AdBlock and Adblock Plus bugs cause YouTube slowdowns

YouTube slowdowns have been traced back to bugs in the popular ad-blocking tools AdBlock and Adblock Plus, according to joint statements from the companies, reports pcmag.com. Users experienced performance issues, including lag when watching YouTube videos and browsing other websites, after a recent update. The makers of both ad blockers have promptly released fixes to address the problem.

In their statements, the companies acknowledged the bug and explained, "With our latest update published last week, some of our users began to experience a slowdown on YouTube and other sites across the web." The best course of action is for users to update their AdBlock and Adblock Plus extensions. This will ensure that any slowdown caused by the bug is resolved.

YouTube, however, denies any involvement in the slowdowns related to its ad-blocker crackdown. The video-sharing platform has been taking measures against the use of ad blockers, displaying messages to users violating the Terms of Service. Previously, users were required to disable their ad blockers or subscribe to YouTube Premium to watch videos without interruptions.

Now, YouTube is reportedly escalating its response by slowing down the entire site when an ad blocker is detected, referred to by Google as "suboptimal viewing." This experience has been described by users as causing lagginess and unresponsiveness on the site until the ad blocker is disabled.

The slowdown issue is attributed to an artificial timeout in YouTube's code, simulating a laggy internet connection. While not a new problem, it appears to be affecting an increasing number of users.