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submitted 2 days ago by Zerush@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

Based on recent reports, YouTube is actively restricting access to Premium accounts created through VPNs and cracking down on users accessing Premium content across different regions. According to user discussions, YouTube now detects and blocks VPN connections when attempting to stream Premium content[^6][^10].

Some key impacts:

  • Users report being unable to play YouTube Music through Sonos speakers when using a VPN, with the service becoming accessible only after bypassing VPN connections[^6]
  • Premium subscribers attempting to access content from different regions than their subscription face connection errors and service disruptions
  • The restrictions appear to be part of YouTube's broader strategy to enforce regional content licensing and subscription terms

The crackdown coincides with YouTube's increased focus on Premium subscriptions, including showing longer unskippable ads to free users in 2025 to drive Premium adoption[^8].

[^6]: Sonos Community - Unable to play YouTube Music

[^8]: LateNode Community - Why are YouTube users experiencing extremely long, non-skippable advertisements?

[^10]: Reddit r/VPN - Getting around YouTube Premium

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[-] birdwing 84 points 2 days ago

Thanks Youtube, once more showing why Peertube is better!

Does anyone actually upload to peertube though? I mean my "recently uploaded" is a few videos from days ago and then from weeks ago

[-] SuperDuperKitten 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yeah and majority of them aren't as popular. Think Fedi.Directory has selection of various PeerTube channels which the popular ones like The Linux Experience, Veronica Explains more used PeerTube as a mirror for people who don't want to use YouTube and then there's some FOSS Project (think KDE?) that use it just to show off features related to their project.

Beside Tilvids' instance, there's barely much video on PeerTube I feel like I want to actually watch

[-] Auster@thebrainbin.org 14 points 2 days ago

Checked to confirm, having 22 Peertube instances integrated to Grayjay (platforms aggregator) so not necessarily one communicates with the other, and filtering the contents from the Home tab just by Peertube instances, and indeed most stuff is months old at best.

However, least for tech content creators, it seems to thrive. Also, if lack of contents is a problem but the person sees potential in the technology, I'd invite the given person to also help producing contents for there. Like the saying goes, if you want change, be the change.

And also, the more content a platform has, the more inviting it is to others. Expecting it to be as big as youtube but much quicker and organically is a first step to regret, I think.

[-] birdwing 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I mean, there's Patreon, but that's American. It's in San Francisco in California though, which is at least not Trumpland. But with how things are headed, I'd be cautious.

Liberapay exists, but it uses Paypal, which is even scummier than Visa and Mastercard. Uses Stripe too, which is Irish-American (HQ in both countries).

If there's a FOSS decentralised* Patreon alternative that would support Wero, cash, and Monero, I could foreseee that having a ton of potential.

* with the HQ of development or whatever being in a country that's resistant against censorship.

[-] Auster@thebrainbin.org 1 points 2 days ago

Sure you answered to the right comment? I don't think the topic of this specific comment thread was payment methods.

[-] BlushedPotatoPlayers@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 days ago

I tried once. For some sites I couldn't even register, at the rest I couldn't upload anything.

[-] Zerush@lemmy.ml 16 points 2 days ago

Maybe in the future, until now not a real alternative by content. For users which want to watch music vids of their favorite band or vids from prefered science channels, movies, etc. it's not an valid alternative, nor for authors which want to monetize their content. Last prefer Bandcamp, Vimeo, Odysee and other.

[-] birdwing 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

It won't become an alternative if we don't move. I think PeerTube can actually work regarding monetisation - having a decentralised Patreon alternative would help along, for example.

Vimeo is alright, but it's US-based. I don't trust far-right censorship to not creep up there.

Odysee is good design-wise, but it's full of hatred. Also, situated in the US.

Bandcamp, also situated in the US. No thanks.

[-] Zerush@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

Yes Odysee is also used by right wings, same as YT or others, In Odysee you find all kind of content and political spectrum. It remain in the same, Bandcamp is for music the best alternative also fair with the creators, it's a good measure to listen most content for free and a optional paid download of tracks or the whole disk, not given in YT. There you can only legal download an video with an premium account and where the money goes to YT, not to the artist as in Bandcaamp. I only hope that the EU offers more alternatives to YT, but until now there is no other as using the less evil alternative and Bandcamp and Odysee are.

this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2025
277 points (100.0% liked)

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