According to a report by Windows Latest, this move comes as Google has been trying to crack down on ad blockers, which can prevent the company from generating revenue from advertising. Google has previously been criticised for its anti-ad blocker measures, which some have accused of being anti-competitive. Incidentally, Google is currently embroiled in a bitter legal battle with the US Department of Justice on its alleged anti-competitive practices.
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As per the report, Google is blocking Microsoft Edge users with strict tracking protection mode enabled because it believes “Ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service.” However, the issue is that Google makes a significant amount of revenue from advertising, and targeted advertising is more effective than non-targeted advertising.
What does this mean for Microsoft Edge users?
If you are a Microsoft Edge user with strict tracking protection mode enabled, you may not be able to watch YouTube videos. You can fix this problem by disabling strict tracking protection mode or by switching to a different browser. Microsoft Edge’s strict tracking mode doesn’t block all ads. However, it does block those ads which it deems to be actually tracking users.
There are a few things that Microsoft Edge users can do if they are being blocked from YouTube:
- Disable strict tracking protection mode.
- Switch to a different browser, such as Firefox or Brave.
- Use a VPN to hide your IP address and make it appear as if you are browsing from a different location.
Or there’s always the option of subscribing to YouTube Premium, which delivers an ad-free experience to users.