Youtube ads before EEVBLOG- now gone political - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: reagle
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:06:53 am
content: It appears the last island of sanity- watching EEVBLOG is now being squished by political ads pushed by YoutubeIs there any way Dave you could set preferences to not allow that type of ads? Agilent flogging the latest gear- sure, other related stuff- fine. But not loud and obnoxious political stuff, (unless it's Dave talking)

author: Rory
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:58:00 am
content: Adblock+ in Firefox. Never see ads on Youtube.

author: nilium
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 02:03:16 am
content: Quote from: Rory on September 23, 2013, 01:58:00 amAdblock and Adblock Plus available for Chrome as well! "Works a treat!"

author: reagle
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 02:05:13 am
content: Doesn't help with native Youtube app on an Android phone though

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 07:30:05 am
content: I deal with the ads, it's the ad views that give the content producer some revenue, use adblock for all I care, just don't encourage others to, please.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 07:42:24 am
content: I don't have a say in it.Google tracks everything you do and display the ads it thinksyoulike, it's not putting the same ad for everyone on my channel.That is the magic of google and why they are rich.For example, if I search for baby clothes tonight, I'll get baby clothes ads on my own videos and website tomorrow.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 07:45:59 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on September 23, 2013, 01:52:41 amNope, nothing to do with it, as mentioned above. It's either your own fault, or some political party is paying huge $$$$$$$ to plaster every channel with forced non-context sensitive ads.There is a method I can block ads from certain companies I think, which is useful for content producer that say have a paid ad from one company, and don't want the competition to display their ads. But I have never tried it, and I would only ever be chasing my tail. So basically impossible to stop from my end, except remove ALL ads from all videos.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 09:47:21 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 23, 2013, 07:42:24 amYou can clear your cookies (or just set them to blocked) if you don't like this tracking.

author: reagle
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 11:55:27 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 23, 2013, 07:42:24 amI dunno about that- the ads are the exact opposite of what my political views would be. So it's either Google's bug, or it's on purpose, to try to change them.Anyways, I know they pay Dave's bills, so oh well

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:01:39 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on September 23, 2013, 09:47:21 amYou can clear your cookies (or just set them to blocked) if you don't like this tracking.Fraid not. Google can track you without that.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:04:32 pm
content: Quote from: reagle on September 23, 2013, 11:55:27 amThere are two types of ads advertisers can pay for. Adsense, which is targeted to your search history, and traditional mass blanket advertising to everyone. Political parties definitely pay for the latter.

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:07:07 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 23, 2013, 01:01:39 pmFraid not. Google can track you without that.They can't as long as you block the cookies and are not logged into Google in any way. If you're logged in in some way (mail, blogspot, whatever) it doesn't matter if you block cookies since they track you on your session.But you have to block cookies, you have to tell Flash to not to accept cookies, you have to not be logged in, etc, etc, etc. It's kind of a pain but doable.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:13:19 pm
content: I am almost 100% sure that, if you launch a private browsing page (and do not log in) the tracking will happen only during that active session. I use that to search for dummy things at amazon.com (similarly as Dave, I also search for baby stuff) without having an invasion of adsense related content.

author: HKJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:33:34 pm
content: Quote from: grego on September 23, 2013, 01:07:07 pmIt is not that difficult to track a browser:https://panopticlick.eff.org/Looking at your IP address will make it even easier.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 01:46:00 pm
content: Quote from: grego on September 23, 2013, 01:07:07 pmTracking by IP is trivial, and google does that too of course.

author: Tepe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 02:46:35 pm
content: Quote from: reagle on September 23, 2013, 11:55:27 amIt would be a waste to push an agenda you already support.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 03:36:43 pm
content: QuoteI wish that wasn't the case. Google's algorithm categorizes me as a boring person.Based on the ads I get, I have no life. Or at least not the life I want to live.

author: wblackledg
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 04:10:22 pm
content: Quote from: reagle on September 23, 2013, 11:55:27 amthat makes sense. no sense preaching to the choir.I haven't noticed any political ads lately.

author: hikariuk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 05:22:24 pm
content: Quote from: wblackledg on September 23, 2013, 04:10:22 pmIf they could they'd just target the swing voters with adverts, they're the people who decide the outcomes of elections. People who support you will vote for you anyway, people who support your opposition won't vote for you no matter what you say. Although most of election day is spent chasing known supporters and making sure they've actually gone out and voted.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 05:33:37 pm
content: Quote from: hikariuk on September 23, 2013, 05:22:24 pmIn my country voting is a must, so that part can be skipped.

author: FrankBuss
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 05:43:12 pm
content: Quote from: peter.mitchell on September 23, 2013, 07:30:05 amI don't like ads, so I use AdBlock, too. But if you like the content, then it is fair to donate a bit. Lots of possibilities for EEVblog, e.g. PayPal, Bitcoin or each time you buy something on Amazon:http://www.eevblog.com/donations/

author: nitro2k01
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 06:39:09 pm
content: Quote from: HKJ on September 23, 2013, 01:33:34 pmThere's a difference between could and would. Sure, Google (or Amazon etc) could track anyone using browser fingerprinting so that even if you clear your cookies and connect from a new IP address. But would they? Google is targeting the majority with their ads, which means the low hanging fruit. Ie, regular cookies and IP address tracking. It simply doesn't make economical sense to keep such a database to keep track of the last 1% who are trying to avoid the ads.

author: Orpheus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 08:31:23 pm
content: Also consider adjusting yourhttp://www.google.com/settings/adssettings

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 09:12:29 pm
content: Quote from: reagle on September 23, 2013, 11:55:27 am..surely that's the point - no point in advertising to their own side!

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 09:43:01 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 23, 2013, 01:04:32 pmWhy? Political ads are target the social classes that would have the strongest opposition. They also have very different ads to convince people with similar convictions to go and vote. They are structured differently and lose their meaning if the wrong audience is targeted.

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2013, 03:10:39 am
content: Quote from: HKJ on September 23, 2013, 01:33:34 pmMost of us don't have dedicated IPs so tracking by IP is pretty much useless today. That, along with NAT, makes it the least likely method.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2013, 04:36:17 am
content: They must think I'm a middle aged perv, rather than an OF,as I get this ad about "dating mature women".Why the hell would I want to do that!I'mmarriedto a mature woman!!

author: nitro2k01
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2013, 05:02:01 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on September 23, 2013, 09:12:29 pmSure there would be. Half the battle is to get the lazy people to vote at all. And depending on which election we're talking about, individual campaigns may want to run their own campaigns, obviously working best if matched to your views.But the truth is probably that the targeting is a pretty blunt weapon. My guess i that they at best can determine (with some certainty) whether you are interested in politics or not.

author: HKJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2013, 06:21:43 am
content: Quote from: grego on September 24, 2013, 03:10:39 amBut you will probably only use a few different IP addresses, making a browser signature very efficient to track you.

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2013, 12:02:37 pm
content: Quote from: HKJ on September 24, 2013, 06:21:43 amAlso incorrect - subnets on US internet providers tend to be in the /23 range for DHCP ranges (Comcast for example) or even /22's .. Believe me, you can pretty handily stop tracking if you make a bit of effort.Now if you're in Kansas City for example and using Google as your service provider you're screwed - no way can you avoid it then!

author: HKJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2013, 12:40:16 pm
content: Quote from: grego on September 24, 2013, 12:02:37 pmEven with a 255.255.0.0 mask, you only need to do a limited browser signature for tracking.

author: gxti
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2013, 03:07:53 pm
content: For the past week or two nearly every ad I get (for any video, not just EEVblog) is for a kids' iPad game. I don't have kids, or an iPad. The worst part is the music is catchy enough that I keep watching it

author: reagle
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2013, 03:34:44 pm
content: I just get the healthcare reform ones

author: hikariuk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2013, 05:06:33 pm
content: Quote from: jancumps on September 23, 2013, 05:33:37 pmI wish they'd do that here.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2013, 06:43:06 pm
content: Quote from: hikariuk on September 25, 2013, 05:06:33 pmI wish they'd just figure out how to make sure every vote was legal in the US.This person voted 6 times and got caught:http://reason.com/blog/2013/07/18/ohio-poll-worker-sentencedDead voters:http://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2012/05/16/53000-dead-voters-found-in-florida/Non-Citizen voters:http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_23580341/gessler-asks-colorado-das-investigate-suspected-non-citizen?source=pkgAnd the people who have houses in more than one state have been caught sometimes voting for local officials in each area.In the US the law is currently where you don't have to identify yourself in order to vote. In fact one time I voted I just walked in and handed the lady my license (I do that a lot because I have a long last name and I get tired of repeating the spelling half a dozen times) and the lady shoved it back at me saying "I don't need to see that! What's your name?"I could have said John Smith on Main Street and surely gotten a match.Maybe mandatory voting could fix that? Who knows.

author: hikariuk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2013, 08:35:12 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on September 25, 2013, 06:43:06 pmYou potentially get the same problem in the UK; all you need to cast your vote is to know your name and where you live, you. You don't even have to bring your voter registration card. The best bit is if you're a candidate that's actually published information (my full name and address were published when I stood in the county council elections a few years ago).We semi-regularly get cases of electoral fraud; they tend to target postal and proxy voting.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2013, 11:35:45 pm
content: I've heard of some cases where the person will mail in a ballot and then go vote at the polling station. When they get caught they just say "I didn't realize I mailed it"

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 12:13:52 am
content: Quote from: Stonent on September 25, 2013, 06:43:06 pmWe have mandatory voting in oz. I think it's essential for a proper democracy. Democracy doesn't come free.Here you don't have to show ID, but you have to tell them your name and address and they tick it off in the huge electoral role books.It wouldn't be hard to simply say a common name and then lean over and read the book and say the street name. But when the real Dave Jones comes along presumably they wouldn't let you vote, so it kinda evens out. Never heard reports of people trying to rort the system here, but it probably happens on some insignificant scale.

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 12:26:41 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 26, 2013, 12:13:52 amThe chances of you picking the same polling station and the same polling official (with their own book) would be pretty low. Of course the duplicate would get picked up when the returns are processed.I've wondered what would happen if someone did that to you (voted using your name). How would you prove it wasn't you the other time? Since the voting forms are not tied to the person, they couldn't even remove the multiple offending votes.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 12:31:05 am
content: The ad I usually get on the EEVBlog channel is for a PBX telephone system. It's actually kinda funny because the poor customer is shown handing over wads of cash to the legacy telephone Co.Anyway, you can skip the ads in only 5s. It ain't that big of a deal.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 12:54:39 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 26, 2013, 12:13:52 amYes, however the US is not technically democracy , which I think was in part of the separate colonies wanting unification under a national government but also a certain level of autonomy. A populous state like New York couldn't repeatedly throw its weight around and infringe on the rights of the smaller states. So we became a republic. Mexico, Russia, Germany, Austria, Brazil, and India are some other examples.And yes there are some people in the US which strongly believe the right to "not vote" is an essential form of free speech.Quote from: Daneen G. Peterson, Ph.D.Like they say, a democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what's for dinner.

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 03:41:16 am
content: I'm one of the people who think as an individual you have a right to not vote - an uninformed electorate also is one of the worst things that can happen to a democracy (not saying that all the people that do vote in the US are informed mind you).I'm actually fine with the way the US system works - electoral fraud happens of course but it's pretty insignificant overall. I can't speak to local elections but at the state and federal level the estimates I've seen are so small as to be insignificant. Certainly not enough to tilt an election. Again - it does happen and the people who do it should be punished to the fullest extent of the law - my point is just that it doesn't actually impact the end result of a vote.I'm more of a person who believes that similar to the presumption of innocence that all votes should be accepted and counted unless there is clear proof that the person is casting an illegal vote. The burden should be on the state, not the individual.Call me crazy but I think the right NOT to be heard is just as important as the right TO be heard without interference.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 08:35:12 am
content: Quote from: grego on September 26, 2013, 03:41:16 amIf you vote, the government will always know where you are.

author: hikariuk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 09:01:27 am
content: Quote from: grego on September 26, 2013, 03:41:16 amPeople in Australia will just spoil their ballot paper or not bother to fill it in, iirc. The only bit of the law they can actually verify is that you turn up, have your name marked off, and collect your ballot, and go into the voting booth with it. Being a secret ballot they have no way of knowing what you actually do with the paper once you're in there. In the UK people just do the same thing when they want to make a statement.Reading spoiled ballots is some of the most fun you get when you attend counts as a party agent (you're not allowed to handle them, but the returning officer will often hold them up and go "I intend to count this as a spoiled paper - any objections?" or "I intend to count this as a vote for..." to the agents).

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 09:32:54 am
content: Quote from: Stonent on September 26, 2013, 12:54:39 amFor a PhD ,he draws rather a long bow!Democracy & Republic are simply the Greek & Latin words for the same thing!The Ancient Greek Democracy & the Roman Republic would not be regarded as "democracies" in the modern sense,as they allowed such things as limited franchise,slavery,etc.True democracy,of the "Village Council" variety,is obviously too unwieldy for use in a Country with millions of inhabitants,so all so-called"Democracies" are of the Representational kind.(except of course for those Dictatorships who call themselves "Democratic Republics",but we aren't speaking about liars here!)Inherent in this,is the recognition of possible threats to minority (& majority) freedoms by such "disconnection " between the people & the business of Government.The answer to this is in written Constitutions,such as in the USA,& Australia,& "implied" Constitutions from the body of Common Law in others,.Actually,Australia has both!I can simply copy his last paragraph changing a few words ,thus:A Constitutional Monarchy,such as Australia uses democratic processes to elect representatives and pass new laws, etc.A Constitutional Monarchy usually has both a Constitution & a body of Common Law which limit the powers of the government. It also spells out how the government is structured, creating checks on its power and balancing power between the different branches."Sound very different,now?

author: ampdoctor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 12:14:58 pm
content: Quote from: grego on September 26, 2013, 03:41:16 amThe more informed I get, the less inclined I am to vote...not even kidding! It takes roughly 3/4 of a billion dollars to mount a successful bid for the presidency over here. Then look at the campaign contributors and you see the same big companies and financial institutions are at the top of the list on both sides. Same game on a smaller scale for senators and representatives. Doesn't matter who you vote for, both sides are bought and paid for by the same people. The harder you look at it the more it appears to be an exercise in futility.The really frightening thing is that the vast majority of people vote along party lines or by name recognition alone and have no real understanding of what the various platforms actually are let alone where the people they vote for stand on that platform.

author: Clear as mud
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 03:35:59 pm
content: Back to this issue:Quote from: grego on September 23, 2013, 01:07:07 pmMost people aren't aware of it, but another way Google can track you is through browser settings in Firefox. If you have "Block reported attack sites" and "Block reported web forgeries" checked (and they are checked by default), then every address you browse will be sent to Google to check against their databases of attack and forgery sites.

author: nitro2k01
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 03:45:31 pm
content: Quote from: Clear as mud on September 26, 2013, 03:35:59 pmNot true, unless you believe in conspiracies. The list is periodically downloaded to your computer and checked locally. Only if there's a match against the list, will the address be double checked. Checking every single request remotely is not only unthinkable from the privacy point of view, but also from a performance point of view. Both for the user, for whom each request would take more time to complete, and for Google, who would get an enormous amount of traffic.http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/phishing-protection/

author: Mikey
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 06:58:07 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 23, 2013, 07:42:24 amGuess it's best I don't complain about the porn ad's I get then...

author: Clear as mud
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 06:19:57 pm
content: Thank you for the clarification about the attack site lists. I read that misinformation on a site that I thought was reliable. I don't remember which site now, but I guess I need to be a little more skeptical, and circumspect about checking out sources.