Privacy @lemmy.ml brownmustardminion @lemmy.ml 3mo ago

Understanding YouTube Frontend Options

I'll start by stating my threat model is avoiding corporate tracking, profiling, and analytics. For anything beyond that scope I believe tor is ideal.

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that Newpipe is a frontend to provide an alternative to the awful YouTube app and/or youtube account. However, your IP along with other device information may still be exposed to google servers. Any ideas as to what info beyond IP is sent to google?

Whereas invidious instances act as a proxy in addition to what is offered by Newpipe, but you are trusting your privacy to the instance owner.

My idea for utilizing these services is the following: Newpipe for managing subscription based YouTube viewing. Google would have my IP, but this IP would be a VPN IP address that periodically changes. Much more reliable than invidious and better quality. App is great.

Invidious for random video searches as well as content I may want to be slightly more cautious about associating with.

I'm looking for feedback on this conceptual setup. I've also been considering making a public invidious instance that I can use but hopefully obfuscates my viewing through its usage by others.

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Piped instances proxy the requests. Some invidious front end proxy but you have to look into it.

I use piped.video for most of my yt needs. You can upload your subscriptions there.
- Looking in the NewPipe settings I found a place to enter instances and there is one already configured. I guess I was proxied the whole time without realizing. Thanks for the clarification btw.
  
  If you mean the peertube instances setting, that's for a different platform.
- piped.video (with default instance: kalvin.rocks) doesn’t work a lot of the time. You can use other instances instead if that is the case.
  
  You can change the instance from preference menu.
  
  piped.video is not an instance. It is a general Piped website, where you can switch between instances in the settings.
I'm unsure as to what info is sent other than your IP with Newpipe, but you're correct that it will get a VPN address instead. Commenting to suggest a fork of Newpipe known as Tubular. Has SponsorBlock and Return YouTube Dislike functionality!
For a great app with proxy (you can choose the proxy instance) use LibreTube. It is based on piped (which itself is based on newpipe afaik). It’s the best yt app i know and available in the default f-droid repo.
IMO, the best order for everything is:

Piped (you can keep subs and playlists but watch from another instance, this is PERFECT when one instance gets limited)

Invidious

Tubular (NewPipe fork with sponsorblock)

YouTube website

On Android, LibreTube (Piped) is the best IMO, you can log into some Piped server for subs and playlists, but select another instance for viewing, so you still get your subs and playlists even if you had to fall over to another instance to watch videos. I have 3 or 4 instances that I know generally work, so I switch between them whenever one gets limited or broken.

If YouTube changed something that breaks Piped, that's when I try Clipious (Invidious), and if that is broken too, I go to Tubular (NewPipe fork with sponsorblock). Last resort is obviously YouTube website.

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