Overview
- Problem reports spiked on Down Detector starting around 12 a.m. EST and accelerated after about 6 a.m., with outlets tying the surge to tougher anti‑ad‑block enforcement.
- Affected users describe blank homepages and videos that fail to buffer or take unusually long to start when common Chrome Web Store blockers are enabled.
- Impact varies by setup, with reports pointing to signed‑in users on Chromium browsers being hit hardest, while some tests found Edge with uBlock Origin or Firefox without sign‑in still working.
- Suggested mitigations include subscribing to YouTube Premium at $13.99 per month, switching browsers, trying uBlock Origin Lite, or exploring network‑level blocking solutions.
- Explanations cite detection of missing ad‑script requests, bait elements, or checks for known extension IDs, and a separate Shorts UI glitch overnight was reported resolved.