I've been having some weird issues over the last few days with not being able to search for things in YouTube when I'm logged in via SmartTube account.
So I decided to try accessing it directly. Well guess what? It looks like YouTube now requires age verification in AU.
Sorry Google... I'm not uploading my passport, drivers licence or govt id to watch your shit. I am however now very incentivized to use Tube archivist and Jellyfin, plus cron job to scrape your shit with gleeful abandon.
I imagine it works "for now". I can see this becoming "verified govt id only" soon enough. There's precedent for that IIRC
When that happens, it’s going to be a great day to de-google permanently.
There no time like the present
Best time was 15 years ago, second best time is now.
Well, you must have got in before the new faceID scan. Trying now redirects you to a QR code, which only works on phone. Which then very politely asks to use your selfie cam / won't accept camera roll.
Oh wow. That’s annoying. Could also be a regional thing though.
Possible...though it could just as easily be a test case. AU and UK first...not sure what happened to US
https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/
I guess they’ll start with the countries that require age verification. It’s gotta be extra hassle for them as well, so they won’t do it unless it’s absolutely required by the local government.
youtube is the only thing I still have of theirs, maybe that is 1 too many.
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with alternate video sites such as Odysee, PeerTube, and Nebula. I think I might manage without YT. There’s plenty enough to watch elsewhere. Haven’t made the switch yet, but I feel well prepared.
I have looked at other video sites in the past and never found one that ticks the boxes, things change though, and there really does need to be other options.
Yeah, know what you mean. This stack of sites doesn’t cover everything I use YT for. Regardless, I think they can tick enough boxes to form a viable option for me. It’s not perfect, but it’s usually good enough.
I'm using pipepipe on my phone, it's okay for what it does, I would rather be signed in to like and comment, but I'm not doing ID crap for that.
Enjoy it while it lasts. I have a feeling that YT is going to take the FB approach of slamming a login wall to your face at some point.