Invidious

Security researcher Gareth Heyes-adjacent commentator gsuberland prompted discussion after a claim about how YouTube handles Shorts videos. Reply threads show users surprised by the behaviour, with several saying they avoid YouTube's own apps entirely, instead using self-hosted Invidious instances and external media players to watch content. Uploaders note they still use YouTube Studio for publishing, but browsing has largely shifted to third-party tools among privacy-conscious viewers.