Why The Web Is Such A Mess

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ย. 2020
  • Tim Berners-Lee envisioned a "universal information system". What went wrong? • MORE BASICS: • The Basics
    Written with Sean Elliott / seanmelliott • Camera by Tomek • Graphics by William Marler wmad.co.uk
    🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
    (you can find contact details and social links there too)
    📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.com/newsletter/
    ❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
    ➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
    👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

ความคิดเห็น • 7K

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  3 ปีที่แล้ว +24766

    The thing behind me is the Centre for Computing History's Megaprocessor. It plays Tetris.

  • @mifino
    @mifino 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5996

    The silliest part of this is how they all word it as «We care about your privacy»

    • @trevinbeattie4888
      @trevinbeattie4888 3 ปีที่แล้ว +742

      They care to the minimum extent required by law

    • @safe-keeper1042
      @safe-keeper1042 3 ปีที่แล้ว +591

      "We care about your privacy, and by sheer coincidence we started caring at about the same time that GDPR law came about..."

    • @krux02
      @krux02 3 ปีที่แล้ว +311

      We care about your privacy, in the sense of you giving it up so we can track you all the time.

    • @thegreentaxi1
      @thegreentaxi1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +192

      They care a lot. They just don't care about protecting it :P

    • @sion8
      @sion8 3 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      Oh, they care alright… just as long as they become part of your private sphere.😒

  • @No-uc6fg
    @No-uc6fg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23117

    After a few years of Internet use, one develops a Clinical Eye to discern the real download button.

    • @itachi2011100
      @itachi2011100 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1075

      That or you switch to Linux where you don't have to find the download button.

    • @hearingmorethan1517
      @hearingmorethan1517 3 ปีที่แล้ว +519

      God why is this a goddamn thing ffs

    • @Bernard.
      @Bernard. 3 ปีที่แล้ว +175

      You are so rightttttt 😭

    • @sylvesterdivine9292
      @sylvesterdivine9292 3 ปีที่แล้ว +979

      finding the right download button is a talent you learn

    • @bryanp.1327
      @bryanp.1327 3 ปีที่แล้ว +554

      Much like discerning search results that matter

  • @Noksus
    @Noksus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5205

    I just love how the law clearly states it is "opt-in", not "opt-out" and still nearly every website has every option checked and you need to EXPLICITLY opt-out from everything. Drives me mad.

    • @RustOnWheels
      @RustOnWheels 3 ปีที่แล้ว +584

      Don’t forget the locked ‘legitimate interest’ options…

    • @JNJNRobin1337
      @JNJNRobin1337 2 ปีที่แล้ว +133

      Wait Does This Mean A Lawsuit Could Happen About It?

    • @fan0
      @fan0 2 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      Some websites has opt-out, you don't need to untick this boxes.

    • @Renard380
      @Renard380 2 ปีที่แล้ว +177

      Just boycott those sites. Every time i see one of those endless lists i just close the page. Those parasites have to learn.

    • @emilianozamora399
      @emilianozamora399 2 ปีที่แล้ว +440

      @@Renard380 you're like a grain of sand moving to a different beach

  • @levirichardson8505
    @levirichardson8505 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5222

    I just want to clear this up: The majority of advertisers are not humans.

    • @MikkoRantalainen
      @MikkoRantalainen 3 ปีที่แล้ว +405

      I agree, majority of advertisers are some still unidentified lower lifeform.

    • @sponge1234ify
      @sponge1234ify 3 ปีที่แล้ว +275

      Literally; most of the web's ads are made and curated by computers nowadays.

    • @levirichardson8505
      @levirichardson8505 3 ปีที่แล้ว +161

      @@sponge1234ify Not quite what I meant, but you're not wrong.

    • @levirichardson8505
      @levirichardson8505 3 ปีที่แล้ว +130

      @@MikkoRantalainen much lower. So low they have to steal our data to make a living

    • @sponge1234ify
      @sponge1234ify 3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      @@levirichardson8505 oh i get what you mean, i'm just trying to be witty :p

  • @sarahp6512
    @sarahp6512 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5516

    What advertisers don't realize is that the more intrusive, annoying, and frequent their ads are, the more likely I am to go out of my way to avoid their products.

    • @Odima16
      @Odima16 3 ปีที่แล้ว +989

      I feel the same way, but you'd be surprised how much you subconsciously get drawn to those products despite that. The whole "any publicity is good publicity" concept holds very true for ads. You tend to trust something more the more you hear it, even if it's just the name of a brand.

    • @pyrioncelendil
      @pyrioncelendil 3 ปีที่แล้ว +515

      They don't care. Advertisers universally subscribe to the notion that there's no such thing as bad publicity. After all, their goal is just to get you to view their ads, not so much buy their products. Connecting ad views to purchases is somebody else's problem.

    • @banana_
      @banana_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +125

      @@Odima16 Exactly what I wanted to say. Even if it's the most annoying ad in the world, it works for the company

    • @ammonha
      @ammonha 3 ปีที่แล้ว +303

      Companies spend billions on advertising each year, they know exactly what works and what doesn't.

    • @EpicEmberOriginal
      @EpicEmberOriginal 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@banana_ This reminded me of go compare. It worked, at one point I actually did use their site

  • @hooliganbubsy7298
    @hooliganbubsy7298 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2167

    Remember when youtube had harmless, slightly opaque, banners that'd pop up and you'd look at them and press the X and that was that. Harmless advertising that didn't ruin your experience. Crazy.

    • @pzyqux6641
      @pzyqux6641 2 ปีที่แล้ว +135

      Can't watch on mobile anymore, because they have 3 ads infront of videos now. Have to watch on pc where i have an adblocker.

    • @TinyDeskEngineer
      @TinyDeskEngineer 2 ปีที่แล้ว +378

      The worst part is that like a quarter of all of the ads are now some of the most mind-numbingly obvious scams.

    • @pzyqux6641
      @pzyqux6641 2 ปีที่แล้ว +194

      @@TinyDeskEngineer Or not family friendly.

    • @DeeSnow97
      @DeeSnow97 2 ปีที่แล้ว +240

      @@pzyqux6641 I wonder what percentage of ads would be demonetized for not being advertiser-friendly, had they been uploaded to youtube as a regular video

    • @bigpod
      @bigpod 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@pzyqux6641 i dont use an ad blocker and guess what whether that be on phones or computers there is not that many ads, besides i dont have a problem with ads because i cant wait 5 more seconds to view a video

  • @ItsJustVirgil
    @ItsJustVirgil 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5171

    “Guys learns 12 languages but nobody wants to speak with him.”
    I felt that.

    • @actionjaxon7570
      @actionjaxon7570 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      What languages can you speak

    • @actionjaxon7570
      @actionjaxon7570 3 ปีที่แล้ว +63

      @djbrysongaming I feel that. A universal language

    • @brunnomenxa
      @brunnomenxa 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Learn languages ​​to read and understand more things then.

    • @brunnomenxa
      @brunnomenxa 3 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      Or maybe there are 12 programming languages.

    • @Arnikaaa
      @Arnikaaa 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yes. (And 700th like)

  • @joyphobic
    @joyphobic 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11776

    Tim Berners Lee's original idea of the internet sounds awfully similar to Wikipedia though. I think that's a good thing

    • @x67th
      @x67th 3 ปีที่แล้ว +403

      Other way around

    • @truestory1664
      @truestory1664 3 ปีที่แล้ว +99

      Capitalism

    • @ShaunCheah
      @ShaunCheah 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1726

      A while ago, someone made the case that Wikipedia was one of humanity's greatest achievements, possibly *the* greatest achievement. Every once in a while I remember what I read and try to find a counterargument, but I've not really been able to find anything that tops the collective summation of the entirety of human knowledge.

    • @tahunuva4254
      @tahunuva4254 3 ปีที่แล้ว +171

      @@ShaunCheah Depending on your definition of "achievement", I'd argue the applicable concept of absolute truth is a lil more impressive than Wikipedia :P

    • @OntarioTrafficMan
      @OntarioTrafficMan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1456

      Wikipedia is one of the few remaining representations of the original altruistic intent of the internet.
      Which is why it's not even remotely profitable.

  • @Kaktanternak
    @Kaktanternak 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2650

    "the web is built around freedom of design"
    Adblocks are a direct result of that

    • @Somajsibere
      @Somajsibere 3 ปีที่แล้ว +269

      Long live adblock!

    • @andiego888
      @andiego888 3 ปีที่แล้ว +74

      @@Somajsibere no long live brave browser with free built in ad blocker and tracker blocker. Faster, free and built on chromium

    • @alexwasdreaming9440
      @alexwasdreaming9440 3 ปีที่แล้ว +127

      and that freedom of design is exactly what makes us be forced to turn it off to read any article, the cycle continues

    • @jan.tichavsky
      @jan.tichavsky 3 ปีที่แล้ว +55

      I hate ads, that's why I don't have monetization on TH-cam and no ads or even tracking on my site. Back in the day Google Analytics was cool way to get stats about your page visits but there are open source alternatives you can run on your server like Piwik or publication systems have it built in already, so no need for Google to sniff around.

    • @Mic_Glow
      @Mic_Glow 3 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      but there are anti-adblockers.. so you need an anti-anti-ad-blocker. And NoScript. And custom script manager while at it. It is a pain to set up and make working on individual sites but still less pain than the ads/ popups.

  • @SeanORaigh
    @SeanORaigh 2 ปีที่แล้ว +437

    I love how most cookie pop-up boxes only have a "confirm/ok" button and a very small "more options" button that will possibly eventually maybe lead to being able to opt out.

    • @littlestbroccoli
      @littlestbroccoli ปีที่แล้ว +24

      If they don't lead to an overly-wordy explanation of what cookies are, how the site values your privacy, and what they will absolutely do with your information, regardless. (With possibly a small link buried in the text somewhere directing to an email where one can "request" data removal.)

  • @monkfishy6348
    @monkfishy6348 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1741

    web browsers should require a universal "never accept cookies and tracking" option built in.

    • @calebnasiatka5711
      @calebnasiatka5711 2 ปีที่แล้ว +89

      Duck duck go does. I'm not advertising I'm just a user.

    • @yffips
      @yffips 2 ปีที่แล้ว +167

      You would find yourself wondering why certain websites don’t function properly. I’d say most websites require a certain level of cookies in order to work.

    • @animyosfox8617
      @animyosfox8617 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      I think such technology was already created with the "Do Not Track" message, but I think I also heard that this does not work by now anymore...

    • @afacelessuser
      @afacelessuser 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      use the extension i dont care about cookies

    • @animyosfox8617
      @animyosfox8617 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@afacelessuser Doesn't that extension just *accept* all the cookies or do I misunderstand that?

  • @tilde5441
    @tilde5441 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6393

    The internet today feels like a crowded shopping mall with billboards everywhere you look

    • @theirishviking9278
      @theirishviking9278 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      ...we hello futurama flashback....

    • @JamesTheBell1
      @JamesTheBell1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +198

      I believe the original idea for the shopping mall was to have it feel like a village centre - a nice place to be with seating and open spaces. Then it was corrupted into a commercial hole. The internet has gone the same way. What next?

    • @Rotem_S
      @Rotem_S 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Use an ad blocker

    • @liamhtml979
      @liamhtml979 3 ปีที่แล้ว +119

      except the billboards have cameras which can track which stores you enter and slowly builds a database of information about you

    • @yotokil2914
      @yotokil2914 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@JamesTheBell1 AI

  • @Casocki
    @Casocki 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2269

    *turns off location for photos*
    "Basic features may stop functioning"
    Ya is that so?

    • @Voreoptera
      @Voreoptera 3 ปีที่แล้ว +243

      Why do apps need really strange permissions to do some mundain thing? Where is the learn more button there.

    • @joshuapowell6822
      @joshuapowell6822 3 ปีที่แล้ว +254

      Daniel Mostly so they can collect more data on you. Say you have a photo of yourself and your family right in front of the Eiffel Tower. They’d know you visited Paris, who you’re related to with facial recognition and that you go on holidays. Advertisers can use that to advertise a family holiday or advertise souvenirs to you. While the example isn’t the best considering the pandemic, it should hopefully give you an idea as to why they ask for it.

    • @MusicalPlant5024
      @MusicalPlant5024 3 ปีที่แล้ว +164

      That’s also because the permissions that are asked are super vague- like how a calculator app might ask to make and manage phone calls when it really just wants to be silent while you’re calling someone.

    • @Liggliluff
      @Liggliluff 3 ปีที่แล้ว +65

      - The camera app has the permission so it can add the location to the photo taken. But the app should still work regardless.
      - The photo viewer has the permission so it can show you old photos of the place you're currently at. But the app should still work regardless.
      They can still sell this location data further. So it's up to you if you want to share the location or not. But at least these apps make sense to have it.

    • @theramendutchman
      @theramendutchman 3 ปีที่แล้ว +129

      @@Liggliluff "But the app should still work regardless."
      THAT is the problem; apps deliberately stating "basic functions will no longer function" which is really just a lie to the person without the technical details in their head

  • @dindins8431
    @dindins8431 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1282

    “Vote saxon” you love to see those references

    • @biggusdickus9125
      @biggusdickus9125 3 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Damn, well spotted! I was watching that episode today!

    • @gingerbread2005
      @gingerbread2005 3 ปีที่แล้ว +63

      I was scrolling through the comments to see if anyone had noticed that! Doctor Who for the win!

    • @xHadesStamps
      @xHadesStamps 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      I was wondering if it was a Doctor Who reference!

    • @YouTubeperson1337
      @YouTubeperson1337 3 ปีที่แล้ว +51

      Don't you hear it? The drumming?

    • @lewisw9527
      @lewisw9527 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      underrated episodes ngl

  • @LordKittenfish
    @LordKittenfish 3 ปีที่แล้ว +737

    “One of the most popular browsers and one of the major advertisers were under the same corporate umbrella”
    Immediately gets a google ad on the youtube website

    • @chedinbuildsstudio5144
      @chedinbuildsstudio5144 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      I remembered a horror story of a 5 second youtube logo as an ad on youtube , so you're not that far off .

    • @javawakii6207
      @javawakii6207 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      On the TH-cam website which is also run by Google

    • @NinjaWhaines
      @NinjaWhaines 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Happened to me too. I laughed out loud

    • @pe2aab
      @pe2aab 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I have no add's on TH-cam. It's a relief.

    • @cakeisyummy5755
      @cakeisyummy5755 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@chedinbuildsstudio5144 How would seeing the TH-cam logo as an ad be Horrifying?

  • @MegaMGstudios
    @MegaMGstudios 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2959

    Often times I'm not even allowed to access a site without accepting cookies. Not sure how legal that is.

    • @sion8
      @sion8 3 ปีที่แล้ว +509

      Are you a resident of the European Economic Area? If so, you'd need to report them from incompliance with the GDPR!

    • @thehildabeast100
      @thehildabeast100 3 ปีที่แล้ว +351

      @@sion8 and they will just laugh at you and pay the fine

    • @midnightgear2616
      @midnightgear2616 3 ปีที่แล้ว +311

      @@thehildabeast100
      Idk, 4% or 20 mil sounds steep. Maybe it needs to be that much per person?

    • @eduardoizquierdo309
      @eduardoizquierdo309 3 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      It is not but who is going to stop them?

    • @mercuryrocks
      @mercuryrocks 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@eduardoizquierdo309 yo it was a minute ago when you said that.

  • @dalethepalemale6855
    @dalethepalemale6855 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3248

    "Cookies" is also such a harmless sounding word, which gives advertisers the slight advantage of the layman missing the red flag

    • @mustafaeee6778
      @mustafaeee6778 3 ปีที่แล้ว +89

      We should've called them "Location Trackers".

    • @xanderkyron
      @xanderkyron 3 ปีที่แล้ว +247

      @@mustafaeee6778 That's not what they do, though, at all. Cookies don't track your location. That's not a function they can perform. It's just browser storing information on the client, like your login session ID and auth token. They can be used to track what websites you were on (if your browser doesn't block this functionality, ie you live in 2008), but not your location, and even that is an unintended side effect. We need cookies on the web, they're incredibly useful and enable stuff like logging into websites.

    • @moonbleu130
      @moonbleu130 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      some sites require you to accept those little spy disguised as cookies to continue to a site

    • @boring7823
      @boring7823 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@xanderkyron Heh, > *like* logging in <
      The MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 that Tom alluded to is exactly this, when you say "yes" you are literally logging onto the advertiser web server. Maybe "Logon-Token" would have been more accurate.

    • @xanderkyron
      @xanderkyron 3 ปีที่แล้ว +51

      @@boring7823 Even calling them Logon Tokens doesn't really make sense in the broader sense of what cookies can store. I think login tokens/session ID should be stored as a different thing and named as such, and Cookies can be named client-side variables or something similar. It's not like a super technical and specific thing that the user never sees besides agreeing to needs a friendly name.

  • @LazerLord10
    @LazerLord10 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1188

    Screen resolution being used to fingerprint people.
    *Sweats in 2650x1600

    • @ITAC85
      @ITAC85 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      @SharkTH In JavaScript, you can get both the screen resolution, AND the browser content resolution. The resolution may also change depending on your scaling, too.

    • @vijf
      @vijf 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@ITAC85 some browsers block the screen res header

    • @ITAC85
      @ITAC85 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@vijf Huh.

    • @DeeSnow97
      @DeeSnow97 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      @@mitko17 which actually makes it easier to fingerprint you until mozilla turns it on for everyone by default

    • @enginerd80
      @enginerd80 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @SharkTH Isn't that a good thing, assuming you want to avoid being tracked? If on every visit you adjust the browser window a little differently, you should look less like you to the site.

  • @meowtherainbowx4163
    @meowtherainbowx4163 3 ปีที่แล้ว +120

    0:16 I love the reference to young Tom replacing other people’s work with the word “content”

    • @yoshipaul3896
      @yoshipaul3896 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      am i the only other person who got that reference?

    • @xexpaguette
      @xexpaguette 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@yoshipaul3896 nope!

  • @TheSecondVersion
    @TheSecondVersion 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9395

    "Google creating a VPN is like Ted Bundy opening a women's shelter."

    • @HamedEmine
      @HamedEmine 3 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      Hah

    • @A7Rayz
      @A7Rayz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      rahhhh

    • @Lozoot2
      @Lozoot2 3 ปีที่แล้ว +94

      Ah, a fellow official boy as well I see

    • @brettricker9049
      @brettricker9049 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Who is that quote from?

    • @TennessineGD
      @TennessineGD 3 ปีที่แล้ว +98

      @@brettricker9049 it's from The Official Podcast iirc

  • @remukk
    @remukk 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1593

    Popup: Disable your adblock please
    Me: * adds that popup to my adblock's blacklist *

  • @JustWasted3HoursHere
    @JustWasted3HoursHere ปีที่แล้ว +35

    The never ending battle between people wanting to use the internet for free to get info, have fun, etc and companies that want you to buy their stuff reminds me of the battle between software companies trying to keep their software from being copied and users trying to copy their software (anti-piracy). It's a never ending arms race. But just remember that if you are getting services for free, like what Google does with so much of their company...YOU are the product.

  • @MeepChangeling
    @MeepChangeling 2 ปีที่แล้ว +121

    It's amazing how different a web experience you have if you simply install adblock and then add all known ad-host servers to your HOSTS file. I've used it for over a decade and genuinely forgot that ads exist on the web.

    • @maxwilson7001
      @maxwilson7001 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Where did you find all known ad-host servers and where is the HOSTS file?

    • @maxwilson7001
      @maxwilson7001 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@jacksoncremean1664 I mean, fair I guess, but I want to learn. I want to gain this skill I don't have

  • @Opus313
    @Opus313 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2072

    "The Web is a bit of a mess."
    That's quite the understatement, Tom!

    • @jorygeerts9416
      @jorygeerts9416 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      I think Tom would call it "a bit of an understatement". :)

    • @Supertimegamingify
      @Supertimegamingify 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      indeed

    • @blakem2902
      @blakem2902 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Whenever I open up a web page and I accidentally clicked the wrong thing because the entire page moved to fit an ad is probably on the most annoying things ever

    • @capriphonix8863
      @capriphonix8863 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      What do you want from him, he's British!

    • @Nugcon
      @Nugcon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      true

  • @mattm7220
    @mattm7220 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4804

    Tom: * implies advertisers are not people *
    Me: No, no... He's got a point

    • @TheSam1902
      @TheSam1902 3 ปีที่แล้ว +249

      If they were people, they'd feel empathy

    • @cgi2002
      @cgi2002 3 ปีที่แล้ว +197

      Even lawyers are closer to actual people than advertisers.

    • @Mentocthemindtaker
      @Mentocthemindtaker 3 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      @@ChaoticTrack Advertisers and corporations are _legally_ people. It's insane.

    • @ff-qf1th
      @ff-qf1th 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Mentocthemindtaker legally people in what sense?

    • @belegl.7721
      @belegl.7721 3 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      @@ff-qf1th In practically all legal systems there exists a construct most often called something like "legal personhood" where either groups of people (e.g. political parties, unions etc.) corporations and other constructs and cooperatives can have rights and legal abilities (to buy stuff, to loan money, hold the copyright to something) according to the law, just like real people (who have "natural personhood"). It's the basis of civil law and what allows businesses to do business. But it's also really weird when you are not familiar with it.

  • @xnadave
    @xnadave 2 ปีที่แล้ว +270

    I really, REALLY want to see a channel comprising all of Tom's *RANT DELETED* segments. I'll happily donate, say, $100/year to your favorite charity and sign an NDA.

    • @uncommonsense360
      @uncommonsense360 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      He can't do that, because one person would leak regardless of an NDA

    • @speeder3235
      @speeder3235 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@uncommonsense360 don't care, sign me up too

    • @hamishd8659
      @hamishd8659 ปีที่แล้ว

      Id sign an NDA if you game me lolly

    • @oncecrowned
      @oncecrowned ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@uncommonsense360 they can get into legal trouble

  • @mberrios1875
    @mberrios1875 2 ปีที่แล้ว +344

    "I just implied that advertisers are not people" BASED TOM SCOTT

    • @UNowen255
      @UNowen255 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      woke tom scott

  • @jordantierney6495
    @jordantierney6495 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1382

    “If these cookies were food. They’d probably have raisins in them.” What a stunning endorsement

    • @FireFly209
      @FireFly209 3 ปีที่แล้ว +111

      I think you're raisin an excellent point there...

    • @eun5oo280
      @eun5oo280 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@FireFly209 Shut up and take my like >:(

    • @Pixdoet
      @Pixdoet 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      And possibly asparagus in them who knows

    • @haph2087
      @haph2087 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@Pixdoet That's actually just battery leakage from the GPS trackers in the cookies, not asparagus.
      The both make your pee smell weird, I know it's confusing.

    • @sharpfang
      @sharpfang 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'd say, mouse turds

  • @wallyhackenslacker
    @wallyhackenslacker 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1758

    A screenshot of Google Chrome's privacy settings should appear next to the definition of "conflict of interest" in the dictionary.

    • @NoName-kj2vf
      @NoName-kj2vf 3 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      At 6:25 I bursted out laughing when I got a chrome book ad

    • @Root174
      @Root174 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I got an ad for Google's online learning courses: digital workplace.

    • @firmman4505
      @firmman4505 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Conflict of what interests?

    • @enderknightmare2432
      @enderknightmare2432 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@NoName-kj2vf I got a target ad

    • @barvdw
      @barvdw 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      It's one of the main reasons I refuse to even install Chrome on my laptop, and use it almost by accident on my Android based devices. I trust G* even less than M$.

  • @baycosinus
    @baycosinus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +205

    Website: "You have to accept cookies and disable adblockers to see the content."
    Me: "Ok bye."
    Website: *surprised pikachu*

    • @someonehere4380
      @someonehere4380 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      sadly most people don't use adblockers

    • @trulyinfamous
      @trulyinfamous 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@someonehere4380 many of them are viruses or some kind of nefarious software. If the company isn't obviously making money though something like a premium version or subscription, they are definitely selling your information.

    • @bigpod
      @bigpod 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@someonehere4380 i dont use one because i dont need one honestly ads dont bother me as long as your ad doesnt do something too pushy i will not care if ad does to something to pushy then i will close that website and probably never go back most ads on internet are fine its 1% that is problematic which can be avoided with guess what avoiding

    • @Treekicker
      @Treekicker 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Grease monkey scripts

    • @Grom1477
      @Grom1477 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@someonehere4380 God bless those without adblockers. Because of them we are able to surf web without paying a cent

  • @ObviouslyASMR
    @ObviouslyASMR 3 ปีที่แล้ว +186

    Anyone else just get rid of the cookies window with inspect element? 😂

    • @ITAC85
      @ITAC85 3 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      I always do... except when the cookies window takes up the WHOLE SCREEN AND REPLACES ALL OF THE SITE WITH THE POPUP.

    • @scriptguru4669
      @scriptguru4669 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      F5 & a very well timed Stop usually does the trick

    • @Sanjay-ub7eq
      @Sanjay-ub7eq 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@scriptguru4669 yea!!

    • @FricCc
      @FricCc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      *laughs in pop-up blocker*

    • @wumwum42
      @wumwum42 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I use ublock for deleting the popups.

  • @mobiledev6037
    @mobiledev6037 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3836

    This turned out to be much more interesting than I thought when clicking it.

    • @richardsavory5663
      @richardsavory5663 3 ปีที่แล้ว +88

      All of them are

    • @miroslavmilan
      @miroslavmilan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      True, but It ended in a cliffhanger. We need solutions, not just stating the problem!
      Just kidding, but I really did feel the video lacked some kind of a conclusion, actual or potential improvements being worked to deliver a better outcome for everyone, or something to give us hope.

    • @TheJobCompany
      @TheJobCompany 3 ปีที่แล้ว +75

      @@miroslavmilan That's because there is no hope, the web is an unfixable mess. The only solution is to move to a cabin in the woods, away from all civilization and network connection.

    • @sirizalot
      @sirizalot 3 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      This is the case for every Tom Scott video

    • @imienazwisko4109
      @imienazwisko4109 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Welcome to Tom Scott :)

  • @voidmayonnaise
    @voidmayonnaise 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3285

    I wish they’d named “cookies” as “breadcrumbs.”
    It’s what they are, really.

    • @lyrqk5829
      @lyrqk5829 3 ปีที่แล้ว +127

      not as catchy or woobifieable, but 100 times more clever (and sinister)

    • @JustASnack
      @JustASnack 3 ปีที่แล้ว +270

      Breadcrumbs would be a bit misleading nowadays because in web-jargon, breadcrumbs actually stands for that trail of links/categories and sub-categories you sometimes see on online shopping sites or forums.
      So for example, on Newegg, viewing a listing for some RAM, you have the trail at the top:
      Home > Components > Memory > Desktop Memory > etc...
      Those are called breadcrumbs :D

    • @isyt1
      @isyt1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +69

      @@JustASnack Kinda irrelevant as that flattened tree navigation thing would have gone with a different name had cookies been called bread crumbs

    • @waiitwhaat
      @waiitwhaat 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      if you get enough of breadcrumbs, ypu can make the entire bread. Kinda fits imo

    • @Bob5mith
      @Bob5mith 3 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      @@isyt1 "Breadcrumbs" trace a path back to where you started. I don't know how that fits with the way cookies work.

  • @matthewk.4289
    @matthewk.4289 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    I’m so glad someone finally explained cookies in a simpler way

  • @khalilneogy3464
    @khalilneogy3464 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    The cookie that you use reminds of the one from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, it was a very cozy book that I loved to read when I was young.

  • @d_inkz
    @d_inkz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1847

    The days of animated flash ads on everything were horrific.

    • @tommytomthms5
      @tommytomthms5 3 ปีที่แล้ว +139

      yet in some ways, less evil than some websites now...

    • @runed0s86
      @runed0s86 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      Guys, uBlock origin existed and still exists

    • @MK-qx9vi
      @MK-qx9vi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +90

      @@runed0s86 uBlock Origin? in 2007?

    • @MicroChirp
      @MicroChirp 3 ปีที่แล้ว +201

      I miss shooting balloons to get a free iPad.

    • @AC3handle
      @AC3handle 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      And thus, no more flash.

  • @bunothebrains
    @bunothebrains 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1448

    The 4 different forms of life:
    Animals
    Plants
    Fungi
    *advertisers*

    • @kencarp57
      @kencarp57 3 ปีที่แล้ว +111

      In that order of desirability... 🧐

    • @robertskitch
      @robertskitch 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      What about protista and monera?

    • @macaroon_nuggets8008
      @macaroon_nuggets8008 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      Multiceullar Eukaryotic life*

    • @zenaku666
      @zenaku666 3 ปีที่แล้ว +56

      @@robertskitch I think advertisers are a subkingdom within monera. Right next to lawyers, and tax professionals.

    • @emeralf9228
      @emeralf9228 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@robertskitch i fear you may have missed the joke

  • @Tharmin.124
    @Tharmin.124 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    You forgot the "sign up now to access the rest of the article" boxes

  • @ggb123_17
    @ggb123_17 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    8:39 *gee i wonder why google doesn't have it*

  • @emeralf9228
    @emeralf9228 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1162

    "If these cookies were food, they'd probably have raisins in them."
    your animator is great

    • @Kyrelel
      @Kyrelel 3 ปีที่แล้ว +49

      Raisin cookies are delicious

    • @BertGrink
      @BertGrink 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@Kyrelel Agreed

    • @senza4591
      @senza4591 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@Kyrelel well some people dont vaccinate their kids, but they still think theyre in the right
      /s
      (For anyone that doesnt know, /s means the post was sarcastic)

    • @FactoryofRedstone
      @FactoryofRedstone 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Or is it chocolate chips?

    • @dryued6874
      @dryued6874 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      People dissing raisin cookies are usually the same people who diss pineapple on pizza or Nickelback just because the cool kids do it.

  • @godzamoongus
    @godzamoongus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2290

    “Vote Saxon”
    Nice Dr Who reference Tom

    • @NagromVoice
      @NagromVoice 3 ปีที่แล้ว +108

      Celebration of 57 years of Dr Who!

    • @19Prometheus89
      @19Prometheus89 3 ปีที่แล้ว +101

      "the drums the drums the never ending drums!"

    • @sapphoanna
      @sapphoanna 3 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      I guess Im glad dr who won superwholock

    • @tombull89
      @tombull89 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Heh, I saw that too.

    • @Raxacoricofallapatorius
      @Raxacoricofallapatorius 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Damn it! I literally typed this comment almost word for word then I spotted you already done it!

  • @Ascertivus
    @Ascertivus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I think that this video is very informative, clear, concise, and pleasing to absorb. Tom makes some lovely content!

  • @inabyt
    @inabyt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I was in denver this weekend and We saw someone with a one wheel riding around. We usually never see that in our little town and we said oh look a one wheel! Along with arguing whether it was in fact a one wheel or a hoverboard. All my ads for the next week were hoverboard/Onewheel variants

  • @introvertairways6380
    @introvertairways6380 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1512

    American website: “this site uses cookies”
    British website: “this site uses biscuits”

    • @athenenoctua2527
      @athenenoctua2527 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      @@nw3473 Biscuits as well.

    • @introvertairways6380
      @introvertairways6380 3 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      @@nw3473 Koalas

    • @cennamonzimt
      @cennamonzimt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Thank you for making me smile.

    • @re57k
      @re57k 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@nw3473 vegemites?

    • @user-wk2gi5cp9y
      @user-wk2gi5cp9y 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Where I can have chocolate chips?

  • @tilaa_uGim
    @tilaa_uGim 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2285

    I just want to know about the guy who learned 12 languages and nobody wants to talk to him.

    • @goodpeopleoftheworldunite
      @goodpeopleoftheworldunite 3 ปีที่แล้ว +146

      You're not missing out. The headline turns out to be the whole story. Though you won't get the chance to look at a bunch of dodgy ads, or other similar tabloid guff.

    • @QuintaFeira12
      @QuintaFeira12 3 ปีที่แล้ว +400

      They're all programming languanges

    • @magnum155
      @magnum155 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      That's me in the future if everything goes well. If everything goes poorly... well, you don't want to know.

    • @dromankass8655
      @dromankass8655 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      Don't blame me, I voted for Harold Saxon.

    • @cheeziest360
      @cheeziest360 3 ปีที่แล้ว +66

      We don’t know, no one wants to interview him

  • @drbuttocks
    @drbuttocks ปีที่แล้ว +3

    100% spot on about advertisers not being people. Don't worry about it

  • @Spiney09
    @Spiney09 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I know it’s not 100% safe, but I still appreciate Wikipedia for keeping advertisers off its site through donations. I wish there were more sites like them.

    • @HookerHeels
      @HookerHeels 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I am so happy I donate to Wikipedia. I wish I could donate more, and I hope others see the power behind Wiki and donate as well.

  • @u-kn
    @u-kn 3 ปีที่แล้ว +482

    This should be called "Why The Web Is Such A Mess, Part 1"

    • @gabrielragum
      @gabrielragum 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      "Part 1 of 2 147 483 647"

    • @cf453
      @cf453 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @@gabrielragum Part 1 of 2 ^ 31 ? We're gonna need 64-bit.

    • @Siska0Robert
      @Siska0Robert 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      You *won't* believe reason #7!

    • @francescolacamera9009
      @francescolacamera9009 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@cf453 just put the number in a string and hope nobody'll notice 😳

    • @i.pezzotti853
      @i.pezzotti853 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      “Part 1.00 - Volume I, Version 1.1, Section A”

  • @strawberryjam3670
    @strawberryjam3670 3 ปีที่แล้ว +681

    "Man devastated to find all his work replaced with «content»"
    I see what you did there.

    • @kjl3080
      @kjl3080 3 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      ono

    • @matt309
      @matt309 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      non

    • @adamennaqui7413
      @adamennaqui7413 3 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      People who get that have been around long enough to get a veterans discount

    • @declanlong4676
      @declanlong4676 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      The dreaded onosecond

    • @aliveslice
      @aliveslice 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@adamennaqui7413 not that long..

  • @MelonDoesStuff
    @MelonDoesStuff 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    I saw that VOTE SAXON poster, you can’t sneak a doctor who reference past me ;)

  • @frtls
    @frtls 3 ปีที่แล้ว +131

    Sounds more like the real issue is that people got used to a 'free' internet. As such, advertisers gladly filled the money gap but asked for data in return.

    • @bigpod
      @bigpod 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      problem is people thing since everything is so accesable it is free but reality is people need to pay for all this stuff

    • @phantombeing3015
      @phantombeing3015 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@bigpod what would you chose? Money or data?

    • @bigpod
      @bigpod 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@phantombeing3015 data of course its worth more if i can use it

    • @phantombeing3015
      @phantombeing3015 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@bigpod I meant, like, would you pay to use Google photos or just let them collect datas on you by uploading to their drive for free,m

    • @bigpod
      @bigpod 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@phantombeing3015 i honestly dont use it but i guess pay with data

  • @RobertMilesAI
    @RobertMilesAI 3 ปีที่แล้ว +311

    Hey, remember when websites would make actual pop-ups that would open as their own window at the operating system level? That was fun. Another skirmish in the 'ads vs browser developers' war.

    • @autohmae
      @autohmae 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      Yes, and that was worse than now. I think we can win this battle too.

    • @Vellzi
      @Vellzi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      Flashbacks to those websites that would trick you Into to starting a superchain of unclosable windows msgboxes that you had to hold Spacebar to get through while the author writes about how much of your time he's wasting.

    • @Mostlyharmless1985
      @Mostlyharmless1985 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      I’m still gobsmacked at how NETSEND was ever considered a good idea at Microsoft...

    • @vividandlucid
      @vividandlucid 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      A friend of mine used some very simple code to make a website that opens new tabs of itself at the speed of light, just a couple years ago. Our school wasn't very happy about it

    • @chris7263
      @chris7263 3 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @@Vellzi ugh, and remember when they'd play music or other audio? And sometimes they'd stay minimized when they opened, so you had to figure out which tab/window was making the noise.

  • @sliceofbread29yrago52
    @sliceofbread29yrago52 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1975

    I honestly can't remember ever buying a product iv seen on an Ad.
    If anything, the ad causes me frustraion and therefire resist buying that item.

    • @zbdfhg
      @zbdfhg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +331

      - Plato

    • @peNdantry
      @peNdantry 3 ปีที่แล้ว +337

      Anyone who believes they are immune to the effects of pervasive advertising hasn't fully considered that it is a multi-trillion dollar enterprise.

    • @MrCatfail
      @MrCatfail 3 ปีที่แล้ว +270

      A lot of the time it is about influence. Putting something in your head that otherwise wouldn't be there - a brand name, the colour of a certain product. It builds over time

    • @ungodlytemptations
      @ungodlytemptations 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      I got an ad for Asaki Japanese Beer.
      It's now my favourite beer.

    • @dreska255
      @dreska255 3 ปีที่แล้ว +81

      If you set your vpn to a country you are not familiar with (especially developing ones such as those in south or southeast asia, there are a lot of vpn servers based there), some of the ads may be replaced with products that are only available locally, and since you probably are not gonna understand the language anyway, may reduce the influence these ads may have on you. Or of course, you can just use an ad blocker.
      Edit: phrasing. Also i'm not 100% sure that this will not influence you in using any products. If you want to keep brands away from entering your subconscious, just turn ads off altogether.

  • @Atimo133
    @Atimo133 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Rarely been happier to subscribe and support a channel than yours
    Thanks for your efforts Tom!

  • @arjunatharmalingam5158
    @arjunatharmalingam5158 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Fantastic Tom! You explain what we use in our everyday, in a way everyone can understand whilst remaining engaged! Cheers

  • @Duterasemis
    @Duterasemis 3 ปีที่แล้ว +917

    "I actually just realized that I just implied advertisers are not people"
    that's correct

    • @natebrown2805
      @natebrown2805 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      factually true

    • @mimi1568
      @mimi1568 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      I just can't decide if they're lizard people or amorphous shape shifters who just "bloop" into a bucket at the end of the day.

    • @TheJaironman99
      @TheJaironman99 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      When I heard that line I immediately thought of the Bill Hicks piece about advertisers

    • @Holobrine
      @Holobrine 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      True. Advertisers are corporations which are made of people, but are not themselves people. A corporation, in addition to being made of people, also has a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders, which actual people do not, and that makes all the difference. Without that fiduciary responsibility, no one would really care to thwart the ad blockers. Also if society just made sure everyone had what they needed no strings attached, no one would need or even want to be so annoying just to grab your attention.

    • @WistrelChianti
      @WistrelChianti 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      actually... for a large part now they are algorithms

  • @FlyboyHelosim
    @FlyboyHelosim 3 ปีที่แล้ว +516

    My favorite websites are still those '90s U.S. government/military/university sites that use basic HTML formatting, simple text and graphics, with no third-party content or plug-ins. This is exactly how I make all my websites. People sometimes say it looks dated, but at least you get nothing but the information you want and the pages load lightning fast even on a smartphone.

    • @bettercalldelta
      @bettercalldelta ปีที่แล้ว +12

      i remember a pure html page from a university website that helped me understand something in c++, it was straight to the point with its information

    • @JetFalcon710
      @JetFalcon710 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Well I mean, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The U.S government has a lot of experience with that -- hell, they still use those massive eight-inch floppy disks for guiding nuclear missiles

    • @DrSpaceman69
      @DrSpaceman69 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      @@JetFalcon710 bc its safer. Cant hack a floppy disk ;)

    • @JetFalcon710
      @JetFalcon710 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@DrSpaceman69 Yep. Not to mention, they're extremely reliable and also hard to sneak out of a building

    • @user-fr2fm3ri3w
      @user-fr2fm3ri3w ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Then you aren’t a programmer, you just write a word document and embed it in html.

  • @TimmyBlumberg
    @TimmyBlumberg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    As a programmer it’s super gratifying to see someone talk about something I know about and nail all the details. Great stuff. 👍

  • @mfs353
    @mfs353 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Its amazing how you make these videos with only 1 or few takes. Great video

  • @curumu_yt
    @curumu_yt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1215

    “Advertisers are not people” - Tom Scott 2020

    • @Michael-mh2tw
      @Michael-mh2tw 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      'people who make money from advertising in order to continue to make and do what they want are people though, like Tom Scott.' - Me, 2020.

    • @beskamir5977
      @beskamir5977 3 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      @@Michael-mh2tw Sure, but you can do that ethically, most advertisers are not doing that ethically therefore they lose people status privileges :P But jokes aside, companies/corporations are in some ways alien to humans and could therefore be considered as distinct/separate from human beings.

    • @thanhavictus
      @thanhavictus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Based

    • @Vassilinia
      @Vassilinia 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      He's right though.

    • @jefffrasca4054
      @jefffrasca4054 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The election is over. Tom Scott 2024!
      (I know he's British.)

  • @markozagar
    @markozagar 3 ปีที่แล้ว +343

    The people most in need of spanking are the ones who decided that when users clicked on "More options", they should be presented with two near-identical buttons named "Agree to all cookies" and "Accept my choices". How I wish the legislators would enforce the "informed" part, not just the "consent" part.

    • @Ownage4lif31
      @Ownage4lif31 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Yea they are annoying

    • @purplespark8
      @purplespark8 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Exactly. We really need to curb this abuse

    • @Hyperus
      @Hyperus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That atleast forces you to read it. I have a bigger problem when the accept all button is way more visible.

    • @jimmykeffer7401
      @jimmykeffer7401 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      To be fair, It’s really difficult to make a rule and enforce it on all of the internet at once.

    • @satibel
      @satibel 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I just want the Do Not Track header to be respected and not show that annoying box.

  • @orangepyro1
    @orangepyro1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You're videos are funny as all hell, thank you so much for all the wonderful knowledge you choose to share with us :)

  • @aarondavis8943
    @aarondavis8943 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I'm astounded such a complex system works at all. Even though I understand how such stability is achieved, it still amazes me.

  • @KastaRules
    @KastaRules 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2091

    The Internet must be broken: I always accept ALL THE COOKIES yet I have Not received a single one so far.

    • @arx48
      @arx48 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      good one xD

    • @coltaylordyath5180
      @coltaylordyath5180 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      If you do a Google search for the word 'Google', you can break the Internet.
      Seriously, don't do it!

    • @omairshafiq1998
      @omairshafiq1998 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      @@coltaylordyath5180 why am I going to do that

    • @natasha-ut7si
      @natasha-ut7si 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@coltaylordyath5180 I want to do this REALLY badly now

    • @nabicx
      @nabicx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      boomer humor

  • @dragonexer1
    @dragonexer1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +222

    Disable your adblocker to access this article
    *Close tab*

    • @SpiffingNZ
      @SpiffingNZ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      Pro move: Use the ad blocker to hide the element blocking the page and begging you to disable adblocker.
      Works on most sites.

    • @DFPercush
      @DFPercush 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I saw a doozie the other day. Consume all memory resources and crash the browser. --> report to site owner who says "disable ad blocker"

    • @parnikkapore
      @parnikkapore 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Another pro move: Disable JS to remove clutter on a ton of news sites

    • @1127TOMI
      @1127TOMI 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@SpiffingNZ I always go to inspect element and just delete the elements blocking the site.

    • @TobiasDettinger
      @TobiasDettinger 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@SpiffingNZ What i have to set in adblocker to do this? I cant find the option yet.

  • @chimeragenesis361
    @chimeragenesis361 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    6:50 frankly it should be minimum, rather than maximum.

  • @siddharthapuligilla
    @siddharthapuligilla ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I am more familiar with this topic(web design, cookies .. etc) than your average user, so didn't expect to learn much when I started this video but was pleasantly surprised, great video!

  • @jackgalen6014
    @jackgalen6014 3 ปีที่แล้ว +270

    This video is as timely as every. TH-cam just announced that they will be putting ads on *every* video, whether or not the creator is getting paid. I keep thinking how advertising could get more and more intrusive, yet every day it gets a little worse 🙃

    • @hedgie9823
      @hedgie9823 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Really?

    • @snowstrobe
      @snowstrobe 3 ปีที่แล้ว +51

      We seriously need a good TH-cam alternative...

    • @thepranjaljain
      @thepranjaljain 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      This video was made 3 months ago, made public just now. What does that tell you?

    • @jackgalen6014
      @jackgalen6014 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@thepranjaljain 3 months from now it can only be worse I guess

    • @allenqueen
      @allenqueen 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      It can't be helped can it? Storage Servers cost money, and youtube has a HUGE amount of videos uploaded every day. They need to atleast break even.

  • @Shomononosh
    @Shomononosh 3 ปีที่แล้ว +878

    I mean, that "vote Saxon" ad sounds really interesting. Minimalist, straight to the point, one could say they... Mastered the art of publicity.

    • @The_D0C70R
      @The_D0C70R 3 ปีที่แล้ว +78

      Of course the Master is a master of everything, just like the Doctor is a doctor of everything.

    • @lauraireson6358
      @lauraireson6358 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +

    • @hamsandwich4243
      @hamsandwich4243 3 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Yes, Harold Saxon really has *mastered* the art of publicity

    • @canaryimpulse989
      @canaryimpulse989 3 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      I think what the Web really needs ... right now ... is a Doctor.
      :)

    • @The_D0C70R
      @The_D0C70R 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@canaryimpulse989 You called?

  • @ValtteriNieminen
    @ValtteriNieminen ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Just found a new tactic websites use to discourage users from denying cookies: Show a progress bar that takes around 10 seconds to finish before letting you on the site if you don’t accept cookies.

    • @TomsRuns_UK
      @TomsRuns_UK 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It's January 2024 [as of writing], and TH-cam waits you 5 seconds before they let you into the video if you installed an adblocker on your browser.

  • @pythondrink
    @pythondrink 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love this man's content. It feels like watching a science documentary from Discovery channel.

  • @wmradar
    @wmradar 3 ปีที่แล้ว +519

    "I just implied that advertisers aren't people..."
    *Bill Hicks would like to know your location.*

    • @ste887
      @ste887 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Bill is Still busy with his meeting at the docks

    • @daroldcarold3443
      @daroldcarold3443 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      who is bicks?

    • @Zogger568
      @Zogger568 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      He's right tho

    • @umkm2k
      @umkm2k 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I see what Tom is doing there. He's going for that "advertisers aren't people" dollar.

    • @cdein1
      @cdein1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@umkm2k He's doing a good thing, a lot of people are feeling that 'advertisers are not people' dollar. That's a good market.

  • @Max-zs8zr
    @Max-zs8zr 3 ปีที่แล้ว +332

    It’s 2020 and we are still talking about computers in a room with lots of flashing red buttons. Awesome.

    • @fusseldieb
      @fusseldieb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      I absolutely *love* that background.

    • @thaumaturgicresearchcounci4180
      @thaumaturgicresearchcounci4180 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      It's actually the computer running the simulation that we're all living in

    • @RedRad1990
      @RedRad1990 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@thaumaturgicresearchcounci4180 The problem is choice

  • @tj4y48
    @tj4y48 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    7:56 this is really interesting. My brother recently did this with Windows xp in order to play some of his very old games.

  • @Handlekjdsethrgujahtw23
    @Handlekjdsethrgujahtw23 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Tom Scott, you are awesome. As a software developer, I am learning new things from you all the time. I often struggle to explain things that I work on to my friends and family, and you make it a piece of cake. Thank you.

  • @Liggliluff
    @Liggliluff 3 ปีที่แล้ว +959

    (7:00) A lot of that has changed as the law requires it. A lot of those boxes are now 2 presses. Initial box says "accept all / customise", and if you customise, everything _should_ be off, and then it asks you "accept all / save and close". The accept all is of course big and green, while the customise/save are grey and looks disabled. But it's better than the initial design where you had to check off each individual tracking site.

    • @OLBastholm
      @OLBastholm 3 ปีที่แล้ว +113

      Most are still not two equally sized/emphasized buttons, even though that's what the law requires.

    • @RustOnWheels
      @RustOnWheels 3 ปีที่แล้ว +75

      Lately everything is ‘legitimate interest’ so you can’t turn off more than half of the cookies.

    • @jebactychpolicjantow5497
      @jebactychpolicjantow5497 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Great. I'd rather pay the €20,000,000.
      Your VAT is paying for this garbage to be thought up.

    • @anirudhkumar9139
      @anirudhkumar9139 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      I still double check if they have actually disabled every cookie except the strictly necessary ones that just can't be turned off

    • @straightupanarg6226
      @straightupanarg6226 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      We're talking about Dark Patterns here.

  • @b.t.burton5000
    @b.t.burton5000 3 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    At the same time as Tom was dealing with annoying notifications, Chrome asked me if I wanted to allow notifications from TH-cam and I thought for a second that it was somehow Tom's doing.

  • @lluisg.8578
    @lluisg.8578 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    Funniest thing is we're watching this video because TH-cam also used our personal data and preferences to "advertise" us this content.
    We're in an endless advertising cycle

  • @coloursnotflying
    @coloursnotflying 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I was waiting for this type of a video.

  • @AlanKey86
    @AlanKey86 3 ปีที่แล้ว +854

    The hovercraft pub is also a mess, but for very different reasons.

  • @twitertaker
    @twitertaker 3 ปีที่แล้ว +506

    The question "Why is X such a mess?" can almost always be answered with one simple word. Money.

    • @NetheriteMiner
      @NetheriteMiner 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      that's sadly accurate

    • @Khronogi
      @Khronogi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Power and money. You can also derive things back to their 7 deadly sins forms as well.

    • @seraphinduvolzairo5938
      @seraphinduvolzairo5938 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Capitalism

    • @Facusblues
      @Facusblues 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      It's always funny reading people complain about capitalism in TH-cam (Owned by Google, one of the biggest companies in the world) and using a Phone/computer that of course is from a big company too. You make me laugh guys, if you hate capitalism so much go to live in the middle of nowhere and stop using technology at all 🤣

    • @twitertaker
      @twitertaker 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@Facusblues Not speaking for the others (I did not participate in that discussion for a reason) but I did explicitely not complain about the role of money. Not in this context at least.

  • @Aesculathehyena
    @Aesculathehyena 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    I would love to hear the stuff about corporate personhood and employees acting as hiveminds, tbh

  • @TheUmart
    @TheUmart ปีที่แล้ว

    this is the best, most informative and just awesome video on yt ever.

  • @________w
    @________w 3 ปีที่แล้ว +218

    "Reader view" would also, theoretically, hide any cookie consent boxes. And though they're not meant to, most websites default to "track"

    • @thorbear
      @thorbear 3 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      That's not GDPR compliant, report them :D

    • @cosmosnep
      @cosmosnep 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@thorbear Let me know if the ICO does anything but say "not our job, we're not a regulator"!

    • @ano_nym
      @ano_nym 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      It also seem to "disables" addons, in Firefox at least they are on a "protected" site which doesn't allow addons to work. Meaning that you wont get protection from adblock, and NoScript, etc.
      For example if an article have images blocked due to some NoScript setting, they will be visible in reader mode, so they must be loading. Unless they go through "safe" servers and are "cleaned" they will allow for tracking.

    • @thewolfin
      @thewolfin 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Not one mention of adblock - we truly are on TH-cam.

  • @OSW
    @OSW 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1688

    I wondered why I hadn't seen one of your vids in a little while, turns out TH-cam unsubscribed me for no reason. Gee thanks, TH-cam!

    • @shawgoodman
      @shawgoodman 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      😂😂😂

    • @UltraVibeProductions
      @UltraVibeProductions 3 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      The messy web strikes again.

    • @noahkrause2835
      @noahkrause2835 3 ปีที่แล้ว +105

      youtube has been known to do that, they have also been caught removing dislikes from certain companies videos (disney)

    • @peterholmes2364
      @peterholmes2364 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Did the exact same for me aswell it's really weird

    • @surplusvalue3271
      @surplusvalue3271 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      yes same i don't get his videos in my recommended, i have to always search for it

  • @rb1054
    @rb1054 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for your work!

  • @williamjohncolvinmckenzie7764
    @williamjohncolvinmckenzie7764 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    It’s amazing how good Tom Scott is as Tom in Succession - brilliant actor

  • @Jungleboy89
    @Jungleboy89 3 ปีที่แล้ว +150

    The irony that my dark mode won't stay on in Chrome now is unreal.

    • @GoetheNorris
      @GoetheNorris 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      chrome://flags and set it to automatic in developper options. if not get autodarkreader extension

    • @linear9185
      @linear9185 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      you should use firefox it’s much better and dark mode stays on

    • @linear9185
      @linear9185 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Justpassingb1 firefox gang

    • @linear9185
      @linear9185 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Tim Riches yes but firefox is still better

    • @differentlyabledmuslimjewi4475
      @differentlyabledmuslimjewi4475 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      why are you using chrome? Use something better. We are past the days of chrome and firefox.

  • @DJoppiesaus
    @DJoppiesaus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +608

    "we value your privacy" - well then, why are you showing me this popup with misleading buttons?!

    • @FinJet347
      @FinJet347 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      More like we value our ability to make money out of you in the EU

    • @606films9
      @606films9 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Privacy, they never said they gave a crap

    • @ratlinggull2223
      @ratlinggull2223 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      That just means they sell your privacy for money.

    • @thenasadude6878
      @thenasadude6878 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      A mandatory text saying "We must comply with EU regulations or we are screwed" is better

    • @Ghaarf
      @Ghaarf 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      "We care about your privacy, and by a complete coincidence we started caring at the same time privacy laws were put in place"

  • @crungushakooter
    @crungushakooter ปีที่แล้ว +3

    it's such a shame how dreadful every website is, it really doesn't have to be like this
    it drives me nuts when websites stutter and take a dozen seconds to load in because they have to load a dozen video ads before it can load the couple of kilobytes of text i came in to read

  • @clivenorman2314
    @clivenorman2314 ปีที่แล้ว

    Brilliant video. I had no idea. Am now looking in setting to see if reader view can be my default. Thankyou.

  • @RockinMidwest
    @RockinMidwest 3 ปีที่แล้ว +401

    When you think about it, Wikipedia IS the point of the internet. (That, and online libraries/public access E-Books.)
    It always has been.

    • @shocktnc
      @shocktnc 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Maybe, but it's being ruined by the rest of the internet.

    • @aloysiuskurnia7643
      @aloysiuskurnia7643 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      How about
      Scihub

    • @karlosdaniel6537
      @karlosdaniel6537 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@aloysiuskurnia7643 SciHub and LibGen are the Alexandria's Library of the Modern World.

    • @Name-de1ij
      @Name-de1ij 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They should have a feature where you can request info on a page instead of editing the whole thing

    • @karlosdaniel6537
      @karlosdaniel6537 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Name-de1ij What do you mean?

  • @redz_2d
    @redz_2d 3 ปีที่แล้ว +726

    Now can Tom Scott answer why I'm such a mess?

    • @spywalkz1
      @spywalkz1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      Well find out on another episode of tom Scott

    • @frogery
      @frogery 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      advertisers

    • @hammerth1421
      @hammerth1421 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      _broadly gestures at everything_

    • @22NightWing
      @22NightWing 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Tom's videos are usually short...

    • @Alia-bc3rc
      @Alia-bc3rc 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Probably need more cookie.

  • @jdougn2255
    @jdougn2255 ปีที่แล้ว

    How many have had the experience of simply talking about something unique, then seeing an ad for that exact unique product pop up!

  • @IAMTHEJEWBOY
    @IAMTHEJEWBOY 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    What a phenomenal video tom, Thank you.

  • @justinbaker9880
    @justinbaker9880 3 ปีที่แล้ว +457

    Advertisers are people. Subway is a person, I saw him on Community.

    • @DarkAudit
      @DarkAudit 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      "Eat fresh, Britta. Eat fresh."

    • @minister2965
      @minister2965 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Nice one

    • @justanuglyboy
      @justanuglyboy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      And I assume you'd like to have some car? Have some Honda Fit for your everyday use...

    • @121212isaac
      @121212isaac 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@chaos-sy1kq 5g688mķ 7ý8

  • @nashton7057
    @nashton7057 3 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    4:24
    "Kryptonite allergic"
    "Thanks for your order, clark!"
    "Superhero supplies"
    I love these superman refrence

    • @abrahamo2895
      @abrahamo2895 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Finally a comment about it

    • @SH4D0W0733
      @SH4D0W0733 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      There's also Smallville, and Metropolis before that. Just slowly creeping in with more mainstream knowledge until it's obvious who it is.

    • @abrahamo2895
      @abrahamo2895 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@SH4D0W0733 I was gonna reply about that but didn't want to sound pretentious

    • @ozzyfromspace
      @ozzyfromspace 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@abrahamo2895 the comment and replies remind me of the good side of the internet: a way to see humans at their best. I would have gone my entire life without noticing the Superman references if it wasn’t for you all 😅🙌🏽✨

    • @francescafrancesca3554
      @francescafrancesca3554 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeeees, they were great.

  • @Kaceydotme
    @Kaceydotme 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I like the idea of Tom sitting there, recording the intro to this video without the popups and noises we see in the finished project, just getting irritated at nothing in particular.

  • @VinOnline
    @VinOnline 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    That museum looks cool, I'd love to go there one day.