Google's anti-ad scripts are breaking browsers and privacy plugins. It could get worse because Google controls the ad market, Chrome, and the extension store.

Another great article from 404 Media highlighting the power that the tech giants have amassed over how how we use the internet.

This brings me, I think, to the elephant in the room, which is the fact that Google has its hands on quite literally every aspect of this entire saga as a vertically integrated adtech giant.

This extreme power over the adtech and online advertising ecosystem is one of the subjects of an FTC antitrust suit against Google.

  • @Immersive_Matthew@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    55•2 years ago

    Google only has power as we the people give it to them but using their services. Same with Reddit’s power and such. Not the people here as we have unfortunately unplugged, but admittedly, all the decentralized services have significantly less content and variety of content. We need more people to join us, but they seem happy to support the centralized services they hate.

    • El BartoEnglish
      5•2 years ago

      I’m okay with the less amount of content. Frankly, I mindlessly spent hours scrolling through “content” on reddit, and feeling no satisfaction. At least the content here is more relevant.

      More people would mean more memes and rage bait. No thanks.

      • @Littleborat@feddit.deEnglish
        4•2 years ago

        You just need to curate your feed like anywhere else. Who can really stand the main page of reddit or yt or anything really?

        Reddit made it so hard to use on mobile that I only check it on the weekend on my pc.

        • El BartoEnglish
          1•2 years ago

          Yup, I used to do that. But then the admins took over some of my curated subs, e.g. programming subs, when the mods refuse to open them up. So now I don’t go to those anymore.

    • @shrugal@lemm.eeEnglish
      4•2 years ago

      The problem is the network effect. It’s hard to switch from YT if all your favorite channels and creators are there, but it’s also hard for them to switch if all the users are using YT. And because it’s many different people we cannot coordinate a simultaneous transition either.

    • GreenMEnglish
      3•2 years ago

      That’s why i wen FF+ Duckduck + ublock and instead of reddit > Lemmy But i have to admit that YouTube is harder to replace then reddit and I’ve tried many alternatives.