Is there a way to allow youtube to generate streaming stats events while not disabling the adblocker?

[Direclaw]

While using youtube the website generates a streamingstats event that informs youtube constantly the exact place that you are in the video. This allows youtube to know exactly where you stopped so you can resume the video later.

However brave standard tracker and ad blocker is preventing this tracker from happening, and because of it youtube keeps recommending me the same video over and over because it thinks I didn’t finish watching, or that I haven’t even watched it at all.

To reproduce the issue watch any video on youtube with the standard tracker and ad blocker. After a while open the list of blocked trackers and you will see a lot of instances of something that starts with this:

https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?event=streamingstats

Is there a way to prevent brave from blocking this event while continuing to block ads?
For reference, this problem does not happen while using chrome with an ad blocker.

[Mattches]

@Direclaw,
Thank you for reaching out to us.
I actually do not see this behavior on either macOS or Windows systems. Stat tracking and watched progress in videos is remembered for me without any issue.

Can you try creating a temp. fresh browser profile and test to see if you get the same behavior when viewing videos in that profile?

[Direclaw]

I did it and it seems to have the same behavior. Here is a few of the blocked trackers:

• https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?event=streamingstats&fmt=397&afmt=251&cpn=axlJ6NpoOijyNyeS&ei=-YcyYYa6I4nSxATC7YmADw&el=detailpage&docid=ZRTn6sS4iNY&ns=yt&fexp=23971175%2C23983296%2C23986022%2C24001373%2C24002022%2C24002025%2C24004644%2C24007246%2C24019557%2C24069678%2C24079271%2C24080738%2C24082662%2C24083162%2C24083163%2C24083188%2C24083189%2C24084121%2C24094715&cl=394331276&seq=2&cbr=Chrome&cbrver=93.0.4577.58&c=WEB&cver=2.20210903.00.00&cplayer=UNIPLAYER&cos=Windows&cosver=10.0&cplatform=DESKTOP&cmt=0.023:0.000,0.465:0.062,1.216:0.814,10.007:9.605&vps=0.023:B,0.465:PL,10.007:PL&user_intent=0&bwm=10.007:3031642:0.849&bwe=10.007:4614673&bat=10.007:1:1&bh=10.007:20.649&df=10.007:0
• https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?event=streamingstats&fmt=397&afmt=251&cpn=axlJ6NpoOijyNyeS&ei=-YcyYYa6I4nSxATC7YmADw&el=detailpage&docid=ZRTn6sS4iNY&ns=yt&fexp=23971175%2C23983296%2C23986022%2C24001373%2C24002022%2C24002025%2C24004644%2C24007246%2C24019557%2C24069678%2C24079271%2C24080738%2C24082662%2C24083162%2C24083163%2C24083188%2C24083189%2C24084121%2C24094715&cl=394331276&seq=3&cbr=Chrome&cbrver=93.0.4577.58&c=WEB&cver=2.20210903.00.00&cplayer=UNIPLAYER&cos=Windows&cosver=10.0&cplatform=DESKTOP&cmt=33.493:33.090,40.002:33.096&vps=33.493:PA&bwm=40.002:4310400:0.735&bwe=40.002:5438062&bat=40.002:1:1&bh=40.002:46.905
• https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?event=streamingstats&fmt=397&afmt=251&cpn=axlJ6NpoOijyNyeS&ei=-YcyYYa6I4nSxATC7YmADw&el=detailpage&docid=ZRTn6sS4iNY&ns=yt&fexp=23971175%2C23983296%2C23986022%2C24001373%2C24002022%2C24002025%2C24004644%2C24007246%2C24019557%2C24069678%2C24079271%2C24080738%2C24082662%2C24083162%2C24083163%2C24083188%2C24083189%2C24084121%2C24094715&cl=394331276&seq=4&cbr=Chrome&cbrver=93.0.4577.58&c=WEB&cver=2.20210903.00.00&cplayer=UNIPLAYER&cos=Windows&cosver=10.0&cplatform=DESKTOP&cmt=40.402:33.160,41.153:33.850,50.002:42.699&vps=40.402:PL,50.002:PL&bwm=50.002:2363757:0.431&bwe=50.002:5463803&bat=50.002:1:1&bh=50.002:67.401
• https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?event=streamingstats&fmt=397&afmt=251&cpn=axlJ6NpoOijyNyeS&ei=-YcyYYa6I4nSxATC7YmADw&el=detailpage&docid=ZRTn6sS4iNY&ns=yt&fexp=23971175%2C23983296%2C23986022%2C24001373%2C24002022%2C24002025%2C24004644%2C24007246%2C24019557%2C24069678%2C24079271%2C24080738%2C24082662%2C24083162%2C24083163%2C24083188%2C24083189%2C24084121%2C24094715&cl=394331276&seq=5&cbr=Chrome&cbrver=93.0.4577.58&c=WEB&cver=2.20210903.00.00&cplayer=UNIPLAYER&cos=Windows&cosver=10.0&cplatform=DESKTOP&vps=90.002:PL&bwm=90.002:7060917:1.279&bwe=90.002:5423817&bat=90.002:1:1&cmt=90.002:82.699&bh=90.002:117.403

[Direclaw]

To clarify. The tracked watch time is not completely gone, youtube seems to be able to still have some notion of where I stopped but it is usually way off. For example a video that I watched until the end is sometimes tracked correctly, but other times displays as 2/3 or 1/2 watched, which is not something that happens with a chrome with adblock for example. This encourages youtube to keep showing you the video for you to finish watching.

My personal guess is has more than one way of tracking but the most precise and consistent one is being blocked. The other ones may require pausing the video, or getting to a point where it needs to load more data, or hitting the literal end of the video and that is why it is so inconsistent. But it is just a guess.

For example if I go on a channel where I watched all the recent videos, the top rows shows 60%, 100%, 100%, 10%, 70%, 10%, 100%, 10%, 10%. If I scroll lower on the page when I used chrome it is 100% all the way.

[Direclaw]

Another information that may be useful: There is a watch time event that seems to go through sucessfuly, going to the address: https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/watchtime

There are 2 events being blocked, only one of those shows on the list of blocked trackers, and both of them have watchtime data:

https://www.youtube.com/youtubei/v1/log_event
https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?event=streamingstats

The log event seems to trigger constantly even when the video is not playing, while the streaming stats and watchtime triggers only while the video is playing.

[fanboynz]

Aggresive mode will block the https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?.. others should be also blocked.

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