Ask HN: Did YouTube change how it handles uBlock?

2/12/2026 at 8:37:05 PM

It changes often. Verify you are on the latest version of uBlock then force an update for any of the ad-block and Unbreak sources in your uBlock config. If that does not work de-select all of them, restart the browser and enable one at a time to see when it breaks which may require restarting the browser each time to get reliable results.

by Bender

2/12/2026 at 8:58:57 PM

Got same message in Chrome with uBlock Origin Lite when I clicked on an YouTube link.

Even worse sometimes when I'm in an Incognito window or after I've erased my browser history Google asks me to solve a captcha which made switch to DuckDuckGo for all my searches.

by AlexeyBrin

2/12/2026 at 8:38:23 PM

I got that about 2 weeks ago. Till new versions of the ad blockers appeared, I just used private browsing in firefox. Now I have updated all my ad blockers, seems to work OK..

by DivingForGold

2/13/2026 at 2:50:14 AM

I just reload the page and it works

by muppetman

2/13/2026 at 7:30:46 AM

[flagged]

by verdverm

2/13/2026 at 8:10:11 AM

There is no "ad-free" YouTube. Even if you pay, you will still see ads - https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1gnaetv/paying_to_... ... (ofcourse, those who pay will only see "premium" ads, befitting their financial status, unlike the cheap, ordinary every day ads for the lower class masses). Note that paying for YouTube doesn't prevent collection of your personal data (i.e. profiling). A comprehensive blocker like uBlock Origin helps prevents that to some extent by blocking the trackers.

by thisislife2

2/13/2026 at 8:18:49 AM

I've been paying for years, I can tell you the only ads I see are sponsored and embedded in the video. Off YT content like NFL is not a proxy for the Premium experience, that's not what paying the $14/m is getting you

by verdverm

2/13/2026 at 11:11:15 AM

This was an on-platform ad for NFL, not an off-platform NFL experience delivering ads.

by rithdmc

2/13/2026 at 11:14:07 AM

The NFL is an extra package, costs more, and comes with different terms. The NFL is a media / entertainment organization that exerts significant control over their content and the ads around them.

https://tv.youtube.com/learn/nflsundayticket/

NBA is similar, they made their players leave Bluesky because the NBA has deals with other media / social companies. These company's control extends beyond the TV to the players themselves.

by verdverm

2/13/2026 at 3:05:28 PM

They received an ad for the NFL Sunday Ticket, not an ad on it.

by rithdmc

2/13/2026 at 12:44:23 PM

If YouTube’s servers choose to serve me data, I am free to do whatever I want with that data. That does not equate to stealing in any way.

If Google doesn’t like that, they are free to block me.

I often use patreon, make donations, buy products/merch, etc, to support YouTube creators. Everything I’ve read indicates that this makes them MORE money than me paying for a YouTube subscription would, and I feel better about not financially supporting a monopolistic company.

by angoragoats

2/13/2026 at 12:39:07 PM

Stopped subscribing to youtube when they removed premium lite in my country. Costs as much as hbo and netflix here.

by Hikikomori