YouTube: Pre-roll ads, ads on page, and video "overlay" ads not blocked

[Brave-Matt]

Description

Seeing several reports recently about YouTube ads not being blocked. This seems to vary between but not be limited to:

• Pre-roll ads that play before content streams
• Ads displayed on the YT page itself (outside of video)
• Ads that display/overlay the video itself ("inside" video)
  Image below depicting all three types displayed.
  
  User reports also show that this is not necessarily restricted by OS (although majority have been Windows) - Windows, macOs and Linux systems have reported this behavior.

Diagnosing the issue is difficult given that I'm unable to reproduce this on my end when testing (using macOS and windows 7/10). Would be good to know if there is any specific or pertinent information to collect from users that would help highlight what the issue is (cc @lukemulks) - So far I've been collecting Brave version, OS info, and URLs to the videos where ads are displayed.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Visit YT and stream video content (I imagine this would be easiest to produce when streaming videos with a high view count - more likely to be monetized).

Actual result:

Ads are displayed on page and in video.

Expected result:

Ads should be blocked.

Reproduces how often:

Users experiencing this issue report that this behavior is consistent for them.

Brave version (brave://version info)

Release channel v0.59.35
Beta v0.60.23
Dev v0.61.16

Website problems only:

• Does the issue resolve itself when disabling Brave Shields? Yes
• Is the issue reproducible on the latest version of Chrome? No

Additional Information

User reports - will add more to the thread as I come across them:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/ao4zah/youtube_ads/
• https://community.brave.com/t/brave-shields-not-working-even-when-turned-on/44830
• https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/amrpe5/im_starting_to_see_ads_on_youtube_is_anyone/

[rebron]

@Brave-Matt we need an example video, I'm having trouble reproducing this myself. Went through a handful of videos and can't find one yet.

[Brave-Matt]

@rebron that's the thing - I can't produce this personally. If you follow the links above you'll see user submitted images of the ads displaying.

[Brave-Matt]

From reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/b0yqfw/youtube_ads_suddenly_started_appearing_using/

[JamesTheHacker]

I'm the Reddit poster. For me the following videos display ads:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v30wXiZ41Ds
• removed, wrong link. Will find another.

Brave Version: Version 0.61.51 Chromium: 73.0.3683.75 (Official Build) (64-bit)
OS: Windows 10 Pro

[Swennet]

Same issue. I have a lot of YouTube video ads that play, and the skip ad button is removed. Sometimes, after watching the entire first ad, it just repeats the same ad again or displays a new one, seemingly infinitely. Refreshing the page sometimes makes no ad play.

Very annoying and frustrating. Especially the fact that this happens with both the blocker turned on and off.

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Community:
https://community.brave.com/t/youtube-masthead-ad-blocking-not-saving/51343/5

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from community:
https://community.brave.com/t/youtube-masthead-ad-blocking-not-saving/51343/4

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/bh8hsu/shield_is_not_working_properly_ads_showing/

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Community:
https://community.brave.com/t/youtube-ads-not-getting-blocked-by-shields-desktop-mobile/45671/8

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/bco6jp/youtube_ads/

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/b0yqfw/youtube_ads_suddenly_started_appearing_using/

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Community:
https://community.brave.com/t/ad-blocking-problems/59959/4

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from community:
https://community.brave.com/t/youtube-ads-not-skippable/46179/12?u=mattches

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from reddit:

[rebron]

cc: @ryanbr Can you take a look at this one?

[Brave-Matt]

Big/popular reddit thread on the subject:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/c7s7mi/youtube_is_bypassing_braves_ad_block_with_ads/

[ryanbr]

I'll take another look in the next few days (not easy since youtube uses many adservers), but will probably be fixed in adblock-rust.

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Community:
https://community.brave.com/t/youtube-ads-continue-despite-ad-blocker/72052/2

[ryanbr]

Okay, From a private window. Cookies Cleared. And VPN'd to South Africa (Random I know).

https://secure.fanboy.co.nz/gif/youtube.gif

Note the Items (well the amount of items that are being blocked,) I didn't see any obvious ads?

This is on Brave Release.

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from Community:
https://community.brave.com/t/can-there-be-an-option-to-allow-javascript-automatically-without-us-having-to-manually-do-it-everytime/57131/9?u=mattches

[AlvisonHunterArnuero]

New fixes coming soon, those are great news, guys!

Hopefully we are able to get rid of those annoying everlasting YouTube Ads once and for all. YT should give the user the chance of skipping all of them or place them in a container with a close button, that way once we close it, we won't be bothered with more ads anymore. It is not easy to be watching a JavaScript tutorial for example, and get invaded by an ad in the middle of a function explanation, it sucks!

Many thanks for the work and efforts doing for the upcoming fixes, you guys rock! Brave mode ON!

[GewoonJaap]

Getting ads sometimes on YouTube (Netherlands): Versie 1.10.97 Chromium: 83.0.4103.116 (Officiële Versie) (64-bit)

[radocisar]

1. Pre-roll
2. Windows 10.0.18363 Build 18363
3. No
4. No
5. Default
6. No

[superspreader]

I am experiencing the issue as well. Here's some details:

• Pre-roll ads only
• Windows 10 64-bit build 17134.1550
• Extensions: 1Password, ExpressVPN
• Connected through ExpressVPN
• No custom/extra filters in Brave adblock

Thank you for your work.

[almindor]

Same as others:

Pre-roll ads only
Arch Linux updated to latest
Extensions: Disabled all to ensure
Connected directly
No custom/extra filters in Brave adblock

[A248]

For those searching the web and coming here, I had a similar issue. Started happening today - yesterday, there were no ads.

Disabling the Google Translate extension solved the issue.

[almindor]

For those searching the web and coming here, I had a similar issue. Started happening today - yesterday, there were no ads.

Disabling the Google Translate extension solved the issue.

I don't have google translate even installed...

[canvero]

I've been seeing pre-roll ads on YT in Brave since yesterday, never before.

1. only pre-roll as far as i'm aware (skippable)
2. Ubuntu 18.04.4
3. No extensions
4. No VPN
5. Default Shields
6. No additional filters in brave://adblock

Brave Version 1.10.93 Chromium: 83.0.4103.106 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Location:Netherlands

Perhaps this info helps. Thank you for looking into this.
Edit: tried Brave beta, no ads there!

[Xtortion]

Ads are showing here as well on YouTube again with Shield enabled.

No extensions,
No VPN,
Default Shield

Version: 1.10.97 Chromium: 83.0.4103.116 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Location: The Netherlands

[darkin1]

Same here

No extensions,
No VPN,
Default Shield

Wersja 1.9.68 Chromium: 81.0.4044.138 (Official Build) unknown (64-bit)
Location: Poland

[gabrielacorona]

I've been seeing pre-roll ads on youtube using Brave. It started this week but I didn't seem to have this problem before.

only pre-roll as far as i'm aware (skippable)
MacOS 10.14.6
No VPN
Default Shields
No additional filters in brave://adblock
Version 1.10.97 Chromium: 83.0.4103.116 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Location: Mexico

If it's needed I can reproduce the issue since I will switch to beta.
Thank you for looking into this

[ezranbayantemur]

Same here.
I'm gonna hang myself because of YouTube Premium ads.

[micahn]

Been dealing with this for about 2 weeks now with 2 of my machines. i found that it is based on my login. logging out or using a private brave window i do not see any ads.

PC1:
pre-roll - skippable. have not noticed any in video ads
Windows 10 - 1909 18363
no VPN
all brave settings default.
Version 1.10.97 Chromium: 83.0.4103.116 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Location USA

PC2:
originally i had non-skippable pre-roll ads. however as of yesterday i have not had any ads with this machine. unsure if it's fixed or im just getting lucky. posting just for more info.
Ubuntu 20.04
no VPN
all brave settings default.
Version 1.10.97 Chromium: 83.0.4103.116 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Location USA

[stendarr]

Pre-roll skippable ads for the past few days, currently on version 1.10.97 Chromium: 83.0.4103.116 (Official Build) (64-bit).
The OS is Debian testing, the shield settings are: scripts allowed, cross site cookies blocked, cross site trackers blocked, and fingerprinting blocked - all other settings are default.

Definitely gonna use Firefox with an ad blocker extension from now on.

[ryanbr]

If you're seeing ads,

1. Make sure, (manually update Brave Ad Block Updater and Subresource Filter Rules in brave://components/
2. In, Site-settings -> Clear Data for youtube.com, and re-login.
3. Try opening youtube in private mode, and re-test.

Tested with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erQ_9yEz0ls (Mr Beasts, I Bought The World's Largest Firework ($600,000). Get 2 Ads in Chrome, Brave went straight to the video.

Brave on the Left. Chrome on the right.

[ryanbr]

We have an additional fix in Brave Beta. which will be due out next week.

[Sh4d0wHunt3rX]

I experience pre roll ads on many videos on Brave. I hope the fix will release to main Brave browser soon.

[antonok-edm]

This is resolved thanks to work from @ryanbr and others in the filter list community.

[severus-tux]

This is resolved thanks to work from @ryanbr and others in the filter list community.

Nope. I am seeing YouTube ads on my iPad running iOS 14.
Both preroll ads and banners. I’ll add more screenshots if I encounter them again.

[ryanbr]

@severus-tux note that Brave IOS doesn't have cosmetic filtering yet

Follow brave/brave-ios#2683

[nithinkodadhavadee]

Okay fine, this thing is occurring quite frequently. I didn't get any ads in between the video. It wasn't the banners. I get a video ad at the beginning or the end of the video. I'm not sure if this was a thing back in 2019, multiple ads in a video, as far as I remember it was just one ad in the video back then. I don't get this ad every time, I got it two times and am not getting any in that video. one ad just pops up here and there like four or five a day and I noticed it yesterday and today. It is a different video every time.

I use this
Version 1.22.70 Chromium: 89.0.4389.105 (Official Build) (64-bit)
on an Arch Linux.

I've tried a lot but couldn't reproduce this, it just happens.

In some videos, I used to get a blank white screen with a skip button. but haven't seen that in quite a while.

What I need from the users trying to help debug the issue:

• Test in private mode with no extensions enabled, with only Sheilds enabled,
• Clear Youtube cookies first in the options, then visit the problematic youtube site.
• A Screenshot of the shields window open and the shields cross-site trackers being listed., showing the ad in the background. Like so: https://imgur.com/a/Ms9BT5Q (I have no ad showing in my case, because I can't replicate it)
• Go into Shields / Cross-site trackers.

1. Ctrl-A (Select all Cross-site trackers)
2. Crtl-C (Copy to Clipboard)
3. Ctrl-V (Paste) into pastebin.com,

Like so: https://pastebin.com/18EAphvt (For Privacy, trim each line leaving the first 50-60 chars of each line or so)

@ryanbr There are more than 700 lines when I try to copy-paste the whole list of all the trackers blocked, and I'm not sure what I can share among those and what I can't.

should I open this issue?

[ryanbr]

youtube has implemented a new method of serving ads, we're still investigating this. @nithinkodadhavadee

[nithinkodadhavadee]

anything that I can help you guys with?

[Vista2003]

Okay fine, this thing is occurring quite frequently. I didn't get any ads in between the video. It wasn't the banners. I get a video ad at the beginning or the end of the video. I'm not sure if this was a thing back in 2019, multiple ads in a video, as far as I remember it was just one ad in the video back then. I don't get this ad every time, I got it two times and am not getting any in that video. one ad just pops up here and there like four or five a day and I noticed it yesterday and today. It is a different video every time.

I use this
Version 1.22.70 Chromium: 89.0.4389.105 (Official Build) (64-bit)
on an Arch Linux.

I've tried a lot but couldn't reproduce this, it just happens.

In some videos, I used to get a blank white screen with a skip button. but haven't seen that in quite a while.

What I need from the users trying to help debug the issue:

• Test in private mode with no extensions enabled, with only Sheilds enabled,
• Clear Youtube cookies first in the options, then visit the problematic youtube site.
• A Screenshot of the shields window open and the shields cross-site trackers being listed., showing the ad in the background. Like so: https://imgur.com/a/Ms9BT5Q (I have no ad showing in my case, because I can't replicate it)
• Go into Shields / Cross-site trackers.

1. Ctrl-A (Select all Cross-site trackers)
2. Crtl-C (Copy to Clipboard)
3. Ctrl-V (Paste) into pastebin.com,

Like so: https://pastebin.com/18EAphvt (For Privacy, trim each line leaving the first 50-60 chars of each line or so)

@ryanbr There are more than 700 lines when I try to copy-paste the whole list of all the trackers blocked, and I'm not sure what I can share among those and what I can't.

should I open this issue?

If it's reappearing again, I would open a new ticket. Regarding what happened in 2019, ads would only play at the start and sometimes I would get an ad above suggested videos.

In the meantime, after flagging it as a workaround to this problem, use Ublock Origin along side Brave.

[stefanolomo]

Hi just had the same problem. Cleaning the cache and removing google docs extension seems to fix it. For some reason and somehow it looks like google is detecting adblocker via extensions