Watching Age-Restricted Videos

26 points by lunchladydoris 3 years ago | 24 comments
  • raxxorrax 3 years ago
    Basically the EU is forcing me to create a Google account. For privacy reasons I don't use one to watch videos and I am certainly not providing an ID. So for European users non-compliant video platforms are preferable for any controversial content (Any platform will err on the side of caution when flagging content, as are users).

    This is governance done wrong. Severely wrong. Your 12 year olds will find a way to content, probably on sites that are "worse" than Youtube. For Europeans everything on Youtube is now Youtube Kids.

    • veidr 3 years ago
      Is creating a google account more arduous than before? I've created dozens of them (including for my kids, where I had to be less than truthful about their age), and I have never had to provide an — OMFG I HAD NOT EXPANDED THE "If you're in the EU..." LINK!

      :exploding_outraged_and_bewildered_head:

      OK, you are right, this is governance done wrong.

      • nobody9999 3 years ago
        >Is creating a google account more arduous than before?

        Not sure about in the EU, but here in the US I cannot create a google account without providing a telephone number "for security."

        That's certainly different (not more arduous, but more privacy invading) from when I created other Google accounts some years back.

        • agolliver 3 years ago
          I just created a new Google account in the US without providing any personal details whatsoever.
        • raxxorrax 3 years ago
          I also like to not create an account because I enjoy non-profiled search. I dislike getting served the same mush over and over. But that is just a preference.

          But yeah, the real problem is that we got age filter no. 4523.

          There are alternative ways, but this should work for anyone currently affected:

          https://githubmemory.com/repo/zerodytrash/Simple-YouTube-Age...

          I think this implementation of the EU AVMSD forces users private data to be more likely to be exposed.

          • joconde 3 years ago
            > I also like to not create an account because I enjoy non-profiled search. I dislike getting served the same mush over and over.

            You can disable Google's activity history, which includes YouTube videos watched. That should prevent personalised recommendations: https://myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy

            I disabled everything and can confirm that I only get garbage recommendations about things I've never watched or searched for.

          • boring_twenties 3 years ago
            Isn't it technically against the terms of service to have multiple accounts?

            In which case, sure it might work for now, but at any point Google can decide to just lock you out of all of them.

            • throwuxiytayq 3 years ago
              Even if not, creating more accounts increases your exposure to Google's faulty moderation infrastructure, multiplying the probability that all of your accounts get banned. Probably nonlinearly, since more accounts under same address makes you look more like a bot.
              • gizmo686 3 years ago
                https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US

                I don't see anything regarding multiple accounts.

                • hermes8329 3 years ago
                  Isn't it technically against?

                  Who cares if it is

                  • rendall 3 years ago
                    > Isn't it technically against the terms of service to have multiple accounts?

                    No.

                  • zelon88 3 years ago
                    The sites you use every day behave differently in different parts of the world.
                  • monkeybutton 3 years ago
                    A 12 year old is going to sneak a picture of their parent's credit card or ID when they are busy and not paying attention. Or an older sibling's ID. Or share a photo of a valid ID among their friends.
                    • schleck8 3 years ago
                      Youtube does not age restrict many videos, it's seriously hard finding one that's neither gore nor porn and still age restricted.
                      • dkersten 3 years ago
                        The only videos that have been asking me to prove that I’m over 18 are comedy ones that have typically been on YouTube for years.
                        • nobody9999 3 years ago
                          >Youtube does not age restrict many videos, it's seriously hard finding one that's neither gore nor porn and still age restricted.

                          I was going to post a link to a song based on the "All your base are belong to us" meme on another site, but it was, for some unknown reason, age-restricted.

                          • DoItToMe81 3 years ago
                            Random videos about unionization and US foreign policy have found themselves age restricted. I won't dig them all up, but here's one which was made age restricted without appeal. Does it seem like 18+ content to you?

                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lzlUucGTco

                          • addingnumbers 3 years ago
                            > Basically the EU is forcing me to create a Google account.

                            When I see the age gate asking me to log in, I close the tab. How will the EU stop me from doing that?

                            • hermes8329 3 years ago
                              Because you are required to watch the free content
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                                    • addingnumbers 3 years ago
                                      I just tested it, the close button works perfectly. I'm not required to do anything.
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                                    • johnlorentzson 3 years ago
                                      It's wonderful when I have to show my ID before I can watch a video of the funny man saying fuck (I'm not kidding, that's sometimes but usually not enough to get it automatically age-restricted).