A recent study has revealed that users of YouTube on the Firefox browser are experiencing a five-second delay when playing videos. This issue has been linked to the use of ad blockers and Google’s efforts to combat these programs.
A Reddit user named vk6 shared their experience, stating that when they played a video on YouTube in Firefox, the screen went black for several seconds before the video started. However, when they switched to Chrome, the video started playing automatically.
The root cause of this delay is believed to be related to ad-blocking extensions in the Firefox browser. In fact, users on the uBlock Origin Reddit forum have claimed that this code was not created by Firefox but rather by Google. The code in question is 5E3 and is embedded in YouTube’s polymer script link.
YouTube confirmed early last month that it was taking global measures against ad blockers in browsers. These measures include an increase in warnings urging users to uninstall ad blockers or subscribe to YouTube Premium. If users continue to use ad blockers, they may not be able to play videos on the platform anymore.
As a result of these measures, many users have removed their ad blockers and installed alternative ad-blocking programs such as AdGuard, AdLock, and Ghostery. However, privacy concerns have been raised about whether Google’s technology company may be violating user privacy by using spy software to detect ad blocker usage in browsers.