this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
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YouTube is no longer showing recommended videos to users logged out of a Google account or using Incognito mode, making people concerned they are being bullied into always being signed into the service.

This change, which is now rolling out, shows a simple YouTube homepage without any videos or tips on what to watch.

As noted by some on X, users who have cleaned their search and watch history or turned off their history settings also see no suggestions when they're logged in. Some people think YouTube is being pushy about this, trying to make users turn on their history settings.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

My guess,

  1. It was too hard to create a non-authenticated algorithm which could let users delete their past participation.
  2. They realized their non-auth algorithm was exposing too much info about what is going on during the upcoming election. And they are afraid that people will see all the fasc recommendations.
[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It has stopped doing this for me too though. I'm European. I'm assuming it's because they really want to stay on the correct side of European law.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

so many companies telling on themselves when they would rather remove functionality or block countries rather than just comply with privacy regulations …

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I think it's number 2. Now I can't see what the "default" presentation is (which always had 1 conspiracy theory thing).

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

This is more of a feature than a problem IMO.

Most services (like meta/Facebook/Instagram/anything owned by zuck', the service formerly known as Twitter....) are going to a model of: you need an account to even see anything posted publicly.

Not just extremely limited information like LinkedIn, like, instant redirect to "you need to be logged in to see this" or simply a login page.

At least you can still find something you want to see, and go and watch it... With ads and everything, sure, but the information is there and accessible.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

Fantastic news.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

will this affect invidious/piped?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

they also dont recommend anything on your homepage when you're signed in if you don't have your watch history turned on (as if they're not tracking it anyway)

lol, who cares

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

deleted by creator

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Meh. For all the YT I consume, I haven't visited the site in years. yt-dlp, sponsor block, invidious, and newpipe keep me far away, while still having all my subs stored in a json file. Simple, easy, no algo suggestions, just organic heard about them from word of mouth sub on an alternative platform. No ads, no sponsor or patreon mentions, no like, no subscribe. Is bliss.

EDIT: Typo fix and slight rewording.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

YouTube definitely not bullying users into staying signed it so that Google can aggregate more data about you /s

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Service to humanity.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

I noticed this a few days ago or so and I was delighted by it. I never sign in to YouTube and hated the garbage recommendations on the homepage.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

You search for one thing and it starts showing recommendations.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing. Youtube's old default homepage would show scam and content mill recommendations.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

As with what others are saying here, pulling out algo nonsense is good, however I do worry that it slowly devolves into something similar to what's happening with Twitter where you can barely look at anything without being pushed to login. It's unusable unless you have an account. Websites shouldn't operate like that.

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