Mmastodon TechnologySoftware first seen 2 d ago, last 2 d ago, peak #5

Users question YouTube Shorts data practices

Original: @ gsuberland Had no idea youtube does that, but then I've never watched any shorts video from youtube. Been using my own

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.

Why now: People are reacting to a privacy or technical claim about how YouTube Shorts operates, prompting others to share workarounds for avoiding official apps.

YouTubeYouTube ShortsInvidiousgsuberland

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Evidence

• @ gsuberland Had no idea youtube does that, but then I've never watched any shorts video from youtube. Been using my own invidious instance to browse vids then watching the actual vids through mpv for like 3 years now. I do interact with youtube studio though cos I upload… · altlazybear@mas.to · 1

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