/deverify

Browser extension that blocks YouTube suggestions and search results from verified channels

Primary LanguageJavaScriptGNU General Public License v3.0GPL-3.0

Deverify

Tired of being overwhelmed with mainstream content on YouTube? Wouldn't it be nice to only see content from smaller creators?

This Firefox extension filters out mainstream YouTube videos and channels by removing anything that has the Verified checkmark badge from all pages, including recommendations and content that plays after a video finishes. It also fixes the search results so that it only shows you what you're looking for and not a bunch of junk that has nothing to do with what you're looking for. You know that "Previously Watched" shelf? Yeah, that worthless junk is removed, too.

Why use this extension? You might want to use it if hate how mainstream news channels get promoted over everything else. Channels that are Verified are more likely to inflate video length as well as shill for meal kits and mattresses. I wrote this extension because I wanted to see more of the "you" in YouTube, just like it was in the old days.

Is it a perfect solution? Not really. Some small or niche channels get Verified status. That's why this extension comes with a simple button that lets you toggle it on and off.

Does this extension have a menu with a bunch of fancy options? No. It probably never will. I want to keep it simple.

Ads are not blocked by this extension. Other extensions like uBlock Origin are better suited for that.

I'm pretty sure this extension only works with Firefox. Browsers that derive from Chromium don't allow the ability to rewrite response data.

Contributing

Because this extnesion relies on the way that data from YouTube is structured, there's a high likelihood that it will break spontaneously. If you find the extension is no longer working properly, and you have coding skills, please feel free to contribute by forking the code and opening a pull request. Because the goal of this extension is very limited, you'll find that the code for it is really simple.

License

See LICENSE.txt.