Domain to remove
s.youtube.com
Current blocklist
tracking
Why is this a false positive?
Based on the search results, s.youtube.com is a YouTube subdomain that handles important backend functionality for the platform[2].
Specifically, it's required for:
- Watch history tracking on both Android and iOS devices
- Video quality selection on mobile devices
- Proper video buffering and playback on desktop
If you block s.youtube.com (for example, through ad-blocking tools like Pi-hole), you'll experience issues like videos buffering excessively, being stuck at 480p quality, and your watch history not working properly[2]. It's essentially a technical domain that YouTube uses for core features, so it should remain unblocked for the best experience.
The domain s.youtube.com is primarily used by YouTube for statistics, telemetry, and logging your watch history.
If you are using a blocker (like RethinkDNS, Pi-hole, or AdGuard), you typically should not block this domain if you want your YouTube account to work normally.
What happens if you block it?
- Watch History Breaks: The most common side effect is that videos you watch will no longer appear in your "History."
- Progress Loss: YouTube may forget where you left off in a video. If you pause and come back later, it might restart from the beginning.
- Recommendations: Because your history isn't being saved, your video recommendations might become less relevant over time.
Why is it in some blocklists?
It is often included in strict privacy or tracking blocklists because it technically "tracks" what you watch. However, unlike third-party trackers (which follow you across the web), this is a first-party tracker essential for the features of the app itself (saving your history).
Recommendation:
If you want your YouTube Watch History to work, add s.youtube.com to your Allowlist.
Official website or documentation
No response
Impact description
No response
Urgency
Low - Minor inconvenience
Verification
Domain to remove
s.youtube.com
Current blocklist
tracking
Why is this a false positive?
Based on the search results, s.youtube.com is a YouTube subdomain that handles important backend functionality for the platform[2].
Specifically, it's required for:
If you block s.youtube.com (for example, through ad-blocking tools like Pi-hole), you'll experience issues like videos buffering excessively, being stuck at 480p quality, and your watch history not working properly[2]. It's essentially a technical domain that YouTube uses for core features, so it should remain unblocked for the best experience.
The domain s.youtube.com is primarily used by YouTube for statistics, telemetry, and logging your watch history.
If you are using a blocker (like RethinkDNS, Pi-hole, or AdGuard), you typically should not block this domain if you want your YouTube account to work normally.
What happens if you block it?
Why is it in some blocklists?
It is often included in strict privacy or tracking blocklists because it technically "tracks" what you watch. However, unlike third-party trackers (which follow you across the web), this is a first-party tracker essential for the features of the app itself (saving your history).
Recommendation:
If you want your YouTube Watch History to work, add
s.youtube.comto your Allowlist.Official website or documentation
No response
Impact description
No response
Urgency
Low - Minor inconvenience
Verification