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Acklavidian ,

They are tracking you even in incognito with a VPN and even across services. People have been using these types of tools for a very long time and porn sites have been tracking people all the while. Basically your devices have enough unique attributes accessible through JavaScript API like make model, screen resolution, bluetooth radio capabilities like ble, connection speed, etc. Basically brute force every data point available in the API and use the results to build a profile to recognize you. Tools like modernizr.com while not exactly intended for this still make it easier.

MrPoopbutt ,

How is one supposed to prevent an API from doing this?

Acklavidian ,

Air gap yourself or you can disable JavaScript. But who does that haha. Albeit many browsers allow you to disable JavaScript these days, it’s not a great experience. I will say that it’s hard to monetize these types of profiles because they are somewhat ephemeral and not always accurate. But they are good enough to use to increase engagement on a admin dashboard so that’s what happens. Also there is some considerations to be made in terms of how similar people could potentially buy similar devices and use them in similar ways producing similar profiles. Decisions are made by analysing engagement metrics without any awareness of the behavior that drives them. I think this is what might have led to what Google is pushing as the new model for tracking users instead of cookies. …m.wikipedia.org/…/Federated_Learning_of_Cohorts

Yerbouti ,

There are Firefox extensions to: disable shorts, make your homepage your subscription page.

ChanchoManco ,

Also revanced can disable shorts on mobile and smart tube next on tv

AA5B ,

I don’t generally use YouTube since I find it more frustrating than enjoyable or useful, but I occasionally follow links that look interesting. I had never paid attention to “shorts” except they appeared extra annoying the one time I tried.

Sure enough, mine are similar. Oh well, I’ll continue ignoring them as mostly annoying

pjwestin ,
@pjwestin@lemmy.world avatar

Here’s my secret trick for making YouTube usable again:

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/40a0cb25-46fe-485b-a4cb-6b083f4d719d.jpeg

Jesusaurus ,

I’d like to do that but that’s also how YouTube indicates which videos you’ve already watched, which YouTube will frequently re-serve in your recommendations.

pjwestin ,
@pjwestin@lemmy.world avatar

Oh, don’t worry, reccomendations will be dead too! Fun fact, I turned off my Watch History 5+ years ago, but 6 months ago YouTube decided they, “needed,” my history to give me recommendations. I decided that was fine, so now the Homepage tab is disabled, the Shorts tab is disabled, and now I just have a subscription list from creators I like! I still get related videos when watching a video, and that’s more than adequate to discover new content. I don’t have time to watch all my subscriptions anyway, so if YouTube can’t reccomend 30 videos I’ve never seen before under every video I watch, what do I care?

_dev_null ,
@_dev_null@lemmy.zxcvn.xyz avatar

I do something similar, but I guess scorched earth edition:

  • Only use firefox, no chrome or chromium variants
  • Never signed in to my google account (only have it to keep a gmail forward going for old ass subscriptions)
  • Have firefox configured to only keep whitelisted sites’ cookies and data between restarts - google is not on that list
  • uBlock Origin

The last several months I started seeing that youtube screen “enable history to see recommendations” blank page when first landing, as if it was a punishment to me. It’s not. I remember all the channels I like, and it’s easy enough to keep checking back. So that blank screen is actually a nice bonus to me.

pjwestin ,
@pjwestin@lemmy.world avatar

It’s amazing how Google thinks giving you the content you actually want to see is some kind of punishment, especially when 90% of the other content is sweaty needs whining about how woke Hollywood is.

menemen ,
@menemen@lemmy.world avatar

Depends on whatever psychological profile google has created for you I guess. Currently mine is mostly about exotic guns, because I found that fascinating for a while. I don’t own any guns and I am not a supporter of lax gun laws. But google does google things.

intensely_human ,

You bastard LAX is a major international airport. We can’t afford to have lax security there.

menemen ,
@menemen@lemmy.world avatar

I am not a native english speaker. But according to the dictionary lax meand loose or casual. Is it uncommon?

woop_woop ,

You are correct, but LAX is also the Los Angeles airport code. He’s just fuckin with you

ready_for_qa ,

Mine has been programming, world history, and how to. They’ve figured me out.

Shaggy1050 ,

I was spammed with those when shorts started. It took forever but I finally don’t have those suggested anymore. As someone else posted, once creators I follow started doing shorts, those appeared as suggestions and took over the feed.

intensely_human ,

Mine is standup comedy, quick videos on how to use modern weapons, quick videos on how to use medieval weapons, FPS gamers doing crazy moves, and those guys who make love action shorts about video games.

My advice is stop giving thumbs up to the softcore porn.

BaskinRobbins ,

Mine started out like this but eventually was replaced with gaming content and cars. Does anyone know how to get the porn back?

jaschen ,

Watch more porn.

melpomenesclevage ,

Doesn’t work. You ever tried to buy sex toys on amazon? They will not let you run a proper search.

Aux ,

I don’t know what’s wrong with your Amazon, but it works just fine here.

melpomenesclevage ,

When? Haven’t tried recently.

Aux ,

Tried just now, plenty of toys for every taste.

melpomenesclevage ,

Huh. I can find them but never with precise searches.

Aux ,

Well, something is wrong on your side.

vegantomato ,
@vegantomato@lemmy.world avatar

I think this stuff is high engagement content among a large subset of the population. So it gets recommended a lot.

Maybe if you watch videos with a niche that doesn’t also draw in the same audience as the borderline porn stuff’s, you will see less of these shorts. Alternatively, you can download a YouTube client that gives you a completely different interface for subscriptions and recommendations, or use an Invideous instance.

VirtualOdour ,

I get loads of funny content, a lot of great female comedians on shorts at the moment and skit writers. A lot of brief science videos trying and often succeeding in tempting me down a rabbit hole. Then random stuff like rainbolt guessing the country in 0 01 seconds of a greyscale image, nilered showing how radioactive things are or how great they look exploding. Plus a few oddball bits that come from nowhere, and of course nerd girls thirsttrapping with golden era sci-fi themed science facts but not nearly as many as you’d think considering how quick I click on them.

General_Shenanigans ,

My YouTube is well-trained, but this is how my Instagram is. Didn’t use it or follow anybody on it for years. Recently took to scrolling and watching funny dog videos on there. I was showing my GF a funny pupper and accidentally tapped the search loupe at the bottom. BOOM. Bouncing boobies and butts covered my screen. I just kind-of stared at it in disbelief, saying “What the hell?” She got a laugh out of it. I guess this is a big part of instagram now.

graeghos_714 ,

If youtube shows me anything but music video’s in my home page I tag them as do not like and don’t show this type of content

Jimmycakes ,

Mine is but it also works for getting clicks on me because monkey brain

Plibbert ,

Yup

UckyBon ,

Those are some big Costco guys 😅

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