title=Robots.txt meant for search engines don’t work well for web archives |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417131508/http://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |archive-date=2017-04-17 |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Removal of noindex function on uploaded items===
On 2023 the Internet Archive reportedly removed the ability for users to use the noindex function, which used to result in the items being hidden from its internal search engine, while making the items whose noindex value is true to appear on the search engine. The decision was criticized on the grounds that it may jeopardize users' rights, including privacy. When confronted about it, Jason Scott, who's a staffmember of the Internet Archive, reportedly responded with the following:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-22 |title=The removal of "noindex" from the Internet Archive, and associated risks. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214121917/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |archive-date=2024-12-14 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Internet Archive Ish |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215072041/https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |archive-date=2024-12-15 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref>

<blockquote>''There is no bug or mistake in removing no-index settings for many Internet Archive items in the Community collection.''

''At no point was the Archive contacted to arrange a situation of no-indexing (or Darking) items with an intention of later release; the no-index setting was not documented for this use, and represented a security hole that was closed. Tens of thousands of items were found, being used for encrypted files hidden from the search engine, and represented a major problem, so many items have been removed or set noindex quickly.''

''A number of people have contacted us explaining situations where items might need to be made no-indexed, in a collection for later or timed release for example, but they've done it with communication and discussing their needs, not just uploading files under disposable accounts and then assuming the archive would keep them un-accessible in perpetuity. In some cases their requests have gotten arrangements so that community items that were noindex are noindex again, in separate collections.''

''A situation can theoretically exist where the original uploader can e-mail us from their e-mail address and discuss arrangements, but you've indicated you intentionally obfuscated your location and have disposed your addresses. If you're able to gain access again, you can mail through those addresses.''

''An additional situation is you can e-mail info@archive.org if you want to report items at the archive (by identifier) that you believe might need to be removed from the archive; we receive a number of these requests throughout the months and respond according to policy.''</blockquote>

The following pseudocode was shared by a user who criticized the decision, if the Internet Archive decides to reinstate the ability for users to use the noindex function while re-hiding all the formerly noindexed items from the search engines:

<blockquote>noindex items if:

(

items-noindexed-by-user-in-the-past = true;

OR items-noindexed-by-IA-in-the-past = true);

AND (

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-USER-before-May-2023 = false;

OR

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-IA-before-May-2023 = false;

)</blockquote>

===Data breaches (2012-2024)===
On May 19, 2017, The Archive's Development Manager made a blog post detailing that anyone who had created their account before 2012 had to change their password as the site had been breached with user's public information and lightly encrypted passwords being leaked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Katie |date=2017-05-19 |title=Re: User account breach {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520030556/https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |archive-date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

On October 9, 2024, users on the Internet Archive got pop-ups that the website had been hacked with notifications appearing from the perpetrators at around 9PM CST,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Dark Web Informer on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321121941/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> and an hour later Troy Hunt of HaveIBeenPwned confirmed the breach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Troy |date=2024-10-09 |title=Troy Hunt on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321122129/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref>

Around 31 million users were affected with their user IDs, Emails, encrypted passwords and usernames being leaked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=2024-10-11 |title=31 million users impacted by Internet Archive data breach — what we know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109231711/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |archive-date=2024-11-09 |access-date=2025-08-16 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref>

=== Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) ===
Up until 2022, Archive.org was one of the few remaining major websites that could be browsed and searched without [[JavaScript]]. JavaScript was only used where necessary, for example to enable bottomless scrolling. This is known as progressive enhancement.<ref name=jakearchibald>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

Since 2023 however, large parts of the Archive.org website (including the home page, collection pages, and the search engine) can no longer be browsed at all without JavaScript, because the legacy HTML-based user interface was replaced with a Google Lit web app. As of April 2026, only individual item pages remain viewable without JavaScript.<ref>Before change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3vxC8 2023-06-28]. After change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sdLIp 2023-09-28]</ref>

This made it impossible to browse the site on legacy systems that do not support modern web browsers, and slowed down loading on modern web browsers because lots of code has to be executed before any content can appear on screen, putting the content at the end of the rendering path.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critical rendering path – Mozilla Developer Network |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Critical_rendering_path |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Internet Archive]]

Internet Archive

2026-04-18T20:46:33Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) */ more readable

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American digital library hosting scanned books, music, videos, software, and archived websites.
|Founded=1996
|Industry=Archive, Library
|Logo=Internet Archive.png
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Non-profit
|Website=https://archive.org/
}}
The '''{{Wplink|Internet Archive}}''' is an American non-profit digital library founded in 1996 to provide free "universal access to all knowledge" and preserve digital history.

==Consumer-impact summary==
The archive can be a useful resource for consumers to access information about discontinued products, companies which are no longer operating, and articles which are removed from web sites.

[TBA]

==Incidents==

===Login-only items for legally dubious content (2016-present)===
On January 13, 2016, Hank Bromley (hank_b) of the Internet Archive created a collection of uploads considered legally dubious and only viewable with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download & Streaming : Log In Required : Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/loggedin?tab=about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-0311-0532-32/https://archive.org:443/details/loggedin?tab=about |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

These uploads cannot be viewed or downloaded by logged-out users but can be accessed by anyone with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive Forums: Log In Required, after logging in. |url=https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222222400/https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

===Archived website removal===
{{Main|Internet Archive/Blocked companies}}
The Archive accepts DMCA takedown requests of websites whose owners no longer want their sites archived<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bixenspan |first=David |date=2018-11-28 |title=When the Internet Archive Forgets |url=https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250805030527/https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |archive-date=2025-08-05 |access-date=2025-08-31 |work=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref> causing certain sites to be inaccessible.

The Internet Archive ''used'' to hide material covered by robots.txt restrictions but that was changed on April 17, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Mark |date=2017-04-17 |title=Robots.txt meant for search engines don’t work well for web archives |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417131508/http://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |archive-date=2017-04-17 |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Removal of noindex function on uploaded items===
On 2023 the Internet Archive reportedly removed the ability for users to use the noindex function, which used to result in the items being hidden from its internal search engine, while making the items whose noindex value is true to appear on the search engine. The decision was criticized on the grounds that it may jeopardize users' rights, including privacy. When confronted about it, Jason Scott, who's a staffmember of the Internet Archive, reportedly responded with the following:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-22 |title=The removal of "noindex" from the Internet Archive, and associated risks. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214121917/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |archive-date=2024-12-14 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Internet Archive Ish |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215072041/https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |archive-date=2024-12-15 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref>

<blockquote>''There is no bug or mistake in removing no-index settings for many Internet Archive items in the Community collection.''

''At no point was the Archive contacted to arrange a situation of no-indexing (or Darking) items with an intention of later release; the no-index setting was not documented for this use, and represented a security hole that was closed. Tens of thousands of items were found, being used for encrypted files hidden from the search engine, and represented a major problem, so many items have been removed or set noindex quickly.''

''A number of people have contacted us explaining situations where items might need to be made no-indexed, in a collection for later or timed release for example, but they've done it with communication and discussing their needs, not just uploading files under disposable accounts and then assuming the archive would keep them un-accessible in perpetuity. In some cases their requests have gotten arrangements so that community items that were noindex are noindex again, in separate collections.''

''A situation can theoretically exist where the original uploader can e-mail us from their e-mail address and discuss arrangements, but you've indicated you intentionally obfuscated your location and have disposed your addresses. If you're able to gain access again, you can mail through those addresses.''

''An additional situation is you can e-mail info@archive.org if you want to report items at the archive (by identifier) that you believe might need to be removed from the archive; we receive a number of these requests throughout the months and respond according to policy.''</blockquote>

The following pseudocode was shared by a user who criticized the decision, if the Internet Archive decides to reinstate the ability for users to use the noindex function while re-hiding all the formerly noindexed items from the search engines:

<blockquote>noindex items if:

(

items-noindexed-by-user-in-the-past = true;

OR items-noindexed-by-IA-in-the-past = true);

AND (

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-USER-before-May-2023 = false;

OR

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-IA-before-May-2023 = false;

)</blockquote>

===Data breaches (2012-2024)===
On May 19, 2017, The Archive's Development Manager made a blog post detailing that anyone who had created their account before 2012 had to change their password as the site had been breached with user's public information and lightly encrypted passwords being leaked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Katie |date=2017-05-19 |title=Re: User account breach {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520030556/https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |archive-date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

On October 9, 2024, users on the Internet Archive got pop-ups that the website had been hacked with notifications appearing from the perpetrators at around 9PM CST,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Dark Web Informer on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321121941/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> and an hour later Troy Hunt of HaveIBeenPwned confirmed the breach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Troy |date=2024-10-09 |title=Troy Hunt on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321122129/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref>

Around 31 million users were affected with their user IDs, Emails, encrypted passwords and usernames being leaked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=2024-10-11 |title=31 million users impacted by Internet Archive data breach — what we know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109231711/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |archive-date=2024-11-09 |access-date=2025-08-16 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref>

=== Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) ===
Up until 2022, Archive.org was one of the few remaining major websites that could be browsed and searched without [[JavaScript]]. JavaScript was only used where necessary, for example to enable bottomless scrolling. This is known as progressive enhancement.<ref name=jakearchibald>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

Since 2023 however, large parts of the Archive.org website (including the home page, collection pages, and the search engine) can no longer be browsed at all without JavaScript, because the legacy HTML-based user interface was replaced with a Google Lit web app. As of April 2026, only individual item pages remain viewable without JavaScript.<ref>Before change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3vxC8 2023-06-28]. After change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sdLIp 2023-09-28]</ref>

This made it impossible to browsing the site on legacy systems that do not support modern web browsers, and slowed down loading on modern web browsers because lots of code has to be executed before any content can appear on screen, putting the content at the end of the rendering path.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critical rendering path – Mozilla Developer Network |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Critical_rendering_path |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Internet Archive]]

JavaScript

2026-04-18T20:39:39Z

JodyBruchonFan: rendering path

{{Cleanup}}
{{Irrelevant}}
{{ProductCargo
|Company=
|ReleaseYear=1995
|InProduction=Yes
|Category=Software
|Website=https://openjsf.org/,https://tc39.es/ecma262/multipage/
|Description=A high-level programming language that's also the "lingua franca of the web"
|Logo=JavaScript-logo.png}}

'''{{Wplink|JavaScript}}''' (JS), not to be confused with {{Wplink|ECMAScript}} (ES), is a {{Wplink|programming language}} and core technology of {{Wplink|World_Wide_Web|the Web}}, alongside [[wikipedia:HTML|HTML]] and [[wikipedia:CSS|CSS]]. It was created by [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]] in 1995.<ref>https://exploringjs.com/es5/ch04.html</ref> As of 2025, the overwhelming majority of [[wikipedia:Website|websites]] (98.9%) uses JS for [[wikipedia:Client_(computing)|client]]-side [[wikipedia:Web_page|webpage]] behavior.<ref name="deployedstats">{{cite web |title=Usage Statistics of JavaScript as Client-side Programming Language on Websites |url=https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cp-javascript |access-date=27 Feb 2024 |website=W3Techs}}</ref> It's even used on the [[wikipedia:Server_(computing)|server]]-side (see [[wikipedia:Node.js|Node.js]]). JS is also known to enhance the [[wikipedia:User_experience|user-experience]] (UX). The [[wikipedia:World_Wide_Web_Consortium|World Wide Web Consortium]] (W3C) provides comprehensive guidelines for such purposes.<ref>https://www.w3.org/wiki/The_principles_of_unobtrusive_JavaScript</ref>

For the entirety of this article (unless stated otherwise) the terms "JavaScript" and "JS" will be defined as "ECMAScript with access to [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API Web APIs]" or "ES+WebAPI" for short.

==Consumer impact summary==

*'''Degraded accessibility''': Dynamic and/or active content is well-known to have poor accessibility for users with visual and/or cognitive impairments. While standards such as [[wikipedia:WAI-ARIA|WAI-ARIA]] were created to mitigate this, it's no silver bullet, especially when developers aren't aware of ARIA.
*'''Degreaded compatibility''': While HTML and CSS degrade gracefully, meaning web browsers not supporting a certain feature will simply ignore it and load the rest of the page, JavaScript does not. If any JavaScript feature is not supported by a web browser and not caught using a <code>try</code>...<code>catch</code> block, the rest of the script is not executed, which usually breaks the entire site if it requires JavaScript for basic functions, as "web apps" usually do. This makes it impossible for legacy systems to access a website at all, rather than being able to use some parts of a website.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>
*'''Lack of transparency''': To optimize network bandwidth, JS code is typically served in [[wikipedia:Minification_(programming)|minified]] form, which makes it harder to understand for humans. This is particularly problematic if the original source is not publicly [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|available]], which is typically the case of [[wikipedia:Proprietary_software|proprietary software]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Carson |date=21 Sep 2023 |title=The #ViewSource Affordance |url=https://htmx.org/essays/right-click-view-source/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260228105626/https://htmx.org/essays/right-click-view-source/ |archive-date=28 Feb 2026 |access-date=24 Mar 2026 |website=</> htmx ~ Essays}}</ref>
*'''Excessive tracking''': JS is much more capable than HTML and [[CSS]] '''combined''' to track user behavior.<ref>https://clickclickclick.click/</ref> JS can communicate with almost any server (only limited by [[wikipedia:Cross-origin_resource_sharing|CORS]]) at any time (limited by connection availability), using a plethora of protocols. JS can get hardware information and compute a [[Device fingerprint|fingerprint of the device]], user, or both.<ref>https://privacycheck.sec.lrz.de/</ref><ref>https://abrahamjuliot.github.io/creepjs</ref><ref>https://www.deviceinfo.me/</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn how identifiable you are on the Internet |url=https://www.amiunique.org/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Am I Unique ?}}</ref>
*'''Market control''': JS is built into almost every web-browser and [[wikipedia:User_agent|user-agent]] (UA), including "light-weight" ones (such as [[wikipedia:W3m|w3m]]), incentivizing companies to use it for everything, since "there's no need to worry about compatibility or portability".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Everyone has JavaScript, right? |url=https://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/everyonehasjs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260316024516/https://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/everyonehasjs.html |archive-date=16 Mar 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Kryogenix Consulting}}</ref>
*'''Security risks''': It is well-known that JS is poorly-designed,<ref>https://github.com/denysdovhan/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://github.com/brianleroux/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/ideas/blob/aa9a80252a4b7c9c51f32eda5c716e96220ed96e/software/evar/with_bf.js</ref> even [[wikipedia:Ecma_International|tc39]] acknowledges that{{Citation needed}}. This leads to programmers and even experienced software-devs to accidentally add vulnerabilities to their code. That, and the fact that ES is [[wikipedia:Turing_completeness|Turing-complete]] (both [https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/#mathematical-vs-practical in practice and in theory]), makes [[wikipedia:Debugging|debugging]] and [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse-engineering]] impractical in big code-bases. It's worth noting that tooling, such as [[wikipedia:TypeScript|TypeScript]] and [[wikipedia:ESLint|ESLint]], exist to substantially minimize the likelihood of [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].
*'''Degraded performance (web apps)''': "Web apps" load slower than traditional web sites because lots of code has to be processed by the web browser before any content can appear on screen, putting the content at the end of the rendering path.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critical rendering path – Mozilla Developer Network |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Critical_rendering_path |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

==How it works==
Whenever a user visits a webpage, an average web-browser will execute the JS code it finds in <code><script></code> [[wikipedia:HTML_element|tags]]. This code could do anything from updating part of the [[wikipedia:Document_Object_Model|DOM]]-tree only when the user requests it, to showing a [[wikipedia:Pop-up_ad|popup/popunder]].

When JS tries to access a "privacy-sensitive" API (such as the microphone) the browser pauses it until the user has granted access for the first time. This is typically done on a per-domain basis. However, as mentioned earlier, many other APIs don't need to ask permission before fetching data.

It's worth noting that JS has a privileged position, relative to [[wikipedia:WebAssembly|Wasm]], because of its first-class access to Web APIs.

==Why it is a problem==

===Tracking===
Many webpages (and even entire websites), force the user to keep JS enabled, otherwise they break or deliberately refuse to work. CSS stylesheets combined with HTML should be fine with most basic websites or webpages that do not need complex client side interaction.

The data collected by malicious JS makes it trivial to serve [[personalized ads]], even across unrelated sites. Some sites collect so much data that they are indistinguishable from [[spyware]] (see also [[wikipedia:Keystroke_logging|key-logging]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |date=20 Jun 2017 |title=Before You Hit ‘Submit,’ This Company Has Already Logged Your Personal Data |url=https://gizmodo.com/before-you-hit-submit-this-company-has-already-logge-1795906081 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260220091637/https://gizmodo.com/before-you-hit-submit-this-company-has-already-logge-1795906081 |archive-date=20 Feb 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref>

===Security===
Browser-engine developers (such as [[Google]] and [[Mozilla]]) not only feel compelled, but are financially incentivized to optimize JS to its limits. This leads to complex code-bases that are harder to verify for correctness. Browser vendors mitigate this via [[wikipedia:Sandbox_(computer_security)|sandboxing]]. Unfortunately, since modern browsers compile JS to native CPU code (see [[wikipedia:Just-in-time_compilation|JIT]]) to improve performance, this introduces a higher risk of sandbox-escape.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Johnathan |date=4 Aug 2021 |title=Super Duper Secure Mode |url=https://microsoftedge.github.io/edgevr/posts/Super-Duper-Secure-Mode/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218110912/https://microsoftedge.github.io/edgevr/posts/Super-Duper-Secure-Mode |archive-date=18 Feb 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Microsoft Browser Vulnerability Research}}</ref> Some examples of this are as follows:

*[[wikipedia:Cross-site_scripting|XSS]], which [[wikipedia:NoScript|NoScript]] tries to mitigate
*[[wikipedia:Arbitrary_code_execution|Arbitrary code execution]] and [[wikipedia:Code_injection|code injection]]. Typically caused by <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/eval eval]</code> (part of ES), but there are Web APIs (such as <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setTimeout setTimeout]</code> and <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setInterval setInterval]</code>) that can be misused as well.
*Remote code execution. This is used by hackers and crackers to build [[wikipedia:Botnet|bot-nets]] for [[wikipedia:Ddos#Distributed_DoS|DDoS]] or [[wikipedia:Cryptocurrency|crypto]]-mining, but it's mostly used for spyware since it can hide more easily.

===Performance===
{{See also|Bloatware}}
If the DOM-tree is dynamically generated by JS (such as [[wikipedia:Web_framework|frameworks]]), the user must wait longer before the browser can display content. This is because HTML+CSS can be parsed and rendered incrementally (immediately as the bytes arrive to the client), while JS must (typically) be completely parsed and then executed.

If the JS fails to load for any reason, the user is left with no content.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Luu |first=Dan |title=How web bloat impacts users with slow connections |url=https://danluu.com/web-bloat/ |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> If the page relies on JS to display content from the main document, the browser will waste bandwidth and time downloading data that won't be shown to the user; this is the case of sites with "splash screens" or "spinners" that use CSS to hide content until it's "ready to be seen" and then un-hidden by JS.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/blob/b1086023e7db98dee55d425edc20722e641dd4b8/rx.abp#L71-L75</ref>

===Scraping===
{{Main|Artificial intelligence/training}}
Since the rise of big LLM's many brokers have started offering scraping services for companies that want more training data for their AI. And to that end, a lot of [[wikipedia:Headless_browser|headless browser]] agents have begun to scrape (collect a sites information provided) even with the site's <code>robots.txt</code> provided as a common standard to tell agents not to do so. This has lead to many forums and websites that had not used JS before to start implementing [[CAPTCHA|CAPTCHAS]] (or [[wikipedia:Anubis_(software)|Anubis]]), to prevent increased overhead and bandwidth costs.

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents related to this technology. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Google Search requires JS (2025)===
In January 2025, Google's web-search engine mandates that user-agents must have JS enabled. Google's justification was that it's a defense mechanism against abusive bots (see also [[Deceptive language frequently used against consumers]]).<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/google-begins-requiring-javascript-for-google-search/</ref><ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/18/google-search-javascript</ref><ref>https://serpapi.com/blog/google-now-requires-javascript/</ref> However, some people claim that it's an invalid justification.<ref>https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2025/javascript-required/</ref>

==Proposals and alternatives==

*'''Extension''': turning JS into an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]], so that users can choose to install it, is a way to discourage abuse and incentivize static/passive pages. To do this, JS must be deprecated as a Web Standard, but not deprecated as language or API.
*'''Deprecation''': John Gruber says that JS should never have been added to browsers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=22 Jun 2017 |title=Gizmodo Investigation Exposes Websites Collecting Form Data Before You Hit 'Submit' |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180650/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |archive-date=19 Mar 2026 |access-date=20 Mar 2026 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=27 Jun 2017 |title=Using Today's Web Without JavaScript |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180612/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |archive-date=19 Mar 2026 |access-date=20 Mar 2026 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref> The [[wikipedia:Gopher_(protocol)|Gopher]] and [[wikipedia:Gemini_(protocol)|Gemini]] projects advocate for a simpler web.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project Gemini |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/ |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> If JS were to be completely removed from the web, this would allow users to navigate without worrying about invisible tracking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Sep 2023 |title=Project Gemini FAQ § Why not just use a subset of HTTP and HTML? |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/docs/faq.gmi#79-why-not-just-use-a-subset-of-http-and-html |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> Even if not all JS was removed, this would allow tools like [[wikipedia:UBlock_Origin|uBO]] to adapt their filters for non-JS users.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/a326c9db28c9f7eb6e30e6a737ca4aeae0d2ee39/post/js-abuse.md#to-do</ref>
*'''Feature-freeze''': There has been discussion about feature-freezing JS so that it becomes "JS0" (for lack of better name).<ref>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ylROTu3N6MyHzNzWJXQAc7Bo1O0FHO3lNKfQMfPOA4o/</ref> The main purpose is to make it easier for browser implementers to keep browsers secure and stable.

==External links==

*[https://libredirect.github.io/faq.html LibRedirect explaining why it exists], and how [[Google Chrome]]'s MV3 limits it
*Google being anti-competitive towards [[Firefox]]: https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues/discussions/3240
*[https://github.com/iam-py-test/my_filters_001/blob/fc5f61eff0b0d821cb426bea76b18937072bc390/no-js-warnings.txt Websites that nag users to enable JS, even when it provides negligible value]
*Discord being extremely bloated to the point of crashing when opening Developer-tools: https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/blob/42220bd4f80052ee15136dff7269df19529c43ec/rx.ubo#L3-L19. This is not the fault of bloated JS, it's likely a bloated DOM-tree, but discord only bloats the DOM when JS is enabled.
*[https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/enough-withthejavascriptalready/23262138 "Enough with the JavaScript already!"]
*[https://eev.ee/blog/2016/03/06/maybe-we-could-tone-down-the-javascript "Maybe we could tone down the JavaScript"]
*[https://www.kryogenix.org/code/dont-need-that-js "You really don't need all that JavaScript, I promise"]
*[https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important "Progressive Enhancement Still Important"]
*https://gomakethings.com/why-progressive-enhancement-still-matters/
*https://www.viget.com/articles/the-case-against-progressive-enhancements-flimsy-moral-foundation
*[https://youtu.be/xE9W9Ghe4Jk "Shipping a button in 2026…"], by Kai Lentit. This illustrates the burnout and fatigue software developers can experience on a daily basis
*[https://grugbrain.dev/ HTMX developer advocating for less JS]
*[https://idlewords.com/talks/website_obesity.htm "Web Obesity Crisis"]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/js-bloat JS bloat (2024)]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/disenchantment How JS makes web apps more unstable]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html GNU/FSF explaining why JS takes freedom away]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/wwworst-app-store.html GNU/FSF explaining why "web apps" shouldn't exist]. '''WARNING''': contains overzealous claims! ([https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/re_twwwas.md according to Rudxain]). Related: [[wikipedia:Local-first_software|Local-first]]
*[https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/05/using-the-web-with-javascript-turned-off/ "I Used The Web For A Day With JavaScript Turned Off"]
*[https://tobyho.com/2010/03/11/how-much-of-the-web-actually/ "How Much of the Web Actually Work Without Javascript"]
*[https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/js-abuse.md Blog-post with more sources]

==See also==

*[[Electron]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Internet Archive

2026-04-18T20:37:42Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) */ Clarifying it is not the entire site, just large parts thereof.

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American digital library hosting scanned books, music, videos, software, and archived websites.
|Founded=1996
|Industry=Archive, Library
|Logo=Internet Archive.png
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Non-profit
|Website=https://archive.org/
}}
The '''{{Wplink|Internet Archive}}''' is an American non-profit digital library founded in 1996 to provide free "universal access to all knowledge" and preserve digital history.

==Consumer-impact summary==
The archive can be a useful resource for consumers to access information about discontinued products, companies which are no longer operating, and articles which are removed from web sites.

[TBA]

==Incidents==

===Login-only items for legally dubious content (2016-present)===
On January 13, 2016, Hank Bromley (hank_b) of the Internet Archive created a collection of uploads considered legally dubious and only viewable with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download & Streaming : Log In Required : Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/loggedin?tab=about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-0311-0532-32/https://archive.org:443/details/loggedin?tab=about |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

These uploads cannot be viewed or downloaded by logged-out users but can be accessed by anyone with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive Forums: Log In Required, after logging in. |url=https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222222400/https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

===Archived website removal===
{{Main|Internet Archive/Blocked companies}}
The Archive accepts DMCA takedown requests of websites whose owners no longer want their sites archived<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bixenspan |first=David |date=2018-11-28 |title=When the Internet Archive Forgets |url=https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250805030527/https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |archive-date=2025-08-05 |access-date=2025-08-31 |work=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref> causing certain sites to be inaccessible.

The Internet Archive ''used'' to hide material covered by robots.txt restrictions but that was changed on April 17, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Mark |date=2017-04-17 |title=Robots.txt meant for search engines don’t work well for web archives |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417131508/http://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |archive-date=2017-04-17 |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Removal of noindex function on uploaded items===
On 2023 the Internet Archive reportedly removed the ability for users to use the noindex function, which used to result in the items being hidden from its internal search engine, while making the items whose noindex value is true to appear on the search engine. The decision was criticized on the grounds that it may jeopardize users' rights, including privacy. When confronted about it, Jason Scott, who's a staffmember of the Internet Archive, reportedly responded with the following:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-22 |title=The removal of "noindex" from the Internet Archive, and associated risks. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214121917/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |archive-date=2024-12-14 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Internet Archive Ish |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215072041/https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |archive-date=2024-12-15 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref>

<blockquote>''There is no bug or mistake in removing no-index settings for many Internet Archive items in the Community collection.''

''At no point was the Archive contacted to arrange a situation of no-indexing (or Darking) items with an intention of later release; the no-index setting was not documented for this use, and represented a security hole that was closed. Tens of thousands of items were found, being used for encrypted files hidden from the search engine, and represented a major problem, so many items have been removed or set noindex quickly.''

''A number of people have contacted us explaining situations where items might need to be made no-indexed, in a collection for later or timed release for example, but they've done it with communication and discussing their needs, not just uploading files under disposable accounts and then assuming the archive would keep them un-accessible in perpetuity. In some cases their requests have gotten arrangements so that community items that were noindex are noindex again, in separate collections.''

''A situation can theoretically exist where the original uploader can e-mail us from their e-mail address and discuss arrangements, but you've indicated you intentionally obfuscated your location and have disposed your addresses. If you're able to gain access again, you can mail through those addresses.''

''An additional situation is you can e-mail info@archive.org if you want to report items at the archive (by identifier) that you believe might need to be removed from the archive; we receive a number of these requests throughout the months and respond according to policy.''</blockquote>

The following pseudocode was shared by a user who criticized the decision, if the Internet Archive decides to reinstate the ability for users to use the noindex function while re-hiding all the formerly noindexed items from the search engines:

<blockquote>noindex items if:

(

items-noindexed-by-user-in-the-past = true;

OR items-noindexed-by-IA-in-the-past = true);

AND (

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-USER-before-May-2023 = false;

OR

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-IA-before-May-2023 = false;

)</blockquote>

===Data breaches (2012-2024)===
On May 19, 2017, The Archive's Development Manager made a blog post detailing that anyone who had created their account before 2012 had to change their password as the site had been breached with user's public information and lightly encrypted passwords being leaked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Katie |date=2017-05-19 |title=Re: User account breach {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520030556/https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |archive-date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

On October 9, 2024, users on the Internet Archive got pop-ups that the website had been hacked with notifications appearing from the perpetrators at around 9PM CST,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Dark Web Informer on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321121941/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> and an hour later Troy Hunt of HaveIBeenPwned confirmed the breach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Troy |date=2024-10-09 |title=Troy Hunt on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321122129/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref>

Around 31 million users were affected with their user IDs, Emails, encrypted passwords and usernames being leaked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=2024-10-11 |title=31 million users impacted by Internet Archive data breach — what we know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109231711/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |archive-date=2024-11-09 |access-date=2025-08-16 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref>

=== Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) ===
Up until 2022, Archive.org was one of the few remaining major websites that could be browsed and searched without [[JavaScript]]. JavaScript was only used where necessary, for example to enable bottomless scrolling. This is known as progressive enhancement.<ref name=jakearchibald>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

Since 2023 however, large parts of the Archive.org website (including the home page, collection pages, and the search engine) can no longer be browsed at all without JavaScript, because the legacy HTML-based user interface was replaced with a Google Lit web app. As of April 2026, only individual item pages are viewable without JavaScript.<ref>Before change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3vxC8 2023-06-28]. After change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sdLIp 2023-09-28]</ref>

This made it impossible to browsing the site on legacy systems that do not support modern web browsers, and slowed down loading on modern web browsers because lots of code has to be executed before any content can appear on screen, because it is put at the end of the rendering path.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critical rendering path – Mozilla Developer Network |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Critical_rendering_path |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Internet Archive]]

Internet Archive

2026-04-18T19:35:54Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Incidents */ As much as I love archive.org, they sadly joined the list of JavaScript-only web sites in 2023.

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American digital library hosting scanned books, music, videos, software, and archived websites.
|Founded=1996
|Industry=Archive, Library
|Logo=Internet Archive.png
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Non-profit
|Website=https://archive.org/
}}
The '''{{Wplink|Internet Archive}}''' is an American non-profit digital library founded in 1996 to provide free "universal access to all knowledge" and preserve digital history.

==Consumer-impact summary==
The archive can be a useful resource for consumers to access information about discontinued products, companies which are no longer operating, and articles which are removed from web sites.

[TBA]

==Incidents==

===Login-only items for legally dubious content (2016-present)===
On January 13, 2016, Hank Bromley (hank_b) of the Internet Archive created a collection of uploads considered legally dubious and only viewable with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download & Streaming : Log In Required : Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/loggedin?tab=about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2024-0311-0532-32/https://archive.org:443/details/loggedin?tab=about |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

These uploads cannot be viewed or downloaded by logged-out users but can be accessed by anyone with an account.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive Forums: Log In Required, after logging in. |url=https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222222400/https://archive.org/post/1092552/log-in-required-after-logging-in |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

===Archived website removal===
{{Main|Internet Archive/Blocked companies}}
The Archive accepts DMCA takedown requests of websites whose owners no longer want their sites archived<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bixenspan |first=David |date=2018-11-28 |title=When the Internet Archive Forgets |url=https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250805030527/https://gizmodo.com/when-the-internet-archive-forgets-1830462131 |archive-date=2025-08-05 |access-date=2025-08-31 |work=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref> causing certain sites to be inaccessible.

The Internet Archive ''used'' to hide material covered by robots.txt restrictions but that was changed on April 17, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Mark |date=2017-04-17 |title=Robots.txt meant for search engines don’t work well for web archives |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417131508/http://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-search-engines-dont-work-well-for-web-archives/ |archive-date=2017-04-17 |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Removal of noindex function on uploaded items===
On 2023 the Internet Archive reportedly removed the ability for users to use the noindex function, which used to result in the items being hidden from its internal search engine, while making the items whose noindex value is true to appear on the search engine. The decision was criticized on the grounds that it may jeopardize users' rights, including privacy. When confronted about it, Jason Scott, who's a staffmember of the Internet Archive, reportedly responded with the following:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-22 |title=The removal of "noindex" from the Internet Archive, and associated risks. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214121917/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/156s7di/the_removal_of_noindex_from_the_internet_archive/ |archive-date=2024-12-14 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Internet Archive Ish |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215072041/https://old.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/142nm9h/internet_archive_ish/ |archive-date=2024-12-15 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref>

<blockquote>''There is no bug or mistake in removing no-index settings for many Internet Archive items in the Community collection.''

''At no point was the Archive contacted to arrange a situation of no-indexing (or Darking) items with an intention of later release; the no-index setting was not documented for this use, and represented a security hole that was closed. Tens of thousands of items were found, being used for encrypted files hidden from the search engine, and represented a major problem, so many items have been removed or set noindex quickly.''

''A number of people have contacted us explaining situations where items might need to be made no-indexed, in a collection for later or timed release for example, but they've done it with communication and discussing their needs, not just uploading files under disposable accounts and then assuming the archive would keep them un-accessible in perpetuity. In some cases their requests have gotten arrangements so that community items that were noindex are noindex again, in separate collections.''

''A situation can theoretically exist where the original uploader can e-mail us from their e-mail address and discuss arrangements, but you've indicated you intentionally obfuscated your location and have disposed your addresses. If you're able to gain access again, you can mail through those addresses.''

''An additional situation is you can e-mail info@archive.org if you want to report items at the archive (by identifier) that you believe might need to be removed from the archive; we receive a number of these requests throughout the months and respond according to policy.''</blockquote>

The following pseudocode was shared by a user who criticized the decision, if the Internet Archive decides to reinstate the ability for users to use the noindex function while re-hiding all the formerly noindexed items from the search engines:

<blockquote>noindex items if:

(

items-noindexed-by-user-in-the-past = true;

OR items-noindexed-by-IA-in-the-past = true);

AND (

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-USER-before-May-2023 = false;

OR

items-get-reindexed-voluntarily-by-IA-before-May-2023 = false;

)</blockquote>

===Data breaches (2012-2024)===
On May 19, 2017, The Archive's Development Manager made a blog post detailing that anyone who had created their account before 2012 had to change their password as the site had been breached with user's public information and lightly encrypted passwords being leaked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Katie |date=2017-05-19 |title=Re: User account breach {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520030556/https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/19/re-user-account-breach/ |archive-date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

On October 9, 2024, users on the Internet Archive got pop-ups that the website had been hacked with notifications appearing from the perpetrators at around 9PM CST,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Dark Web Informer on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321121941/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/DarkWebInformer/status/1844123206413943274 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> and an hour later Troy Hunt of HaveIBeenPwned confirmed the breach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Troy |date=2024-10-09 |title=Troy Hunt on X |url=https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260321122129/https://nitter.us.catsarch.com/troyhunt/status/1844136762727448644 |archive-date=21 Mar 2026 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref>

Around 31 million users were affected with their user IDs, Emails, encrypted passwords and usernames being leaked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=2024-10-11 |title=31 million users impacted by Internet Archive data breach — what we know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109231711/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/online-security/31-million-users-impacted-by-internet-archive-data-breach-what-we-know |archive-date=2024-11-09 |access-date=2025-08-16 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref>

=== Website no longer usable without JavaScript (2023) ===
Up until 2022, Archive.org was one of the few remaining major websites that could be browsed and searched without [[JavaScript]]. JavaScript was only used where necessary, for example to enable bottomless scrolling. This is known as progressive enhancement.

Since 2023 however, the Archive.org website can no longer be browsed at all without JavaScript, because the legacy HTML-based user interface was replaced with a Google Lit web app.<ref>Before change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3vxC8 2023-06-28]. After change: [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sdLIp 2023-09-28]</ref>

This made it impossible to view the site on legacy systems that do not support modern web browsers, and slowed down loading on modern web browsers because lots of code has to be executed before any content can appear on screen.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Internet Archive]]

JavaScript

2026-04-18T19:27:44Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Consumer impact summary */ + Degreaded compatibility

{{Cleanup}}
{{Irrelevant}}
{{ProductCargo
|Company=
|ReleaseYear=1995
|InProduction=Yes
|Category=Software
|Website=https://openjsf.org/,https://tc39.es/ecma262/multipage/
|Description=A high-level programming language that's also the "lingua franca of the web"
|Logo=JavaScript-logo.png}}

'''{{Wplink|JavaScript}}''' (JS), not to be confused with {{Wplink|ECMAScript}} (ES), is a {{Wplink|programming language}} and core technology of {{Wplink|World_Wide_Web|the Web}}, alongside [[wikipedia:HTML|HTML]] and [[wikipedia:CSS|CSS]]. It was created by [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]] in 1995.<ref>https://exploringjs.com/es5/ch04.html</ref> As of 2025, the overwhelming majority of [[wikipedia:Website|websites]] (98.9%) uses JS for [[wikipedia:Client_(computing)|client]]-side [[wikipedia:Web_page|webpage]] behavior.<ref name="deployedstats">{{cite web |title=Usage Statistics of JavaScript as Client-side Programming Language on Websites |url=https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cp-javascript |access-date=27 Feb 2024 |website=W3Techs}}</ref> It's even used on the [[wikipedia:Server_(computing)|server]]-side (see [[wikipedia:Node.js|Node.js]]). JS is also known to enhance the [[wikipedia:User_experience|user-experience]] (UX). The [[wikipedia:World_Wide_Web_Consortium|World Wide Web Consortium]] (W3C) provides comprehensive guidelines for such purposes.<ref>https://www.w3.org/wiki/The_principles_of_unobtrusive_JavaScript</ref>

For the entirety of this article (unless stated otherwise) the terms "JavaScript" and "JS" will be defined as "ECMAScript with access to [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API Web APIs]" or "ES+WebAPI" for short.

==Consumer impact summary==

*'''Degraded accessibility''': Dynamic and/or active content is well-known to have poor accessibility for users with visual and/or cognitive impairments. While standards such as [[wikipedia:WAI-ARIA|WAI-ARIA]] were created to mitigate this, it's no silver bullet, especially when developers aren't aware of ARIA.
*'''Degreaded compatibility''': While HTML and CSS degrade gracefully, meaning web browsers not supporting a certain feature will simply ignore it and load the rest of the page, JavaScript does not. If any JavaScript feature is not supported by a web browser and not caught using a <code>try</code>...<code>catch</code> block, the rest of the script is not executed, which usually breaks the entire site if it requires JavaScript for basic functions, as "web apps" usually do. This makes it impossible for legacy systems to access a website at all, rather than being able to use some parts of a website.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important/ |title=Progressive enhancement is still important - JakeArchibald.com |date=2013-07-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 }}</ref>
*'''Lack of transparency''': To optimize network bandwidth, JS code is typically served in [[wikipedia:Minification_(programming)|minified]] form, which makes it harder to understand for humans. This is particularly problematic if the original source is not publicly [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|available]], which is typically the case of [[wikipedia:Proprietary_software|proprietary software]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Carson |date=21 Sep 2023 |title=The #ViewSource Affordance |url=https://htmx.org/essays/right-click-view-source/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260228105626/https://htmx.org/essays/right-click-view-source/ |archive-date=28 Feb 2026 |access-date=24 Mar 2026 |website=</> htmx ~ Essays}}</ref>
*'''Excessive tracking''': JS is much more capable than HTML and [[CSS]] '''combined''' to track user behavior.<ref>https://clickclickclick.click/</ref> JS can communicate with almost any server (only limited by [[wikipedia:Cross-origin_resource_sharing|CORS]]) at any time (limited by connection availability), using a plethora of protocols. JS can get hardware information and compute a [[Device fingerprint|fingerprint of the device]], user, or both.<ref>https://privacycheck.sec.lrz.de/</ref><ref>https://abrahamjuliot.github.io/creepjs</ref><ref>https://www.deviceinfo.me/</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn how identifiable you are on the Internet |url=https://www.amiunique.org/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Am I Unique ?}}</ref>
*'''Market control''': JS is built into almost every web-browser and [[wikipedia:User_agent|user-agent]] (UA), including "light-weight" ones (such as [[wikipedia:W3m|w3m]]), incentivizing companies to use it for everything, since "there's no need to worry about compatibility or portability".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Everyone has JavaScript, right? |url=https://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/everyonehasjs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260316024516/https://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/everyonehasjs.html |archive-date=16 Mar 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Kryogenix Consulting}}</ref>
*'''Security risks''': It is well-known that JS is poorly-designed,<ref>https://github.com/denysdovhan/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://github.com/brianleroux/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/ideas/blob/aa9a80252a4b7c9c51f32eda5c716e96220ed96e/software/evar/with_bf.js</ref> even [[wikipedia:Ecma_International|tc39]] acknowledges that{{Citation needed}}. This leads to programmers and even experienced software-devs to accidentally add vulnerabilities to their code. That, and the fact that ES is [[wikipedia:Turing_completeness|Turing-complete]] (both [https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/#mathematical-vs-practical in practice and in theory]), makes [[wikipedia:Debugging|debugging]] and [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse-engineering]] impractical in big code-bases. It's worth noting that tooling, such as [[wikipedia:TypeScript|TypeScript]] and [[wikipedia:ESLint|ESLint]], exist to substantially minimize the likelihood of [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].

==How it works==
Whenever a user visits a webpage, an average web-browser will execute the JS code it finds in <code><script></code> [[wikipedia:HTML_element|tags]]. This code could do anything from updating part of the [[wikipedia:Document_Object_Model|DOM]]-tree only when the user requests it, to showing a [[wikipedia:Pop-up_ad|popup/popunder]].

When JS tries to access a "privacy-sensitive" API (such as the microphone) the browser pauses it until the user has granted access for the first time. This is typically done on a per-domain basis. However, as mentioned earlier, many other APIs don't need to ask permission before fetching data.

It's worth noting that JS has a privileged position, relative to [[wikipedia:WebAssembly|Wasm]], because of its first-class access to Web APIs.

==Why it is a problem==

===Tracking===
Many webpages (and even entire websites), force the user to keep JS enabled, otherwise they break or deliberately refuse to work. CSS stylesheets combined with HTML should be fine with most basic websites or webpages that do not need complex client side interaction.

The data collected by malicious JS makes it trivial to serve [[personalized ads]], even across unrelated sites. Some sites collect so much data that they are indistinguishable from [[spyware]] (see also [[wikipedia:Keystroke_logging|key-logging]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |date=20 Jun 2017 |title=Before You Hit ‘Submit,’ This Company Has Already Logged Your Personal Data |url=https://gizmodo.com/before-you-hit-submit-this-company-has-already-logge-1795906081 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260220091637/https://gizmodo.com/before-you-hit-submit-this-company-has-already-logge-1795906081 |archive-date=20 Feb 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref>

===Security===
Browser-engine developers (such as [[Google]] and [[Mozilla]]) not only feel compelled, but are financially incentivized to optimize JS to its limits. This leads to complex code-bases that are harder to verify for correctness. Browser vendors mitigate this via [[wikipedia:Sandbox_(computer_security)|sandboxing]]. Unfortunately, since modern browsers compile JS to native CPU code (see [[wikipedia:Just-in-time_compilation|JIT]]) to improve performance, this introduces a higher risk of sandbox-escape.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Johnathan |date=4 Aug 2021 |title=Super Duper Secure Mode |url=https://microsoftedge.github.io/edgevr/posts/Super-Duper-Secure-Mode/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218110912/https://microsoftedge.github.io/edgevr/posts/Super-Duper-Secure-Mode |archive-date=18 Feb 2026 |access-date=19 Mar 2026 |website=Microsoft Browser Vulnerability Research}}</ref> Some examples of this are as follows:

*[[wikipedia:Cross-site_scripting|XSS]], which [[wikipedia:NoScript|NoScript]] tries to mitigate
*[[wikipedia:Arbitrary_code_execution|Arbitrary code execution]] and [[wikipedia:Code_injection|code injection]]. Typically caused by <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/eval eval]</code> (part of ES), but there are Web APIs (such as <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setTimeout setTimeout]</code> and <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setInterval setInterval]</code>) that can be misused as well.
*Remote code execution. This is used by hackers and crackers to build [[wikipedia:Botnet|bot-nets]] for [[wikipedia:Ddos#Distributed_DoS|DDoS]] or [[wikipedia:Cryptocurrency|crypto]]-mining, but it's mostly used for spyware since it can hide more easily.

===Performance===
{{See also|Bloatware}}
If the DOM-tree is dynamically generated by JS (such as [[wikipedia:Web_framework|frameworks]]), the user must wait longer before the browser can display content. This is because HTML+CSS can be parsed and rendered incrementally (immediately as the bytes arrive to the client), while JS must (typically) be completely parsed and then executed.

If the JS fails to load for any reason, the user is left with no content.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Luu |first=Dan |title=How web bloat impacts users with slow connections |url=https://danluu.com/web-bloat/ |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> If the page relies on JS to display content from the main document, the browser will waste bandwidth and time downloading data that won't be shown to the user; this is the case of sites with "splash screens" or "spinners" that use CSS to hide content until it's "ready to be seen" and then un-hidden by JS.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/blob/b1086023e7db98dee55d425edc20722e641dd4b8/rx.abp#L71-L75</ref>

===Scraping===
{{Main|Artificial intelligence/training}}
Since the rise of big LLM's many brokers have started offering scraping services for companies that want more training data for their AI. And to that end, a lot of [[wikipedia:Headless_browser|headless browser]] agents have begun to scrape (collect a sites information provided) even with the site's <code>robots.txt</code> provided as a common standard to tell agents not to do so. This has lead to many forums and websites that had not used JS before to start implementing [[CAPTCHA|CAPTCHAS]] (or [[wikipedia:Anubis_(software)|Anubis]]), to prevent increased overhead and bandwidth costs.

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents related to this technology. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Google Search requires JS (2025)===
In January 2025, Google's web-search engine mandates that user-agents must have JS enabled. Google's justification was that it's a defense mechanism against abusive bots (see also [[Deceptive language frequently used against consumers]]).<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/google-begins-requiring-javascript-for-google-search/</ref><ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/18/google-search-javascript</ref><ref>https://serpapi.com/blog/google-now-requires-javascript/</ref> However, some people claim that it's an invalid justification.<ref>https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2025/javascript-required/</ref>

==Proposals and alternatives==

*'''Extension''': turning JS into an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]], so that users can choose to install it, is a way to discourage abuse and incentivize static/passive pages. To do this, JS must be deprecated as a Web Standard, but not deprecated as language or API.
*'''Deprecation''': John Gruber says that JS should never have been added to browsers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=22 Jun 2017 |title=Gizmodo Investigation Exposes Websites Collecting Form Data Before You Hit 'Submit' |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180650/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data |archive-date=19 Mar 2026 |access-date=20 Mar 2026 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gruber |first=John |date=27 Jun 2017 |title=Using Today's Web Without JavaScript |url=https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260319180612/https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript |archive-date=19 Mar 2026 |access-date=20 Mar 2026 |website=Daring Fireball}}</ref> The [[wikipedia:Gopher_(protocol)|Gopher]] and [[wikipedia:Gemini_(protocol)|Gemini]] projects advocate for a simpler web.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project Gemini |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/ |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> If JS were to be completely removed from the web, this would allow users to navigate without worrying about invisible tracking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Sep 2023 |title=Project Gemini FAQ § Why not just use a subset of HTTP and HTML? |url=https://geminiprotocol.net/docs/faq.gmi#79-why-not-just-use-a-subset-of-http-and-html |access-date=13 Apr 2026}}</ref> Even if not all JS was removed, this would allow tools like [[wikipedia:UBlock_Origin|uBO]] to adapt their filters for non-JS users.<ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/a326c9db28c9f7eb6e30e6a737ca4aeae0d2ee39/post/js-abuse.md#to-do</ref>
*'''Feature-freeze''': There has been discussion about feature-freezing JS so that it becomes "JS0" (for lack of better name).<ref>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ylROTu3N6MyHzNzWJXQAc7Bo1O0FHO3lNKfQMfPOA4o/</ref> The main purpose is to make it easier for browser implementers to keep browsers secure and stable.

==External links==

*[https://libredirect.github.io/faq.html LibRedirect explaining why it exists], and how [[Google Chrome]]'s MV3 limits it
*Google being anti-competitive towards [[Firefox]]: https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues/discussions/3240
*[https://github.com/iam-py-test/my_filters_001/blob/fc5f61eff0b0d821cb426bea76b18937072bc390/no-js-warnings.txt Websites that nag users to enable JS, even when it provides negligible value]
*Discord being extremely bloated to the point of crashing when opening Developer-tools: https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/blob/42220bd4f80052ee15136dff7269df19529c43ec/rx.ubo#L3-L19. This is not the fault of bloated JS, it's likely a bloated DOM-tree, but discord only bloats the DOM when JS is enabled.
*[https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/enough-withthejavascriptalready/23262138 "Enough with the JavaScript already!"]
*[https://eev.ee/blog/2016/03/06/maybe-we-could-tone-down-the-javascript "Maybe we could tone down the JavaScript"]
*[https://www.kryogenix.org/code/dont-need-that-js "You really don't need all that JavaScript, I promise"]
*[https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important "Progressive Enhancement Still Important"]
*https://gomakethings.com/why-progressive-enhancement-still-matters/
*https://www.viget.com/articles/the-case-against-progressive-enhancements-flimsy-moral-foundation
*[https://youtu.be/xE9W9Ghe4Jk "Shipping a button in 2026…"], by Kai Lentit. This illustrates the burnout and fatigue software developers can experience on a daily basis
*[https://grugbrain.dev/ HTMX developer advocating for less JS]
*[https://idlewords.com/talks/website_obesity.htm "Web Obesity Crisis"]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/js-bloat JS bloat (2024)]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/disenchantment How JS makes web apps more unstable]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html GNU/FSF explaining why JS takes freedom away]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/wwworst-app-store.html GNU/FSF explaining why "web apps" shouldn't exist]. '''WARNING''': contains overzealous claims! ([https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/re_twwwas.md according to Rudxain]). Related: [[wikipedia:Local-first_software|Local-first]]
*[https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/05/using-the-web-with-javascript-turned-off/ "I Used The Web For A Day With JavaScript Turned Off"]
*[https://tobyho.com/2010/03/11/how-much-of-the-web-actually/ "How Much of the Web Actually Work Without Javascript"]
*[https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/js-abuse.md Blog-post with more sources]

==See also==

*[[Electron]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

YouTube

2026-04-12T22:15:06Z

JodyBruchonFan: template fix

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Streaming, Video
|Company=Google
|Description=YouTube is a video-sharing platform founded in 2005.
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=YouTube.png
|ReleaseYear=2005
|Website=https://youtube.com
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, video logs ("vlogs"), and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer impact summary==
*'''User freedom:''' Questionable and highly contradictory due rampant bots, falsely accusing others of using their intellectual properties or “IP” for short (although it’s usually either others’ IPs, or it’s criticism, parodies, documentation, commentary, or other fair uses), and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation.
*'''User privacy:''' Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers and the site is owned by [[Google]].
*'''Business model:''' [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market competition:''' Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, [[PeerTube]], and [[DailyMotion]], they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==
===Elsagate===
{{Main|Elsagate}}

The first "Elsagate" incident arose sometime during the mid-2010s on YouTube, though it was not discovered and named until 2016. It has since been used as a catch-all term for content that appears child-friendly at first glance but, in actuality, contains suggestive or outright illicit material targeted at minors. This is accomplished by using major intellectual properties for children, such as the Elsa character from the 2013 [[Disney]] film ''{{Wplink|Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen}}'' and [[Minecraft]].

Although the problem is not unique to the YouTube platform, its dominance in the video sphere makes it an attractive target.

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|YouTube age verification}}

On 30 July 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |website=GameRant |date=30 Jul 2025 |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730234131/https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |archive-date=30 Jul 2025}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101140008/https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/creator-economy/ |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jordan |date=20 Jan 2024 |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GjC82 |archive-date=24 Feb 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=33rd Square}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Aamir |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dirscherl |first=Hans-Christian |last2=Lee |first2=Joel |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adegbola |first=Anu
|title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url=https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816143812/https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |archive-date=16 Aug 2024}}</ref>), increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Arol |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=YouTube |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Knoblauch |first=Max |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=YouTube |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=6 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206072120/https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AED |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250525154227/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=25 May 2025}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Can you still see ads if you have YouTube Premium? Here's what Google has to say |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |website=Android Authority |date=10 May 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211123241/https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Anurag |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are inappropriate... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=YouTube |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |archive-date=23 Feb 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse
|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=YouTube |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |archive-date=2 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217150604/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=YouTube |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=YouTube |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |archive-date=26 Feb 2025}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=YouTube |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |title=Monetisation analysis / research |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl |website=[[Google]] |date=20 Nov 2017 |access-date=3 Apr 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://consumerrights.wiki/images/5/5c/Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research.pdf |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Disney |first=Malia |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=Youth Radio Media
|date=4 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cantz |first=Randy |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Julia |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy
|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Jines |first=Chuck |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=YouTube |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |archive-date=2 Feb 2026}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brodkin
|first=John |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

The prevalence of advertising on the platform, coupled with the repeated appearance of harmful and deceptive ads within YouTube's advertising system, led a significant number of users to employ ad-blocking tools to facilitate their viewing experience.

In response, Google initiated technical countermeasures to limit the functionality of these tools. This has resulted in an ongoing cycle where ad-blocker developers adapt to new restrictions, and the platform subsequently implements further detection methods. A key strategy in this effort involves the implementation of advanced code integrity checks designed to ensure ad content is delivered to viewers.

However, these measures typically exhibit limited efficacy before ad-blocking tools develop new methods of circumvention,<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Flaherty |first=Kate |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |url-access=subscription |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620123932/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |archive-date=20 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |website=YouTube |date=12 Oct 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |archive-date=13 Oct 2023}}</ref> a dynamic that some analysts suggest exemplifies the {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref>{{Cite web |author=phub |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 Mar 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |website=YouTube |date=5 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |archive-date=5 Nov 2023}}</ref>

Additional strategies have involved the integration of advertisements directly into video streams. This approach has impaired the functionality of certain browser extensions, including SponsorBlock, a community-driven tool designed to skip sponsored segments within videos. The extension relies on user-submitted timestamps to identify these segments; its effectiveness is significantly reduced when personalized advertisements, which vary in duration and placement for each viewer, are embedded into the stream itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis
|title=Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |website=YouTube |date=18 Jun 2024
|access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |archive-date=28 Jul 2024}}</ref>

Google has publicly acknowledged implementing code that degrades the user experience for individuals using ad blockers. This includes introducing artificial latency, which has been documented to slow page load times, a measure that also affected users of the Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |website=YouTube |date=23 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |archive-date=23 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |website=YouTube |date=21 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |archive-date=21 Nov 2023}}</ref>

===Offline video DRM===
The YouTube Mobile application permits users with a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded content is protected by [[Digital rights management|Digital Rights Management]] (DRM) that requires the application to establish an online connection with YouTube's servers at least once every 48 hours to maintain playback functionality. This requirement is not prominently featured on the primary YouTube Premium marketing page and is detailed instead within the platform's support documentation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author= |date= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111004845/https://www.youtube.com/premium |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719175650/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |archive-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref>

Saved videos are forcibly deleted after 29 days. [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|Data lock-in and proprietary encoding]] prevents the user from making permanent copies of videos, even those licensed under Creative Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Santos |first=Noel |title=Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files |url=https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |website=Virtual Curiosities |date=7 Dec 2024 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |archive-date=26 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Mental Outlaw |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |website=YouTube |date=28 Aug 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licenses===
YouTube on TV is an {{Wplink|HTML5}} web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An {{Wplink|A/B testing|A/B experiment}} has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bit-rate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a user's ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=License Versions |url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Pay-walling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.

On 7 February 2026, it was reported that YouTube Music was testing a feature that would paywall song lyrics, which were previously a free feature since 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardwick |first=Tim |title=YouTube Music lyrics now require a Premium subscription |url=https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |website=9TO5Google |date=7 Feb 2026 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208225137/https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author= |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related {{Wplink|API}}, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Can |first=Michael |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

=== Removal of chronological searching ===
In January 2026, YouTube removed the ability to search videos by the most recently uploaded, as well as the "last hour" search filter. The "last day" search filter is the narrowest remaining time filter.

A Google employee stated that this change is intended to "improve content discovery" and that they are "simplifying and reorganizing the filter menu to make it more intuitive and improve the overall search experience".<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/400586735/changes-to-youtube-search-filters-to-improve-content-discovery?hl=en Changes to YouTube Search Filters to Improve Content Discovery - YouTube Community]</ref> However, it was noted that this makes it more difficult to discover eyewitness stories that are alternative to mainstream outlets, and makes it harder for watchers to discover channels with low subscriber counts.<ref>[https://piunikaweb.com/2026/01/06/youtube-upload-date-filter-removal-test-web/ YouTube may be testing removal of Upload date filter from search on web]</ref>
<ref>[https://www.recentreborn.com/blog/why-did-youtube-remove-the-last-hour-filter Why did YouTube remove the "last hour" filter? — RecentReborn]</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1q8szsr/youtube_removes_the_sort_by_upload_date_option/ Youtube removes the "Sort by Upload Date" option pretending it didn't work, the reality? They want absolute control of the information you are allowed to get from the site : youtube] - Reddit</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1qjgsln/youtube_removed_the_ability_to_sort_by_upload/ Youtube removed the ability to sort by upload date as of today. : youtube] - Reddit</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube's algorithm was engineered to make the user watch more videos than they intended, to earn more ad revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicas |first=Jack |title=How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |url-access=subscription |website=The Wall Street Journal. |date=7 Feb 2018 |access-date=29 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208091112/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |archive-date=8 Dec 2018 |quote=YouTube engineered its algorithm several years ago to make the site “sticky”—to recommend videos that keep users staying to watch still more, said current and former YouTube engineers who helped build it. The site earns money selling ads that run before and during videos.}}</ref> This is on top of a feature called Autoplay, which queues another video (chosen by Youtube's algorithm) and plays that automatically after a short delay so you keep watching more. Through this mechanism, children will especially have their attention extracted for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |author= |title=James Bridle: What Do Kids' Videos on YouTube Reveal About the Internet's Dark Side? |others=NPR/TED Staff |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |website=NPR |date=2 Nov 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620234159/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |archive-date=20 Jun 2025 |quote="And also, on the other side of the screen, there still are these little kids watching this stuff - right? - their full attention grabbed by these weird mechanisms. And so there's autoplay, where it just keeps playing these videos over and over and over on a loop, endlessly, for hours and hours at a time. And there's so much weirdness in the system now that autoplay takes you to some pretty strange places. This is how within, like, a dozen steps, you can go from a cute video of a counting train to masturbating Mickey Mouse."}}</ref>

By default, this feature is enabled.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===

Since the beginning of 2025, users have been reporting issues with third-party front-ends accessing the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Fijxu |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |website=nadeko |date=16 Feb 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref> For FreeTube, there has been a heightened amount of people receiving {{Wplink|HTTP 403|403 errors}} associated with IP blocks when attempting to view videos via this front-end.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Gevaarlijk |title=[Bug]: [BAD_HTTP_STATUS: 403] Potential causes: IP block or streaming URL deciphering failed #6701 |url=https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |website=GitHub |date=31 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260105144421/https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |archive-date=5 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===AI filtering without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Atlantic |date=22 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822194955/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic. This change has been observed as early as 27 June 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=Ulincsys |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Jun 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250827144146/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "{{Wplink|VHS}} look".<ref>{{Cite web |author=dolanbriese |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=21 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003103832/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |website=YouTube |date=14 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

Artist Sam Yang uploaded a video on 30 August 2025, following up on the issue using his own work for comparison, testing the claims that this is merely compression scaling, adding an artist's eye and commentary to the issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Sam |title=Youtube is Using AI on Your Shorts Without Consent.. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |website=YouTube |date=30 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Users also complained about a dangerous flickering that happens under some videos. Some forwarded this issue to YouTube scientist Anton Petrov, to which he replicated the issue and showed it under a video uploaded 25 October 2025, noting it happens on one of his devices, more specifically a mobile phone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrov |first=Anton |title=YouTube AI Filter Is Making My Videos Dangerous To Watch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |website=YouTube |date=25 Oct 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025}}</ref>

===Wave of channel terminations (''2025'')===
In November 2025, multiple YouTube channels, including Enderman, Scratchit Gaming, and 4096 were reportedly terminated in a massive ban wave under false reasons, such as association with a Japanese-language channel "椛のスターレイル遊び" which translates roughly as "Momiji plays Honkai: Star Rail Adventures," a reference to a Japanese role-playing game. Some have blamed the ban wave on the malfunctions of YouTube's AI-powered moderation system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |title=Big YouTube channels are being banned. YouTubers are blaming AI. |url=https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |website=Mashable |date=4 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221125020/https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===API restrictions===
In June 2023, YouTube forced Matt Wright, maintainer of the YouTube Metadata tool, to remove the exporting feature which let people export YouTube metadata such as video descriptions into a file. This did not include the videos themselves. It can be assumed that this is the "tip of an iceberg" and YouTube made many such requests without them being publicly documented.<ref>[https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Export Feature? · mattwright324/youtube-metadata · Discussion #150 · GitHub] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214094758/https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Archived])</ref>

===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===
Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Archived]).</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E Archived]).</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent people from backing up videos locally. From a YouTube help center article:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260323195048/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Archived])</ref>

It is not specified what preventing offline use is intended to protect against.

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software!] - MKBHD (later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. YouTube Premium comes with a "download" feature, however, it is useless for long-term archival of videos given that it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name="VirtualCuriosities">[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ YouTube downloads not working - Megathread] - /r/cobalt_tools - Reddit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260322015608/https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ Archived]).</ref>

While YouTube can advertise its Premium service as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder, accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium actually has. The 29-day storage limit coupled with data lock-in render the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.<ref name="VirtualCuriosities" />

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. In fact, less than half of the videos that were publicly available on YouTube as of 2010 were still available as of 2021, according to a long-time study from a sample of 105 million videos.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://datahorde.org/youtube-was-made-for-reuploads/ |title=YouTube was made for Reuploads – Data Horde |date=28 July 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=12 April 2026 }}</ref> Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME, Archived from the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube] - video removed for unspecified violations.</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs Archived])</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:YouTube]]

YouTube

2026-04-12T22:13:45Z

JodyBruchonFan: using cite web

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Streaming, Video
|Company=Google
|Description=YouTube is a video-sharing platform founded in 2005.
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=YouTube.png
|ReleaseYear=2005
|Website=https://youtube.com
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, video logs ("vlogs"), and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer impact summary==
*'''User freedom:''' Questionable and highly contradictory due rampant bots, falsely accusing others of using their intellectual properties or “IP” for short (although it’s usually either others’ IPs, or it’s criticism, parodies, documentation, commentary, or other fair uses), and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation.
*'''User privacy:''' Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers and the site is owned by [[Google]].
*'''Business model:''' [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market competition:''' Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, [[PeerTube]], and [[DailyMotion]], they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==
===Elsagate===
{{Main|Elsagate}}

The first "Elsagate" incident arose sometime during the mid-2010s on YouTube, though it was not discovered and named until 2016. It has since been used as a catch-all term for content that appears child-friendly at first glance but, in actuality, contains suggestive or outright illicit material targeted at minors. This is accomplished by using major intellectual properties for children, such as the Elsa character from the 2013 [[Disney]] film ''{{Wplink|Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen}}'' and [[Minecraft]].

Although the problem is not unique to the YouTube platform, its dominance in the video sphere makes it an attractive target.

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|YouTube age verification}}

On 30 July 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |website=GameRant |date=30 Jul 2025 |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730234131/https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |archive-date=30 Jul 2025}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101140008/https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/creator-economy/ |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jordan |date=20 Jan 2024 |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GjC82 |archive-date=24 Feb 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=33rd Square}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Aamir |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dirscherl |first=Hans-Christian |last2=Lee |first2=Joel |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adegbola |first=Anu
|title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url=https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816143812/https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |archive-date=16 Aug 2024}}</ref>), increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Arol |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=YouTube |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Knoblauch |first=Max |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=YouTube |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=6 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206072120/https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AED |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250525154227/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=25 May 2025}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Can you still see ads if you have YouTube Premium? Here's what Google has to say |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |website=Android Authority |date=10 May 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211123241/https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Anurag |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are inappropriate... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=YouTube |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |archive-date=23 Feb 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse
|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=YouTube |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |archive-date=2 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217150604/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=YouTube |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=YouTube |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |archive-date=26 Feb 2025}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=YouTube |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |title=Monetisation analysis / research |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl |website=[[Google]] |date=20 Nov 2017 |access-date=3 Apr 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://consumerrights.wiki/images/5/5c/Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research.pdf |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Disney |first=Malia |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=Youth Radio Media
|date=4 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cantz |first=Randy |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Julia |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy
|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Jines |first=Chuck |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=YouTube |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |archive-date=2 Feb 2026}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brodkin
|first=John |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

The prevalence of advertising on the platform, coupled with the repeated appearance of harmful and deceptive ads within YouTube's advertising system, led a significant number of users to employ ad-blocking tools to facilitate their viewing experience.

In response, Google initiated technical countermeasures to limit the functionality of these tools. This has resulted in an ongoing cycle where ad-blocker developers adapt to new restrictions, and the platform subsequently implements further detection methods. A key strategy in this effort involves the implementation of advanced code integrity checks designed to ensure ad content is delivered to viewers.

However, these measures typically exhibit limited efficacy before ad-blocking tools develop new methods of circumvention,<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Flaherty |first=Kate |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |url-access=subscription |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620123932/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |archive-date=20 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |website=YouTube |date=12 Oct 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |archive-date=13 Oct 2023}}</ref> a dynamic that some analysts suggest exemplifies the {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref>{{Cite web |author=phub |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 Mar 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |website=YouTube |date=5 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |archive-date=5 Nov 2023}}</ref>

Additional strategies have involved the integration of advertisements directly into video streams. This approach has impaired the functionality of certain browser extensions, including SponsorBlock, a community-driven tool designed to skip sponsored segments within videos. The extension relies on user-submitted timestamps to identify these segments; its effectiveness is significantly reduced when personalized advertisements, which vary in duration and placement for each viewer, are embedded into the stream itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis
|title=Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |website=YouTube |date=18 Jun 2024
|access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |archive-date=28 Jul 2024}}</ref>

Google has publicly acknowledged implementing code that degrades the user experience for individuals using ad blockers. This includes introducing artificial latency, which has been documented to slow page load times, a measure that also affected users of the Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |website=YouTube |date=23 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |archive-date=23 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |website=YouTube |date=21 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |archive-date=21 Nov 2023}}</ref>

===Offline video DRM===
The YouTube Mobile application permits users with a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded content is protected by [[Digital rights management|Digital Rights Management]] (DRM) that requires the application to establish an online connection with YouTube's servers at least once every 48 hours to maintain playback functionality. This requirement is not prominently featured on the primary YouTube Premium marketing page and is detailed instead within the platform's support documentation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author= |date= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111004845/https://www.youtube.com/premium |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719175650/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |archive-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref>

Saved videos are forcibly deleted after 29 days. [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|Data lock-in and proprietary encoding]] prevents the user from making permanent copies of videos, even those licensed under Creative Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Santos |first=Noel |title=Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files |url=https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |website=Virtual Curiosities |date=7 Dec 2024 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |archive-date=26 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Mental Outlaw |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |website=YouTube |date=28 Aug 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licenses===
YouTube on TV is an {{Wplink|HTML5}} web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An {{Wplink|A/B testing|A/B experiment}} has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bit-rate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a user's ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=License Versions |url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Pay-walling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.

On 7 February 2026, it was reported that YouTube Music was testing a feature that would paywall song lyrics, which were previously a free feature since 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardwick |first=Tim |title=YouTube Music lyrics now require a Premium subscription |url=https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |website=9TO5Google |date=7 Feb 2026 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208225137/https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author= |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related {{Wplink|API}}, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Can |first=Michael |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

=== Removal of chronological searching ===
In January 2026, YouTube removed the ability to search videos by the most recently uploaded, as well as the "last hour" search filter. The "last day" search filter is the narrowest remaining time filter.

A Google employee stated that this change is intended to "improve content discovery" and that they are "simplifying and reorganizing the filter menu to make it more intuitive and improve the overall search experience".<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/400586735/changes-to-youtube-search-filters-to-improve-content-discovery?hl=en Changes to YouTube Search Filters to Improve Content Discovery - YouTube Community]</ref> However, it was noted that this makes it more difficult to discover eyewitness stories that are alternative to mainstream outlets, and makes it harder for watchers to discover channels with low subscriber counts.<ref>[https://piunikaweb.com/2026/01/06/youtube-upload-date-filter-removal-test-web/ YouTube may be testing removal of Upload date filter from search on web]</ref>
<ref>[https://www.recentreborn.com/blog/why-did-youtube-remove-the-last-hour-filter Why did YouTube remove the "last hour" filter? — RecentReborn]</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1q8szsr/youtube_removes_the_sort_by_upload_date_option/ Youtube removes the "Sort by Upload Date" option pretending it didn't work, the reality? They want absolute control of the information you are allowed to get from the site : youtube] - Reddit</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1qjgsln/youtube_removed_the_ability_to_sort_by_upload/ Youtube removed the ability to sort by upload date as of today. : youtube] - Reddit</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube's algorithm was engineered to make the user watch more videos than they intended, to earn more ad revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicas |first=Jack |title=How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |url-access=subscription |website=The Wall Street Journal. |date=7 Feb 2018 |access-date=29 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208091112/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |archive-date=8 Dec 2018 |quote=YouTube engineered its algorithm several years ago to make the site “sticky”—to recommend videos that keep users staying to watch still more, said current and former YouTube engineers who helped build it. The site earns money selling ads that run before and during videos.}}</ref> This is on top of a feature called Autoplay, which queues another video (chosen by Youtube's algorithm) and plays that automatically after a short delay so you keep watching more. Through this mechanism, children will especially have their attention extracted for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |author= |title=James Bridle: What Do Kids' Videos on YouTube Reveal About the Internet's Dark Side? |others=NPR/TED Staff |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |website=NPR |date=2 Nov 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620234159/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |archive-date=20 Jun 2025 |quote="And also, on the other side of the screen, there still are these little kids watching this stuff - right? - their full attention grabbed by these weird mechanisms. And so there's autoplay, where it just keeps playing these videos over and over and over on a loop, endlessly, for hours and hours at a time. And there's so much weirdness in the system now that autoplay takes you to some pretty strange places. This is how within, like, a dozen steps, you can go from a cute video of a counting train to masturbating Mickey Mouse."}}</ref>

By default, this feature is enabled.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===

Since the beginning of 2025, users have been reporting issues with third-party front-ends accessing the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Fijxu |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |website=nadeko |date=16 Feb 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref> For FreeTube, there has been a heightened amount of people receiving {{Wplink|HTTP 403|403 errors}} associated with IP blocks when attempting to view videos via this front-end.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Gevaarlijk |title=[Bug]: [BAD_HTTP_STATUS: 403] Potential causes: IP block or streaming URL deciphering failed #6701 |url=https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |website=GitHub |date=31 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260105144421/https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |archive-date=5 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===AI filtering without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Atlantic |date=22 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822194955/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic. This change has been observed as early as 27 June 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=Ulincsys |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Jun 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250827144146/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "{{Wplink|VHS}} look".<ref>{{Cite web |author=dolanbriese |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=21 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003103832/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |website=YouTube |date=14 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

Artist Sam Yang uploaded a video on 30 August 2025, following up on the issue using his own work for comparison, testing the claims that this is merely compression scaling, adding an artist's eye and commentary to the issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Sam |title=Youtube is Using AI on Your Shorts Without Consent.. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |website=YouTube |date=30 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Users also complained about a dangerous flickering that happens under some videos. Some forwarded this issue to YouTube scientist Anton Petrov, to which he replicated the issue and showed it under a video uploaded 25 October 2025, noting it happens on one of his devices, more specifically a mobile phone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrov |first=Anton |title=YouTube AI Filter Is Making My Videos Dangerous To Watch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |website=YouTube |date=25 Oct 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025}}</ref>

===Wave of channel terminations (''2025'')===
In November 2025, multiple YouTube channels, including Enderman, Scratchit Gaming, and 4096 were reportedly terminated in a massive ban wave under false reasons, such as association with a Japanese-language channel "椛のスターレイル遊び" which translates roughly as "Momiji plays Honkai: Star Rail Adventures," a reference to a Japanese role-playing game. Some have blamed the ban wave on the malfunctions of YouTube's AI-powered moderation system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |title=Big YouTube channels are being banned. YouTubers are blaming AI. |url=https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |website=Mashable |date=4 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221125020/https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===API restrictions===
In June 2023, YouTube forced Matt Wright, maintainer of the YouTube Metadata tool, to remove the exporting feature which let people export YouTube metadata such as video descriptions into a file. This did not include the videos themselves. It can be assumed that this is the "tip of an iceberg" and YouTube made many such requests without them being publicly documented.<ref>[https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Export Feature? · mattwright324/youtube-metadata · Discussion #150 · GitHub] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214094758/https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Archived])</ref>

===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===
Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Archived]).</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E Archived]).</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent people from backing up videos locally. From a YouTube help center article:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260323195048/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Archived])</ref>

It is not specified what preventing offline use is intended to protect against.

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software!] - MKBHD (later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. YouTube Premium comes with a "download" feature, however, it is useless for long-term archival of videos given that it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name="VirtualCuriosities">[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ YouTube downloads not working - Megathread] - /r/cobalt_tools - Reddit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260322015608/https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ Archived]).</ref>

While YouTube can advertise its Premium service as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder, accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium actually has. The 29-day storage limit coupled with data lock-in render the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.<ref name="VirtualCuriosities" />

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. In fact, less than half of the videos that were publicly available on YouTube as of 2010 were still available as of 2021, according to a long-time study from a sample of 105 million videos.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://datahorde.org/youtube-was-made-for-reuploads/ YouTube was made for Reuploads – Data Horde |date=28 July 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=12 April 2026 }}</ref> Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME, Archived from the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube] - video removed for unspecified violations.</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs Archived])</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:YouTube]]

YouTube

2026-04-12T22:11:29Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading) */ Added long-time study.

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Streaming, Video
|Company=Google
|Description=YouTube is a video-sharing platform founded in 2005.
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=YouTube.png
|ReleaseYear=2005
|Website=https://youtube.com
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, video logs ("vlogs"), and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer impact summary==
*'''User freedom:''' Questionable and highly contradictory due rampant bots, falsely accusing others of using their intellectual properties or “IP” for short (although it’s usually either others’ IPs, or it’s criticism, parodies, documentation, commentary, or other fair uses), and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation.
*'''User privacy:''' Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers and the site is owned by [[Google]].
*'''Business model:''' [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market competition:''' Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, [[PeerTube]], and [[DailyMotion]], they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==
===Elsagate===
{{Main|Elsagate}}

The first "Elsagate" incident arose sometime during the mid-2010s on YouTube, though it was not discovered and named until 2016. It has since been used as a catch-all term for content that appears child-friendly at first glance but, in actuality, contains suggestive or outright illicit material targeted at minors. This is accomplished by using major intellectual properties for children, such as the Elsa character from the 2013 [[Disney]] film ''{{Wplink|Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen}}'' and [[Minecraft]].

Although the problem is not unique to the YouTube platform, its dominance in the video sphere makes it an attractive target.

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|YouTube age verification}}

On 30 July 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |website=GameRant |date=30 Jul 2025 |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730234131/https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |archive-date=30 Jul 2025}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101140008/https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/creator-economy/ |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jordan |date=20 Jan 2024 |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GjC82 |archive-date=24 Feb 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=33rd Square}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Aamir |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dirscherl |first=Hans-Christian |last2=Lee |first2=Joel |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adegbola |first=Anu
|title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url=https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816143812/https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |archive-date=16 Aug 2024}}</ref>), increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Arol |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=YouTube |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Knoblauch |first=Max |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=YouTube |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=6 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206072120/https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AED |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250525154227/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=25 May 2025}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Can you still see ads if you have YouTube Premium? Here's what Google has to say |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |website=Android Authority |date=10 May 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211123241/https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Anurag |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are inappropriate... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=YouTube |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |archive-date=23 Feb 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse
|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=YouTube |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |archive-date=2 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217150604/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=YouTube |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=YouTube |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |archive-date=26 Feb 2025}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=YouTube |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |title=Monetisation analysis / research |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl |website=[[Google]] |date=20 Nov 2017 |access-date=3 Apr 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://consumerrights.wiki/images/5/5c/Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research.pdf |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Disney |first=Malia |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=Youth Radio Media
|date=4 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cantz |first=Randy |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Julia |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy
|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Jines |first=Chuck |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=YouTube |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |archive-date=2 Feb 2026}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brodkin
|first=John |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

The prevalence of advertising on the platform, coupled with the repeated appearance of harmful and deceptive ads within YouTube's advertising system, led a significant number of users to employ ad-blocking tools to facilitate their viewing experience.

In response, Google initiated technical countermeasures to limit the functionality of these tools. This has resulted in an ongoing cycle where ad-blocker developers adapt to new restrictions, and the platform subsequently implements further detection methods. A key strategy in this effort involves the implementation of advanced code integrity checks designed to ensure ad content is delivered to viewers.

However, these measures typically exhibit limited efficacy before ad-blocking tools develop new methods of circumvention,<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Flaherty |first=Kate |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |url-access=subscription |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620123932/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |archive-date=20 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |website=YouTube |date=12 Oct 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |archive-date=13 Oct 2023}}</ref> a dynamic that some analysts suggest exemplifies the {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref>{{Cite web |author=phub |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 Mar 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |website=YouTube |date=5 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |archive-date=5 Nov 2023}}</ref>

Additional strategies have involved the integration of advertisements directly into video streams. This approach has impaired the functionality of certain browser extensions, including SponsorBlock, a community-driven tool designed to skip sponsored segments within videos. The extension relies on user-submitted timestamps to identify these segments; its effectiveness is significantly reduced when personalized advertisements, which vary in duration and placement for each viewer, are embedded into the stream itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis
|title=Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |website=YouTube |date=18 Jun 2024
|access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |archive-date=28 Jul 2024}}</ref>

Google has publicly acknowledged implementing code that degrades the user experience for individuals using ad blockers. This includes introducing artificial latency, which has been documented to slow page load times, a measure that also affected users of the Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |website=YouTube |date=23 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |archive-date=23 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |website=YouTube |date=21 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |archive-date=21 Nov 2023}}</ref>

===Offline video DRM===
The YouTube Mobile application permits users with a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded content is protected by [[Digital rights management|Digital Rights Management]] (DRM) that requires the application to establish an online connection with YouTube's servers at least once every 48 hours to maintain playback functionality. This requirement is not prominently featured on the primary YouTube Premium marketing page and is detailed instead within the platform's support documentation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author= |date= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111004845/https://www.youtube.com/premium |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719175650/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |archive-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref>

Saved videos are forcibly deleted after 29 days. [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|Data lock-in and proprietary encoding]] prevents the user from making permanent copies of videos, even those licensed under Creative Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Santos |first=Noel |title=Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files |url=https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |website=Virtual Curiosities |date=7 Dec 2024 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |archive-date=26 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Mental Outlaw |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |website=YouTube |date=28 Aug 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licenses===
YouTube on TV is an {{Wplink|HTML5}} web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An {{Wplink|A/B testing|A/B experiment}} has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bit-rate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a user's ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=License Versions |url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Pay-walling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.

On 7 February 2026, it was reported that YouTube Music was testing a feature that would paywall song lyrics, which were previously a free feature since 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardwick |first=Tim |title=YouTube Music lyrics now require a Premium subscription |url=https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |website=9TO5Google |date=7 Feb 2026 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208225137/https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author= |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related {{Wplink|API}}, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Can |first=Michael |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

=== Removal of chronological searching ===
In January 2026, YouTube removed the ability to search videos by the most recently uploaded, as well as the "last hour" search filter. The "last day" search filter is the narrowest remaining time filter.

A Google employee stated that this change is intended to "improve content discovery" and that they are "simplifying and reorganizing the filter menu to make it more intuitive and improve the overall search experience".<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/400586735/changes-to-youtube-search-filters-to-improve-content-discovery?hl=en Changes to YouTube Search Filters to Improve Content Discovery - YouTube Community]</ref> However, it was noted that this makes it more difficult to discover eyewitness stories that are alternative to mainstream outlets, and makes it harder for watchers to discover channels with low subscriber counts.<ref>[https://piunikaweb.com/2026/01/06/youtube-upload-date-filter-removal-test-web/ YouTube may be testing removal of Upload date filter from search on web]</ref>
<ref>[https://www.recentreborn.com/blog/why-did-youtube-remove-the-last-hour-filter Why did YouTube remove the "last hour" filter? — RecentReborn]</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1q8szsr/youtube_removes_the_sort_by_upload_date_option/ Youtube removes the "Sort by Upload Date" option pretending it didn't work, the reality? They want absolute control of the information you are allowed to get from the site : youtube] - Reddit</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1qjgsln/youtube_removed_the_ability_to_sort_by_upload/ Youtube removed the ability to sort by upload date as of today. : youtube] - Reddit</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube's algorithm was engineered to make the user watch more videos than they intended, to earn more ad revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicas |first=Jack |title=How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |url-access=subscription |website=The Wall Street Journal. |date=7 Feb 2018 |access-date=29 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208091112/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |archive-date=8 Dec 2018 |quote=YouTube engineered its algorithm several years ago to make the site “sticky”—to recommend videos that keep users staying to watch still more, said current and former YouTube engineers who helped build it. The site earns money selling ads that run before and during videos.}}</ref> This is on top of a feature called Autoplay, which queues another video (chosen by Youtube's algorithm) and plays that automatically after a short delay so you keep watching more. Through this mechanism, children will especially have their attention extracted for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |author= |title=James Bridle: What Do Kids' Videos on YouTube Reveal About the Internet's Dark Side? |others=NPR/TED Staff |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |website=NPR |date=2 Nov 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620234159/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |archive-date=20 Jun 2025 |quote="And also, on the other side of the screen, there still are these little kids watching this stuff - right? - their full attention grabbed by these weird mechanisms. And so there's autoplay, where it just keeps playing these videos over and over and over on a loop, endlessly, for hours and hours at a time. And there's so much weirdness in the system now that autoplay takes you to some pretty strange places. This is how within, like, a dozen steps, you can go from a cute video of a counting train to masturbating Mickey Mouse."}}</ref>

By default, this feature is enabled.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===

Since the beginning of 2025, users have been reporting issues with third-party front-ends accessing the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Fijxu |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |website=nadeko |date=16 Feb 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref> For FreeTube, there has been a heightened amount of people receiving {{Wplink|HTTP 403|403 errors}} associated with IP blocks when attempting to view videos via this front-end.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Gevaarlijk |title=[Bug]: [BAD_HTTP_STATUS: 403] Potential causes: IP block or streaming URL deciphering failed #6701 |url=https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |website=GitHub |date=31 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260105144421/https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |archive-date=5 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===AI filtering without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Atlantic |date=22 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822194955/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic. This change has been observed as early as 27 June 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=Ulincsys |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Jun 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250827144146/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "{{Wplink|VHS}} look".<ref>{{Cite web |author=dolanbriese |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=21 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003103832/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |website=YouTube |date=14 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

Artist Sam Yang uploaded a video on 30 August 2025, following up on the issue using his own work for comparison, testing the claims that this is merely compression scaling, adding an artist's eye and commentary to the issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Sam |title=Youtube is Using AI on Your Shorts Without Consent.. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |website=YouTube |date=30 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Users also complained about a dangerous flickering that happens under some videos. Some forwarded this issue to YouTube scientist Anton Petrov, to which he replicated the issue and showed it under a video uploaded 25 October 2025, noting it happens on one of his devices, more specifically a mobile phone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrov |first=Anton |title=YouTube AI Filter Is Making My Videos Dangerous To Watch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |website=YouTube |date=25 Oct 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025}}</ref>

===Wave of channel terminations (''2025'')===
In November 2025, multiple YouTube channels, including Enderman, Scratchit Gaming, and 4096 were reportedly terminated in a massive ban wave under false reasons, such as association with a Japanese-language channel "椛のスターレイル遊び" which translates roughly as "Momiji plays Honkai: Star Rail Adventures," a reference to a Japanese role-playing game. Some have blamed the ban wave on the malfunctions of YouTube's AI-powered moderation system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |title=Big YouTube channels are being banned. YouTubers are blaming AI. |url=https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |website=Mashable |date=4 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221125020/https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===API restrictions===
In June 2023, YouTube forced Matt Wright, maintainer of the YouTube Metadata tool, to remove the exporting feature which let people export YouTube metadata such as video descriptions into a file. This did not include the videos themselves. It can be assumed that this is the "tip of an iceberg" and YouTube made many such requests without them being publicly documented.<ref>[https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Export Feature? · mattwright324/youtube-metadata · Discussion #150 · GitHub] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214094758/https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Archived])</ref>

===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===
Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Archived]).</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E Archived]).</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent people from backing up videos locally. From a YouTube help center article:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260323195048/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Archived])</ref>

It is not specified what preventing offline use is intended to protect against.

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software!] - MKBHD (later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. YouTube Premium comes with a "download" feature, however, it is useless for long-term archival of videos given that it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name="VirtualCuriosities">[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ YouTube downloads not working - Megathread] - /r/cobalt_tools - Reddit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260322015608/https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ Archived]).</ref>

While YouTube can advertise its Premium service as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder, accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium actually has. The 29-day storage limit coupled with data lock-in render the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.<ref name="VirtualCuriosities" />

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. In fact, less than half of the videos that were publicly available on YouTube as of 2010 were still available as of 2021, according to a long-time study from a sample of 105 million videos.<ref>[https://datahorde.org/youtube-was-made-for-reuploads/ YouTube was made for Reuploads – Data Horde] (28 July 2021)</ref> Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME, Archived from the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube] - video removed for unspecified violations.</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs Archived])</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:YouTube]]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-04-01T11:12:01Z

JodyBruchonFan: Added a poem by Jody Bruchon on the Starmer UK government.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

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<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
File:Android dev verif 1984.png|1984 (made by [[User:Rudxain|Rudxain]])
</gallery>

Unfortunately, most people won't care until it is too late. Most people just want to satisfy their daily dose of WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or whatever instant gratification there is. They don't see the long term loss of freedom. It is the [https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131043/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/slowly_boiling_the_frog.html boiling frog effect] metaphor. Or, as Louis Rossman calls it, death by a thousand cuts.

See also: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEY906hRoG4 Jody Bruchon's response to "It's okay because hackers will always find a way to hack around it!"].

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
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To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== How to insult Google's user interface designers ==
By adding this to your website's CSS:
<pre>
html, body { overscroll-behavior: contain; }
</pre>

This will insult the lack of intelligence of whoever thought [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|making pull-to-refresh mandatory in Chrome]] was a brilliant idea.

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]'', 7:44.

----

<blockquote>
If you think [people in positions of authority] can't do something, you are wrong; unless it is directly violating a law of physics, they can do it. For example you may think "haha they can't start selling air, people would revolt", "hahaaa, they can't make people believe 1 + 1 equals 2000, it's too obvious of a lie" or "hahaaa they can't lie about history when there is a ton of direct evidence for the contrary freely accessible on the Internet, they can't censor something that's all over the Internet and in billions of books" -- yes, they can do all of this.

[...]

You think "hahaha, if we create this super encrypted/decentralized computer network, we can simply communicate and they can do nothing about it, BAZINGA" -- well, no you can't. How can they stop this? '''They will simply ban computers''' you idiot, in fact you have only given them the reason to.

You say "hahaha but I can have this calculator in my basement hidden" -- well, how many people will participate in your network if revealing such participation is punished not only by death sentence, but death sentence for you whole family; if even people who know about you participating in the network and not reporting you face the same punishment (already the case in some pseudocommunist countries)?

If in addition people have no free time, if they don't have electricity at home, no will to live and there are also government signal jammers everywhere just in case? Enjoy your guerrilla resistance network with three people armed with calculators.

You say "bbbb...but that cant happen ppl would revolt" -- NO. Have you seen chicken at chicken farm revolt? (Except in that one movie lol). "BBBb...BUT... people are not chicken". NO. People are literally physically chicken (to a stupid argument you get stupid counterargument).

[...]

Admit it, whatever they do you will conform even if you're angry about it because not conforming would cause you discomfort and you like comfort, so here you have it: they can do whatever they want. You want war? Probably not, but if they start it, you will go to war, you will help them make weapons, you will kill. You want to watch ads? Probably not, but if they put them up you will watch them. You want to get up every day at 5 AM and spend your day doing something that has no meaning and which you hate doing? Maybe, but it doesn't even matter if you want, you will do it despite wanting or not.
</blockquote>
- from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can]'' by Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher. Bolded for emphasis.

"They will simply ban computers" - and if not, they will [[Anti-privacy_legislation|backdoor everything]]. Looks like the "tinfoil hat" people weren't so crazy after all.

----

== Should you feel sorry for the Starmer UK government? ==
A poetic masterpiece by Jody Bruchon on the Starmer UK government!
(Source: ''[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs Time To Cut Off Internet To The UK And Australia, F Them - ROLLIN' RAMPAGE - Jody Bruchon]'', 11:29)


<div style="text-align:center; font-family:'Script MT Font','times new roman',serif; white-space:pre;">
The UK government is actually saying to X:
''"Hey, don't do that, you're gonna make us look bad!"''

Well, ____ you!
____ you!

Oh, I'll make you look bad!
Oh, you ____ with me, and then I make you look bad,
by doing what you told me to do?

Oh, boohoo!
Oh, oh, what a tragedy!
I feel so bad for the poor Starmer UK government!

Aww, I made you look bad on the Internet
by doing exactly what you told me to do?

And it had exactly the response
that I told you it would have?

Oh, how sudden, couldn't see this coming.
Oh, that's hoooorrible!
I feel so baaaaaaaaaaaaad!

Except I ____ing '''don't.'''
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-04-01T10:28:05Z

JodyBruchonFan: Sadly, most people won't care until it is too late.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
File:Android dev verif 1984.png|1984 (made by [[User:Rudxain|Rudxain]])
</gallery>

Unfortunately, most people won't care until it is too late. Most people just want to satisfy their daily dose of WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or whatever instant gratification there is. They don't see the long term loss of freedom. It is the [https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131043/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/slowly_boiling_the_frog.html boiling frog effect] metaphor. Or, as Louis Rossman calls it, death by a thousand cuts.

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
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| info-c = #222
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| border-c = #f00
| border-op =
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}}
</div>

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== How to insult Google's user interface designers ==
By adding this to your website's CSS:
<pre>
html, body { overscroll-behavior: contain; }
</pre>

This will insult the lack of intelligence of whoever thought [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|making pull-to-refresh mandatory in Chrome]] was a brilliant idea.

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]'', 7:44.

----

<blockquote>
If you think [people in positions of authority] can't do something, you are wrong; unless it is directly violating a law of physics, they can do it. For example you may think "haha they can't start selling air, people would revolt", "hahaaa, they can't make people believe 1 + 1 equals 2000, it's too obvious of a lie" or "hahaaa they can't lie about history when there is a ton of direct evidence for the contrary freely accessible on the Internet, they can't censor something that's all over the Internet and in billions of books" -- yes, they can do all of this.

[...]

You think "hahaha, if we create this super encrypted/decentralized computer network, we can simply communicate and they can do nothing about it, BAZINGA" -- well, no you can't. How can they stop this? '''They will simply ban computers''' you idiot, in fact you have only given them the reason to.

You say "hahaha but I can have this calculator in my basement hidden" -- well, how many people will participate in your network if revealing such participation is punished not only by death sentence, but death sentence for you whole family; if even people who know about you participating in the network and not reporting you face the same punishment (already the case in some pseudocommunist countries)?

If in addition people have no free time, if they don't have electricity at home, no will to live and there are also government signal jammers everywhere just in case? Enjoy your guerrilla resistance network with three people armed with calculators.

You say "bbbb...but that cant happen ppl would revolt" -- NO. Have you seen chicken at chicken farm revolt? (Except in that one movie lol). "BBBb...BUT... people are not chicken". NO. People are literally physically chicken (to a stupid argument you get stupid counterargument).

[...]

Admit it, whatever they do you will conform even if you're angry about it because not conforming would cause you discomfort and you like comfort, so here you have it: they can do whatever they want. You want war? Probably not, but if they start it, you will go to war, you will help them make weapons, you will kill. You want to watch ads? Probably not, but if they put them up you will watch them. You want to get up every day at 5 AM and spend your day doing something that has no meaning and which you hate doing? Maybe, but it doesn't even matter if you want, you will do it despite wanting or not.
</blockquote>
- from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can]'' by Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher. Bolded for emphasis.

"They will simply ban computers" - and if not, they will [[Anti-privacy_legislation|backdoor everything]]. Looks like the "tinfoil hat" people weren't so crazy after all.

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

YouTube

2026-03-29T22:30:58Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Removal of chronological searching */ might as well add the exact month

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Streaming, Video
|Company=Google
|Description=
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=YouTube.png
|ReleaseYear=2005
|Website=https://youtube.com
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, video logs ("vlogs"), and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer impact summary==
*'''User freedom:''' Questionable and highly contradictory due rampant bots, falsely accusing others of using their intellectual properties or “IP” for short (although it’s usually either others’ IPs, or it’s criticism, parodies, documentation, commentary, or other fair uses), and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation.
*'''User privacy:''' Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers and the site is owned by [[Google]].
*'''Business model:''' [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market competition:''' Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, [[PeerTube]], and [[DailyMotion]], they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==
===Elsagate===
{{Main|Elsagate}}

The first "Elsagate" incident arose sometime during the mid-2010s on YouTube, though it was not discovered and named until 2016. It has since been used as a catch-all term for content that appears child-friendly at first glance but, in actuality, contains suggestive or outright illicit material targeted at minors. This is accomplished by using major intellectual properties for children, such as the Elsa character from the 2013 [[Disney]] film ''{{Wplink|Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen}}'' and [[Minecraft]].

Although the problem is not unique to the YouTube platform, its dominance in the video sphere makes it an attractive target.

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|YouTube age verification}}

On 30 July 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |website=GameRant |date=30 Jul 2025 |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730234131/https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |archive-date=30 Jul 2025}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101140008/https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/creator-economy/ |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jordan |date=20 Jan 2024 |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GjC82 |archive-date=24 Feb 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=33rd Square}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Aamir |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dirscherl |first=Hans-Christian |last2=Lee |first2=Joel |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adegbola |first=Anu
|title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url=https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816143812/https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |archive-date=16 Aug 2024}}</ref>), increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Arol |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=YouTube |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Knoblauch |first=Max |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=YouTube |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=6 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206072120/https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AED |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250525154227/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=25 May 2025}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Can you still see ads if you have YouTube Premium? Here's what Google has to say |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |website=Android Authority |date=10 May 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211123241/https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Anurag |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are inappropriate... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=YouTube |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |archive-date=23 Feb 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse
|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=YouTube |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |archive-date=2 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217150604/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=YouTube |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=YouTube |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |archive-date=26 Feb 2025}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=YouTube |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |date=20 Nov 2017 |title=Monetisation analysis / research |url=https://consumerrights.wiki/w/File:Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research_.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://consumerrights.wiki/images/5/5c/Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research_.pdf |archive-date=24 Mar 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Disney |first=Malia |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=Youth Radio Media
|date=4 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cantz |first=Randy |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Julia |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy
|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Jines |first=Chuck |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=YouTube |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |archive-date=2 Feb 2026}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brodkin
|first=John |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

The prevalence of advertising on the platform, coupled with the repeated appearance of harmful and deceptive ads within YouTube's advertising system, led a significant number of users to employ ad-blocking tools to facilitate their viewing experience.

In response, Google initiated technical countermeasures to limit the functionality of these tools. This has resulted in an ongoing cycle where ad-blocker developers adapt to new restrictions, and the platform subsequently implements further detection methods. A key strategy in this effort involves the implementation of advanced code integrity checks designed to ensure ad content is delivered to viewers.

However, these measures typically exhibit limited efficacy before ad-blocking tools develop new methods of circumvention,<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Flaherty |first=Kate |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |url-access=subscription |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620123932/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |archive-date=20 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |website=YouTube |date=12 Oct 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |archive-date=13 Oct 2023}}</ref> a dynamic that some analysts suggest exemplifies the {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref>{{Cite web |author=phub |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 Mar 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |website=YouTube |date=5 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |archive-date=5 Nov 2023}}</ref>

Additional strategies have involved the integration of advertisements directly into video streams. This approach has impaired the functionality of certain browser extensions, including SponsorBlock, a community-driven tool designed to skip sponsored segments within videos. The extension relies on user-submitted timestamps to identify these segments; its effectiveness is significantly reduced when personalized advertisements, which vary in duration and placement for each viewer, are embedded into the stream itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis
|title=Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |website=YouTube |date=18 Jun 2024
|access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |archive-date=28 Jul 2024}}</ref>

Google has publicly acknowledged implementing code that degrades the user experience for individuals using ad blockers. This includes introducing artificial latency, which has been documented to slow page load times, a measure that also affected users of the Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |website=YouTube |date=23 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |archive-date=23 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |website=YouTube |date=21 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |archive-date=21 Nov 2023}}</ref>

===Offline video DRM===
The YouTube Mobile application permits users with a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded content is protected by [[Digital rights management|Digital Rights Management]] (DRM) that requires the application to establish an online connection with YouTube's servers at least once every 48 hours to maintain playback functionality. This requirement is not prominently featured on the primary YouTube Premium marketing page and is detailed instead within the platform's support documentation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author= |date= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111004845/https://www.youtube.com/premium |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719175650/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |archive-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref>

Saved videos are forcibly deleted after 29 days. [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|Data lock-in and proprietary encoding]] prevents the user from making permanent copies of videos, even those licensed under Creative Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Santos |first=Noel |title=Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files |url=https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |website=Virtual Curiosities |date=7 Dec 2024 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |archive-date=26 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Mental Outlaw |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |website=YouTube |date=28 Aug 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licenses===
YouTube on TV is an {{Wplink|HTML5}} web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An {{Wplink|A/B testing|A/B experiment}} has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bit-rate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a user's ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=License Versions |url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Pay-walling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.

On 7 February 2026, it was reported that YouTube Music was testing a feature that would paywall song lyrics, which were previously a free feature since 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardwick |first=Tim |title=YouTube Music lyrics now require a Premium subscription |url=https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |website=9TO5Google |date=7 Feb 2026 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208225137/https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author= |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related {{Wplink|API}}, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Can |first=Michael |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

=== Removal of chronological searching ===
In January 2026, YouTube removed the ability to search videos by the most recently uploaded, as well as the "last hour" search filter. The "last day" search filter is the narrowest remaining time filter.

A Google employee stated that this change is intended to "improve content discovery" and that they are "simplifying and reorganizing the filter menu to make it more intuitive and improve the overall search experience".<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/400586735/changes-to-youtube-search-filters-to-improve-content-discovery?hl=en Changes to YouTube Search Filters to Improve Content Discovery - YouTube Community]</ref> However, it was noted that this makes it more difficult to discover eyewitness stories that are alternative to mainstream outlets, and makes it harder for watchers to discover channels with low subscriber counts.<ref>[https://piunikaweb.com/2026/01/06/youtube-upload-date-filter-removal-test-web/ YouTube may be testing removal of Upload date filter from search on web]</ref>
<ref>[https://www.recentreborn.com/blog/why-did-youtube-remove-the-last-hour-filter Why did YouTube remove the "last hour" filter? — RecentReborn]</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1q8szsr/youtube_removes_the_sort_by_upload_date_option/ Youtube removes the "Sort by Upload Date" option pretending it didn't work, the reality? They want absolute control of the information you are allowed to get from the site : youtube] - Reddit</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1qjgsln/youtube_removed_the_ability_to_sort_by_upload/ Youtube removed the ability to sort by upload date as of today. : youtube] - Reddit</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube's algorithm was engineered to make the user watch more videos than they intended, to earn more ad revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicas |first=Jack |title=How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |url-access=subscription |website=The Wall Street Journal. |date=7 Feb 2018 |access-date=29 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208091112/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |archive-date=8 Dec 2018 |quote=YouTube engineered its algorithm several years ago to make the site “sticky”—to recommend videos that keep users staying to watch still more, said current and former YouTube engineers who helped build it. The site earns money selling ads that run before and during videos.}}</ref> This is on top of a feature called Autoplay, which queues another video (chosen by Youtube's algorithm) and plays that automatically after a short delay so you keep watching more. Through this mechanism, children will especially have their attention extracted for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |author= |title=James Bridle: What Do Kids' Videos on YouTube Reveal About the Internet's Dark Side? |others=NPR/TED Staff |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |website=NPR |date=2 Nov 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620234159/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |archive-date=20 Jun 2025 |quote="And also, on the other side of the screen, there still are these little kids watching this stuff - right? - their full attention grabbed by these weird mechanisms. And so there's autoplay, where it just keeps playing these videos over and over and over on a loop, endlessly, for hours and hours at a time. And there's so much weirdness in the system now that autoplay takes you to some pretty strange places. This is how within, like, a dozen steps, you can go from a cute video of a counting train to masturbating Mickey Mouse."}}</ref>

By default, this feature is enabled.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===

Since the beginning of 2025, users have been reporting issues with third-party front-ends accessing the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Fijxu |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |website=nadeko |date=16 Feb 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref> For FreeTube, there has been a heightened amount of people receiving {{Wplink|HTTP 403|403 errors}} associated with IP blocks when attempting to view videos via this front-end.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Gevaarlijk |title=[Bug]: [BAD_HTTP_STATUS: 403] Potential causes: IP block or streaming URL deciphering failed #6701 |url=https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |website=GitHub |date=31 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260105144421/https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |archive-date=5 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===AI filtering without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Atlantic |date=22 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822194955/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic. This change has been observed as early as 27 June 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=Ulincsys |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Jun 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250827144146/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "{{Wplink|VHS}} look".<ref>{{Cite web |author=dolanbriese |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=21 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003103832/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |website=YouTube |date=14 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

Artist Sam Yang uploaded a video on 30 August 2025, following up on the issue using his own work for comparison, testing the claims that this is merely compression scaling, adding an artist's eye and commentary to the issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Sam |title=Youtube is Using AI on Your Shorts Without Consent.. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |website=YouTube |date=30 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Users also complained about a dangerous flickering that happens under some videos. Some forwarded this issue to YouTube scientist Anton Petrov, to which he replicated the issue and showed it under a video uploaded 25 October 2025, noting it happens on one of his devices, more specifically a mobile phone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrov |first=Anton |title=YouTube AI Filter Is Making My Videos Dangerous To Watch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |website=YouTube |date=25 Oct 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025}}</ref>

===Wave of channel terminations (''2025'')===
In November 2025, multiple YouTube channels, including Enderman, Scratchit Gaming, and 4096 were reportedly terminated in a massive ban wave under false reasons, such as association with a Japanese-language channel "椛のスターレイル遊び" which translates roughly as "Momiji plays Honkai: Star Rail Adventures," a reference to a Japanese role-playing game. Some have blamed the ban wave on the malfunctions of YouTube's AI-powered moderation system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |title=Big YouTube channels are being banned. YouTubers are blaming AI. |url=https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |website=Mashable |date=4 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221125020/https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===API restrictions===
In June 2023, YouTube forced Matt Wright, maintainer of the YouTube Metadata tool, to remove the exporting feature which let people export YouTube metadata such as video descriptions into a file. This did not include the videos themselves. It can be assumed that this is the "tip of an iceberg" and YouTube made many such requests without them being publicly documented.<ref>[https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Export Feature? · mattwright324/youtube-metadata · Discussion #150 · GitHub] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214094758/https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Archived])</ref>

===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===
Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Archived]).</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E Archived]).</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent people from backing up videos locally. From a YouTube help center article:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260323195048/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Archived])</ref>

It is not specified what preventing offline use is intended to protect against.

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software!] - MKBHD (later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. YouTube Premium comes with a "download" feature, however, it is useless for long-term archival of videos given that it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name="VirtualCuriosities">[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ YouTube downloads not working - Megathread] - /r/cobalt_tools - Reddit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260322015608/https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ Archived]).</ref>

While YouTube can advertise its Premium service as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder, accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium actually has. The 29-day storage limit coupled with data lock-in render the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.<ref name="VirtualCuriosities" />

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME, Archived from the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube] - video removed for unspecified violations.</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs Archived])</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:YouTube]]

YouTube

2026-03-29T22:29:23Z

JodyBruchonFan: removal of chronological searching

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Streaming, Video
|Company=Google
|Description=
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=YouTube.png
|ReleaseYear=2005
|Website=https://youtube.com
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, video logs ("vlogs"), and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer impact summary==
*'''User freedom:''' Questionable and highly contradictory due rampant bots, falsely accusing others of using their intellectual properties or “IP” for short (although it’s usually either others’ IPs, or it’s criticism, parodies, documentation, commentary, or other fair uses), and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation.
*'''User privacy:''' Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers and the site is owned by [[Google]].
*'''Business model:''' [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market competition:''' Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, [[PeerTube]], and [[DailyMotion]], they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==
===Elsagate===
{{Main|Elsagate}}

The first "Elsagate" incident arose sometime during the mid-2010s on YouTube, though it was not discovered and named until 2016. It has since been used as a catch-all term for content that appears child-friendly at first glance but, in actuality, contains suggestive or outright illicit material targeted at minors. This is accomplished by using major intellectual properties for children, such as the Elsa character from the 2013 [[Disney]] film ''{{Wplink|Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen}}'' and [[Minecraft]].

Although the problem is not unique to the YouTube platform, its dominance in the video sphere makes it an attractive target.

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|YouTube age verification}}

On 30 July 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |website=GameRant |date=30 Jul 2025 |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730234131/https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |archive-date=30 Jul 2025}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101140008/https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/creator-economy/ |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jordan |date=20 Jan 2024 |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GjC82 |archive-date=24 Feb 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=33rd Square}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Aamir |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dirscherl |first=Hans-Christian |last2=Lee |first2=Joel |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adegbola |first=Anu
|title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url=https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816143812/https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |archive-date=16 Aug 2024}}</ref>), increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Arol |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=YouTube |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Knoblauch |first=Max |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=YouTube |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=6 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206072120/https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AED |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250525154227/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=25 May 2025}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Can you still see ads if you have YouTube Premium? Here's what Google has to say |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |website=Android Authority |date=10 May 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211123241/https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Anurag |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are inappropriate... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=YouTube |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |archive-date=23 Feb 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse
|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=YouTube |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |archive-date=2 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217150604/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=YouTube |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=YouTube |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |archive-date=26 Feb 2025}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=YouTube |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |date=20 Nov 2017 |title=Monetisation analysis / research |url=https://consumerrights.wiki/w/File:Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research_.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://consumerrights.wiki/images/5/5c/Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research_.pdf |archive-date=24 Mar 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Disney |first=Malia |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=Youth Radio Media
|date=4 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cantz |first=Randy |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Julia |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy
|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Jines |first=Chuck |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=YouTube |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |archive-date=2 Feb 2026}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brodkin
|first=John |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

The prevalence of advertising on the platform, coupled with the repeated appearance of harmful and deceptive ads within YouTube's advertising system, led a significant number of users to employ ad-blocking tools to facilitate their viewing experience.

In response, Google initiated technical countermeasures to limit the functionality of these tools. This has resulted in an ongoing cycle where ad-blocker developers adapt to new restrictions, and the platform subsequently implements further detection methods. A key strategy in this effort involves the implementation of advanced code integrity checks designed to ensure ad content is delivered to viewers.

However, these measures typically exhibit limited efficacy before ad-blocking tools develop new methods of circumvention,<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Flaherty |first=Kate |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |url-access=subscription |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620123932/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |archive-date=20 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |website=YouTube |date=12 Oct 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |archive-date=13 Oct 2023}}</ref> a dynamic that some analysts suggest exemplifies the {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref>{{Cite web |author=phub |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 Mar 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |website=YouTube |date=5 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |archive-date=5 Nov 2023}}</ref>

Additional strategies have involved the integration of advertisements directly into video streams. This approach has impaired the functionality of certain browser extensions, including SponsorBlock, a community-driven tool designed to skip sponsored segments within videos. The extension relies on user-submitted timestamps to identify these segments; its effectiveness is significantly reduced when personalized advertisements, which vary in duration and placement for each viewer, are embedded into the stream itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis
|title=Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |website=YouTube |date=18 Jun 2024
|access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |archive-date=28 Jul 2024}}</ref>

Google has publicly acknowledged implementing code that degrades the user experience for individuals using ad blockers. This includes introducing artificial latency, which has been documented to slow page load times, a measure that also affected users of the Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |website=YouTube |date=23 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |archive-date=23 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |website=YouTube |date=21 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |archive-date=21 Nov 2023}}</ref>

===Offline video DRM===
The YouTube Mobile application permits users with a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded content is protected by [[Digital rights management|Digital Rights Management]] (DRM) that requires the application to establish an online connection with YouTube's servers at least once every 48 hours to maintain playback functionality. This requirement is not prominently featured on the primary YouTube Premium marketing page and is detailed instead within the platform's support documentation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author= |date= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111004845/https://www.youtube.com/premium |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719175650/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |archive-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref>

Saved videos are forcibly deleted after 29 days. [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|Data lock-in and proprietary encoding]] prevents the user from making permanent copies of videos, even those licensed under Creative Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Santos |first=Noel |title=Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files |url=https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |website=Virtual Curiosities |date=7 Dec 2024 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |archive-date=26 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Mental Outlaw |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |website=YouTube |date=28 Aug 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licenses===
YouTube on TV is an {{Wplink|HTML5}} web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An {{Wplink|A/B testing|A/B experiment}} has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bit-rate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a user's ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=License Versions |url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Pay-walling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.

On 7 February 2026, it was reported that YouTube Music was testing a feature that would paywall song lyrics, which were previously a free feature since 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardwick |first=Tim |title=YouTube Music lyrics now require a Premium subscription |url=https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |website=9TO5Google |date=7 Feb 2026 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208225137/https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author= |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related {{Wplink|API}}, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Can |first=Michael |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

=== Removal of chronological searching ===
In early 2026, YouTube removed the ability to search videos by the most recently uploaded, as well as the "last hour" search filter. The "last day" search filter is the narrowest remaining time filter.

A Google employee stated that this change is intended to "improve content discovery" and that they are "simplifying and reorganizing the filter menu to make it more intuitive and improve the overall search experience".<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/400586735/changes-to-youtube-search-filters-to-improve-content-discovery?hl=en Changes to YouTube Search Filters to Improve Content Discovery - YouTube Community]</ref> However, it was noted that this makes it more difficult to discover eyewitness stories that are alternative to mainstream outlets, and makes it harder for watchers to discover channels with low subscriber counts.<ref>[https://piunikaweb.com/2026/01/06/youtube-upload-date-filter-removal-test-web/ YouTube may be testing removal of Upload date filter from search on web]</ref>
<ref>[https://www.recentreborn.com/blog/why-did-youtube-remove-the-last-hour-filter Why did YouTube remove the "last hour" filter? — RecentReborn]</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1q8szsr/youtube_removes_the_sort_by_upload_date_option/ Youtube removes the "Sort by Upload Date" option pretending it didn't work, the reality? They want absolute control of the information you are allowed to get from the site : youtube] - Reddit</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1qjgsln/youtube_removed_the_ability_to_sort_by_upload/ Youtube removed the ability to sort by upload date as of today. : youtube] - Reddit</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube's algorithm was engineered to make the user watch more videos than they intended, to earn more ad revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicas |first=Jack |title=How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |url-access=subscription |website=The Wall Street Journal. |date=7 Feb 2018 |access-date=29 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208091112/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |archive-date=8 Dec 2018 |quote=YouTube engineered its algorithm several years ago to make the site “sticky”—to recommend videos that keep users staying to watch still more, said current and former YouTube engineers who helped build it. The site earns money selling ads that run before and during videos.}}</ref> This is on top of a feature called Autoplay, which queues another video (chosen by Youtube's algorithm) and plays that automatically after a short delay so you keep watching more. Through this mechanism, children will especially have their attention extracted for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |author= |title=James Bridle: What Do Kids' Videos on YouTube Reveal About the Internet's Dark Side? |others=NPR/TED Staff |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |website=NPR |date=2 Nov 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620234159/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |archive-date=20 Jun 2025 |quote="And also, on the other side of the screen, there still are these little kids watching this stuff - right? - their full attention grabbed by these weird mechanisms. And so there's autoplay, where it just keeps playing these videos over and over and over on a loop, endlessly, for hours and hours at a time. And there's so much weirdness in the system now that autoplay takes you to some pretty strange places. This is how within, like, a dozen steps, you can go from a cute video of a counting train to masturbating Mickey Mouse."}}</ref>

By default, this feature is enabled.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===

Since the beginning of 2025, users have been reporting issues with third-party front-ends accessing the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Fijxu |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |website=nadeko |date=16 Feb 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref> For FreeTube, there has been a heightened amount of people receiving {{Wplink|HTTP 403|403 errors}} associated with IP blocks when attempting to view videos via this front-end.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Gevaarlijk |title=[Bug]: [BAD_HTTP_STATUS: 403] Potential causes: IP block or streaming URL deciphering failed #6701 |url=https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |website=GitHub |date=31 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260105144421/https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |archive-date=5 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===AI filtering without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Atlantic |date=22 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822194955/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic. This change has been observed as early as 27 June 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=Ulincsys |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Jun 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250827144146/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "{{Wplink|VHS}} look".<ref>{{Cite web |author=dolanbriese |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=21 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003103832/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |website=YouTube |date=14 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

Artist Sam Yang uploaded a video on 30 August 2025, following up on the issue using his own work for comparison, testing the claims that this is merely compression scaling, adding an artist's eye and commentary to the issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Sam |title=Youtube is Using AI on Your Shorts Without Consent.. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |website=YouTube |date=30 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Users also complained about a dangerous flickering that happens under some videos. Some forwarded this issue to YouTube scientist Anton Petrov, to which he replicated the issue and showed it under a video uploaded 25 October 2025, noting it happens on one of his devices, more specifically a mobile phone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrov |first=Anton |title=YouTube AI Filter Is Making My Videos Dangerous To Watch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |website=YouTube |date=25 Oct 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025}}</ref>

===Wave of channel terminations (''2025'')===
In November 2025, multiple YouTube channels, including Enderman, Scratchit Gaming, and 4096 were reportedly terminated in a massive ban wave under false reasons, such as association with a Japanese-language channel "椛のスターレイル遊び" which translates roughly as "Momiji plays Honkai: Star Rail Adventures," a reference to a Japanese role-playing game. Some have blamed the ban wave on the malfunctions of YouTube's AI-powered moderation system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |title=Big YouTube channels are being banned. YouTubers are blaming AI. |url=https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |website=Mashable |date=4 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221125020/https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===API restrictions===
In June 2023, YouTube forced Matt Wright, maintainer of the YouTube Metadata tool, to remove the exporting feature which let people export YouTube metadata such as video descriptions into a file. This did not include the videos themselves. It can be assumed that this is the "tip of an iceberg" and YouTube made many such requests without them being publicly documented.<ref>[https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Export Feature? · mattwright324/youtube-metadata · Discussion #150 · GitHub] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214094758/https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Archived])</ref>

===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===
Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Archived]).</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos) ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E Archived]).</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent people from backing up videos locally. From a YouTube help center article:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260323195048/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Archived])</ref>

It is not specified what preventing offline use is intended to protect against.

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software!] - MKBHD (later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. YouTube Premium comes with a "download" feature, however, it is useless for long-term archival of videos given that it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name="VirtualCuriosities">[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ YouTube downloads not working - Megathread] - /r/cobalt_tools - Reddit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260322015608/https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ Archived]).</ref>

While YouTube can advertise its Premium service as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder, accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium actually has. The 29-day storage limit coupled with data lock-in render the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.<ref name="VirtualCuriosities" />

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME, Archived from the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube] - video removed for unspecified violations.</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs Archived])</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:YouTube]]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-29T06:28:02Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* If Google were honest */ Added :File:Android dev verif 1984.png by User:Rudxain.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
File:Android dev verif 1984.png|1984 (made by [[User:Rudxain|Rudxain]])
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
{{Userbox
| id = [[File:DownloadTube icon.png|35px|link=User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber]]
| id-c = #400
| id-fc = #ffffff
| id-op =

| info = This user is a proud [[User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber|DownloadTuber]].
| info-c = #222
| info-fc = #ffffff
| info-op = #0f0

| border-c = #f00
| border-op =
| nocat = true
}}
</div>

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== How to insult Google's user interface designers ==
By adding this to your website's CSS:
<pre>
html, body { overscroll-behavior: contain; }
</pre>

This will insult the lack of intelligence of whoever thought [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|making pull-to-refresh mandatory in Chrome]] was a brilliant idea.

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

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Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

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== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]'', 7:44.

----

<blockquote>
If you think [people in positions of authority] can't do something, you are wrong; unless it is directly violating a law of physics, they can do it. For example you may think "haha they can't start selling air, people would revolt", "hahaaa, they can't make people believe 1 + 1 equals 2000, it's too obvious of a lie" or "hahaaa they can't lie about history when there is a ton of direct evidence for the contrary freely accessible on the Internet, they can't censor something that's all over the Internet and in billions of books" -- yes, they can do all of this.

[...]

You think "hahaha, if we create this super encrypted/decentralized computer network, we can simply communicate and they can do nothing about it, BAZINGA" -- well, no you can't. How can they stop this? '''They will simply ban computers''' you idiot, in fact you have only given them the reason to.

You say "hahaha but I can have this calculator in my basement hidden" -- well, how many people will participate in your network if revealing such participation is punished not only by death sentence, but death sentence for you whole family; if even people who know about you participating in the network and not reporting you face the same punishment (already the case in some pseudocommunist countries)?

If in addition people have no free time, if they don't have electricity at home, no will to live and there are also government signal jammers everywhere just in case? Enjoy your guerrilla resistance network with three people armed with calculators.

You say "bbbb...but that cant happen ppl would revolt" -- NO. Have you seen chicken at chicken farm revolt? (Except in that one movie lol). "BBBb...BUT... people are not chicken". NO. People are literally physically chicken (to a stupid argument you get stupid counterargument).

[...]

Admit it, whatever they do you will conform even if you're angry about it because not conforming would cause you discomfort and you like comfort, so here you have it: they can do whatever they want. You want war? Probably not, but if they start it, you will go to war, you will help them make weapons, you will kill. You want to watch ads? Probably not, but if they put them up you will watch them. You want to get up every day at 5 AM and spend your day doing something that has no meaning and which you hate doing? Maybe, but it doesn't even matter if you want, you will do it despite wanting or not.
</blockquote>
- from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can]'' by Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher. Bolded for emphasis.

"They will simply ban computers" - and if not, they will [[Anti-privacy_legislation|backdoor everything]]. Looks like the "tinfoil hat" people weren't so crazy after all.

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User talk:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-29T06:25:47Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* I made another parody/satire */ I love it.

==Welcome, and discussion on tone within the wiki==

Hi @[[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]],

Welcome to the wiki! It's good to see you here and editing, and I just wanted to clarify some things about the policies regarding tone and voice on the wiki.

[[Consumer Rights Wiki:Wiki content policies|In general]], we strive to be mostly neutral and non-judgemental, and avoid making accusations against *specific* companies practices, or incidents (rather, we cite sources who have made such accusations, and explain why they have reached their conclusions) in the voice of the wiki. This, however, is not exclusively the case as in the case of theme articles, such as the pages you've been working on, we allow for opinions to be voiced in the voice of the wiki, and for the wiki to have a clear point of view, but the language used should still generally try and remain quite calm and measured (the 'senator/granny rule' here kind of covers this: [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Editorial guidelines]]), and should reflect the broad consensus of the community.

Your edit on the smart meter page in particular, felt too strongly worded, and I've reverted it. The other ones need some touching up on the tone front, but I think there's a good case for having them on the wiki, and you make some good points!

As a general point of reference, the guidelines on tone, and making points in the wiki's voice are a bit different for theme and non-theme articles. Essentially, theme articles are much more permissive on that front, but articles about specific incidents or companies have to stick to guidelines that are tighter, and a bit more like Wikipedia's.

In any case, we do appreciate your contributions very much, and hope to see you around!

Best wishes,

Keith [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 15:29, 1 October 2025 (UTC)

:I see. Thank you for the explanation. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 15:44, 1 October 2025 (UTC)

==Discord==

Mostly just wanted to say I like the bingo card. Do the colors mean anything, or are they just random?

I came here because I saw you mention reservations about discord. I put up a proposal on [[Talk:Main Page#Please add cautions to discord link]], thought it might interest you. Please add to the proposal if you have any suggestions. Thanks. [[User:Drakeula|Drakeula]] ([[User talk:Drakeula|talk]]) 07:12, 19 October 2025 (UTC)

:Thank you :)
:The colours are random.
:Regarding the Discord discussion, thanks for letting me know. Discord is ephemeral and should not be trusted for anything long-term. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 16:25, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

==I like your funnies==

I was checking the upload log, and surprised by your submissions. It's hilarious. It describes the feeling I get whenever I tap on that silly notification after Android updates - the feeling like someone spun me in circles, then back just enough to "cancel" out the spin. The proper font is the icing on the cake.

Wish you all the best everytime I see your page <3 [[User:Raster|Raster]] ([[User talk:Raster|talk]]) 16:29, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

:Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you liked it. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 23:19, 3 February 2026 (UTC)

==I made another parody/satire==

[[File:Android_dev_verif_1984.png|thumb]]

I forgot to copy-paste the DOM-HTML before closing the tab 🥲 (I wanted to share the source-code) [[User:Rudxain|Rudxain]] ([[User talk:Rudxain|talk]]) 04:26, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

:I love it! Well done! :D [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 06:25, 29 March 2026 (UTC)