YouTube - Revision history

Rudxain: Forced sign-in: link to Google phone-num

2026-04-20T01:43:18Z

Forced sign-in: link to Google phone-num

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:43, 20 April 2026
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	Sometimes YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter and retroactively affect existing content, with entire channels being taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, with one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|author=j aubrey \|title=Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs \|website=YouTube \|date=21 Jan 2019 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs \|archive-date=23 Jan 2024}}</ref>		Sometimes YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter and retroactively affect existing content, with entire channels being taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, with one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|author=j aubrey \|title=Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs \|website=YouTube \|date=21 Jan 2019 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs \|archive-date=23 Jan 2024}}</ref>

	=== Forced sign-in ===		===Forced sign-in===
	Since 2025, the Android app and the web-app sometimes [[Forced account\|require users to login]] to their Google accounts to "confirm you're not a bot".{{Citation needed}} They could require solving a [[CAPTCHA]], but they don't that.		Since 2025, the Android app and the web-app sometimes [[Forced account\|require users to login]] to their Google accounts to "confirm you're not a bot".{{Citation needed}} They could require solving a [[CAPTCHA]], but they don't that. This, paired with [[Google#Phone number requirement for new accounts\|Google's phone-number requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.

	==References==		==References==

Rudxain: "Forced sign-in" Incident

2026-04-18T22:35:23Z

"Forced sign-in" Incident

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:35, 18 April 2026
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	Sometimes YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter and retroactively affect existing content, with entire channels being taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, with one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|author=j aubrey \|title=Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs \|website=YouTube \|date=21 Jan 2019 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs \|archive-date=23 Jan 2024}}</ref>		Sometimes YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter and retroactively affect existing content, with entire channels being taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, with one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|author=j aubrey \|title=Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs \|website=YouTube \|date=21 Jan 2019 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs \|archive-date=23 Jan 2024}}</ref>

			=== Forced sign-in ===
			Since 2025, the Android app and the web-app sometimes [[Forced account\|require users to login]] to their Google accounts to "confirm you're not a bot".{{Citation needed}} They could require solving a [[CAPTCHA]], but they don't that.

	==References==		==References==

Rudxain: I forgot to link Forced_cloud

2026-04-18T22:27:19Z

I forgot to link Forced_cloud

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:27, 18 April 2026
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	===Offline video DRM===		===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>		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 [[Forced cloud\|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>		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>

Sojourna: /* Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading) */ Large ref clean-up.

2026-04-13T02:29:03Z

Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading): Large ref clean-up.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:29, 13 April 2026
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	===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===		===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:		Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>{{Cite web \|author= \|title=Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions {{!}} WIRED (timestamps 7:20 and 8:57) \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M \|website=YouTube \|date=19 Jun 2017 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M \|archive-date=31 Jan 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|last=Schmoyer \|first=Tim \|title=How To Legally Download YouTube Videos \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E \|website=YouTube \|date=18 Aug 2016 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E \|archive-date=5 Mar 2026}}<!-- NOTE: 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. Used to prove the point about YouTube's hostility. --></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.<ref>{{Cite web \|author= \|title=Troubleshoot YouTube video errors \|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019#zippy=%2Ccheck-that-youre-signed-in-to-youtube \|website=[[Google]] \|date= \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260323195048/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 \|archive-date=23 Mar 2026}}</ref></blockquote>
	<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.		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>		YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>{{Cite web \|author=ifxman \|title=How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything \|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc \|website=YouTube \|date=26 Apr 2008 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc \|archive-date=13 Aug 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|author=Ritace40 \|title=How to download youtube videos without any software \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ \|website=YouTube \|date=18 Dec 2011 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ \|archive-date=13 Jul 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|author=MKBHD \|title=Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software! \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk \|website=YouTube \|date=18 Aug 2010 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk \|archive-date=3 Oct 2012}}</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>		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, but 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>{{Cite web \|author=Mental Outlaw \|title=Google is Locking Down Android (timestamp 6:41) \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 \|website=YouTube \|date=29 Aug 2025 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 \|archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|author= \|title=YouTube videos offline FAQs \|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 \|website=[[Google]] \|date= \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 \|archive-date=7 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name="VirtualCuriosities">{{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=12 Apr 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= \|title=What's Wrong with YouTube \|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html \|website=GNU \|date= \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html \|archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|author=squabbledMC \|title=YouTube downloads not working - Megathread \|url=https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ \|website=[[Reddit]] \|date=22 Jun 2025 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260322015608/https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ \|archive-date=22 Mar 2026}}</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" />		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" />
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	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.		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>		<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. — Karl Voit<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Voit \|first=Karl \|title=My Dependencies on the Cloud \|url=https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ \|website=Karl Voit \|date= \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ \|archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref></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>		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 \|author=themadprogramer \|title=YouTube was made for Reuploads \|url=https://datahorde.org/youtube-was-made-for-reuploads/ \|website=Data Horde \|date=28 Jul 2021 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714224416/https://datahorde.org/youtube-was-made-for-reuploads/ \|archive-date=14 Jul 2022}}</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 for whatever reason and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>{{Cite web \|author=SAMTIME \|title=Android is losing a big feature \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M \|website=YouTube \|date=18 Sep 2024 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M \|archive-date=19 Sep 2024}}</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>		Sometimes YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter and retroactively affect existing content, with entire channels being taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, with one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|author=j aubrey \|title=Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs \|website=YouTube \|date=21 Jan 2019 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs \|archive-date=23 Jan 2024}}</ref>

	==References==		==References==

Sojourna: /* API restrictions */ Changed ref to use proper formatting.

2026-04-13T00:44:25Z

API restrictions: Changed ref to use proper formatting.

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:44, 13 April 2026
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	===API restrictions===		===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>		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>{{Cite web \|last=Ingram \|first=Benjamin \|title=Export Feature? #150 \|url=https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 \|website=[[GitHub]] \|date=5 Jun 2023 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251214094758/https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 \|archive-date=14 Dec 2025}}</ref>

	===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===		===Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading)===

Sojourna: /* Crackdown against third-party front-ends */

2026-04-13T00:39:30Z

Crackdown against third-party front-ends

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:39, 13 April 2026
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	===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===		===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===
	<!--Still want to include more examples of front-ends breaking-->		<!--Still want to include more examples of front-ends breaking-->
	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>		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===		===AI filtering without consent===

Sojourna: /* Removal of chronological searching */ Changed refs to use proper formatting and added archive links.

2026-04-13T00:37:56Z

Removal of chronological searching: Changed refs to use proper formatting and added archive links.

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:37, 13 April 2026
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	\|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>		\|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 ===		===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.		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>		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>{{Cite web \|author=Hank (TeamYouTube) \|title=Changes to YouTube Search Filters to Improve Content Discovery \|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/400586735/changes-to-youtube-search-filters-to-improve-content-discovery \|website=[[Google]] \|date=8 Jan 2026 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260108225453/https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/400586735/changes-to-youtube-search-filters-to-improve-content-discovery \|archive-date=8 Jan 2026}}</ref> However, it was noted that this makes it more difficult to discover eye-witness stories that are alternatives to mainstream news outlets, and makes it harder for watchers to discover channels with low subscriber counts.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Cubbins \|first=Dwayne \|title=YouTube may be testing removal of Upload date filter from search on web \|url=https://piunikaweb.com/2026/01/06/youtube-upload-date-filter-removal-test-web/ \|website=PiunikaWeb \|date=6 Jan 2026 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260329221637/https://piunikaweb.com/2026/01/06/youtube-upload-date-filter-removal-test-web/ \|archive-date=29 Mar 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|last=Melchner \|first=Felix \|title=Why did YouTube remove the "last hour" filter? \|url=https://www.recentreborn.com/blog/why-did-youtube-remove-the-last-hour-filter \|website=RecentReborn \|date= \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260311025955/https://www.recentreborn.com/blog/why-did-youtube-remove-the-last-hour-filter \|archive-date=11 Mar 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|author=Jack_P_1337 \|title=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 \|url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1q8szsr/youtube_removes_the_sort_by_upload_date_option/ \|website=[[Reddit]] \|date=10 Jan 2026 \|access-date=12 Apr 2026 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260329174114/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1q8szsr/youtube_removes_the_sort_by_upload_date_option/ \|archive-date=29 Mar 2026}}</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===		===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===

JodyBruchonFan: template fix

2026-04-12T22:15:06Z

template fix

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:15, 12 April 2026
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	- 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>		- 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>		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>		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>

JodyBruchonFan: using cite web

2026-04-12T22:13:45Z

using cite web

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:13, 12 April 2026
Line 144:		Line 144:
	- 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>		- 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>		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>		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>

JodyBruchonFan: /* Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading) */ Added long-time study.

2026-04-12T22:11:29Z

Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading): Added long-time study.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:11, 12 April 2026
Line 144:		Line 144:
	- 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>		- 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>		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>		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>