The problem I have with this solution is that I don't trust Google not to take my money and then still stalk me. This requires providing valid billing & payment information (otherwise the payment wouldn't go through) where as without it you could technically create an account with fake details.

Even when paying for it the YouTube UX is pretty terrible and you're still locked-in to their apps (even though if the service is paid there should be no commercial reason for why third-party clients couldn't be allowed, unless Google wants to "double-dip" by taking money and still tracking or annoying their users with engagement-generating UX).

I have YouTube premium (freebie holdover from Google music) and I don’t trust Google here either. In fact, I would be surprised if they (or anyone else for that matter) don’t track.

I think many people and outlets have wrongly attributed paying with not tracking because we associated tracking and ads with not paying.

Really, they have very little incentive to not track, unless that’s explicitly what you’re buying.

Adjacent: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/23/iphone-...

I am moving away from YouTube to Odysee and other platforms. Don't want a penny going to YouTube. I pay to people I follow via Substack, Locals boards and other merchandise ways.

This is a reasonable stance. It's funny that the common retort to YouTube censorship is not to use it and to go somewhere else, but then you get downvoted for saying that's exactly what you're doing.

Looks like few people read my comment and then went and downvoted many of my recent comments on HN.

Welcome to Reddit!

If you sign up while under a Russian or Indian VPN, it is <$4 a month. You will need a Russian or Indian "address" for billing (at least I did) but any card will work.

> You can also pay 12 euros per month and don’t have any ads.

How can I pay 12 euros per month and not have ANY ads on YouTube?

By that I mean YouTube ads and native video ads (I can’t) if I need to pay 12 euros per month to ONLY get rid of YouTube ads then I will continue to use ublock + sponsorblock.

If YouTube forced content creators to tag the timeframe for in video ads and auto skipped it for premium users I would gladly pay the subscription fee.

Just as I’m not interested in paying for internet news just to still have ads shoved down my throat and pay for streaming service that still serve ads. I also refuse to pay YouTube to still see ads by sponsors.

I don't know where you are going with this. If your argument is that ad blocking is immoral then say it so you can be downvoted.

I don't think ad-blocking is immoral, on the contrary I think it's necessary, and I despise the amount of ads thrown at us. My computers and phones have every form of adblocker/sponsorblocker available.

That being said, I can afford it so I would be a humongous hypocrite if I didn't support services when an ad-free option exists.