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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4e6d720 --- /dev/null +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html @@ -0,0 +1,174 @@ +<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.92 --> +<!-- This page is derived from /server/standards/boilerplate.html --> + +<title>What's Wrong with YouTube +- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> + <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/whats-wrong-with-youtube.translist" --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<h2>What's Wrong with YouTube</h2> + +<p> +YouTube is a peculiar case. As of September 2020, it is possible to +watch YouTube videos without running any nonfree software, even coming +in via Tor, via some of the “Invidious” intermediary sites.</p> + +<p> +We recommend using LibreJS with them. The Invidious sites are not +all alike: some won't let you in without nonfree Javascript code. +Also, while most of the JavaScript code on those sites carries a free +license, there is one file, handlers.js, which does not. LibreJS will +prevent its execution, and watching videos still works.</p> + +<p> +There is also a free add-on for Firefox, called ViewTube, that permits +direct access to watch videos on YouTube. It is preinstalled in the +GNU browser, IceCat, and you can load it into Firefox. The free +program youtube-dl is also available; it gets data out of the site's +JavaScript code but doesn't run that code. But youtube.com is likely +to block these means of access if you come via Tor.</p> + +<p> +As a result of these access methods, posting videos on YouTube does +not currently put them off limits to the free world. That is good, +and we hope it lasts, but we cannot count on them to keep working. +The add-on broke once in 2019 because of some change in YouTube. That +time, a corrected add-on was released after a few weeks. Next time, +who knows? Thus, posting on YouTube is a fragile solution +unless/until Google commits to supporting libre access.</p> + +<p> +Please don't use the host name youtube.com (or its aliases) to refer +to a video on YouTube. Instead, refer to one of the Invidious +intermediary sites that accepts visits via Tor (test it!). That is +fail-safe: if anything breaks, your link will fail, rather than lead +people to run nonfree software.</p> + +<h2>What else <em>Was</em> Wrong with YouTube</h2> + +<p>This is what we formerly said, until 2019, about YouTube as a place to post +videos or refer to videos.</p> + +<ul> +<li>Normal use of YouTube involves use of nonfree software. + + <ul> + <li>In the HTML5 mode, it involves running + a <a href="/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">nonfree JavaScript + program</a>. For some videos, it also requires the nonfree Adobe + DRM software that has been incorporated into proprietary browsers + and Firefox, but not into the GNU browsers + including <a href="/software/icecat">IceCat</a>.</li> + + <li>In the (deprecated) non-HTML5 mode, it involves use of Flash + Player, which is nonfree. It even tells users to install Flash + Player.</li> + </ul> +</li> + +<li>Without the nonfree software, you can't even see the YouTube +pages. Nowadays, without running the nonfree JavaScript code, +the browser window appears blank.</li> + +<li>YouTube tries to stop people from downloading copies. + The nonfree JavaScript code for some videos does not allow + the browser to save a copy. This is a form of DRM. +</li> + +<li>There is a free +program, <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/ytdl">ytdl</a>, +which can download the video for some YouTube pages, but there +is no complete free software solution for access in a browser. +</li> + +<li> +“ContentID is exactly the thing YouTube claims it doesn't do: +<a href="https://boingboing.net/2018/12/26/youtube-let-a-contentid-scamme.html"> +privately mediating ownership of [publications] without involving the law</a>.” +</li> + +</ul> + +<p>One thing about YouTube that is <em>not</em> a moral strike against +it is nonfree software on YouTube servers — if there is any. We +as possible users of YouTube can't tell whether the servers run any +nonfree software, because that has no effect on us — therefore +it doesn't do any wrong to us.</p> + +<p>If there are any nonfree programs running on YouTube servers, they +mistreat Google by denying Google control of that aspect of its +computing. We hope that Google will reclaim its freedom by ceasing to +use those nonfree programs, if any. But those programs do not mistreat +the <em>users</em> of YouTube, so they are not a reason to refuse +to <em>use</em> that service.</p> + +<p>It is also possible that all the software running on YouTube +servers is free—either published free software or private +unreleased free software.</p> + +<hr /> + +<p>To post a video without requiring nonfree software to view it, +you can place the video as an Ogg Theora or WebM file on an ordinary web site. +If you are concerned there will be a lot of download traffic, you +can seed a torrent and suggest people download through that.</p> + +<p>Another way to publish videos on the web using free software is +<a href="https://mediagoblin.org/">GNU MediaGoblin</a>. Ideally +you will set up +<a href="https://docs.mediagoblin.org/">your own server</a>, or run +one for your family and friends, but you can also post on +<a href="https://wiki.mediagoblin.org/Live_instances">public +servers</a>.</p> + +<p>Please +<a href="https://wiki.mediagoblin.org/HackingHowto">contribute to +GNU MediaGoblin</a> if you can.</p> + +</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> +<div id="footer"> +<div class="unprintable"> + +<p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to +<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. +There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> +the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent +to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> + +<p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, + replace it with the translation of these two: + + We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality + translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. + Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard + to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> + <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> + + <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + our web pages, see <a + href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations + README</a>. --> +Please see the <a +href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations +of this article.</p> +</div> + +<p>Copyright © 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p> + +<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license" +href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative +Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p> + +<!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" --> + +<p class="unprintable">Updated: +<!-- timestamp start --> +$Date: 2020/09/20 18:18:56 $ +<!-- timestamp end --> +</p> +</div> +</div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include --> +</body> +</html> |