YouTube is reportedly introducing intentional playback delays for users with ad blockers, displaying black screens for durations matching typical pre-roll ads. This means that even if ads are technically blocked, viewers are still forced to wait before their selected videos begin. During the imposed waiting period, users see a pop-up on the player saying “Experiencing interruptions? Find out why,” which leads to a Google support page that encourages disabling ad-blocking software.

Unlike YouTube’s prior tactics—which centered on warnings or outright preventing users with ad blockers from watching content, this move allows access but mimics the unwanted delay of advertisements. The change is reported to specifically target accounts previously flagged for using ad blockers, increasing the difficulty for browser extensions to evade detection.

Across Reddit and Brave browser forums, users are confirming that both black screens and delays occur regardless of which ad blocker is employed. PCWorld’s verification with uBlock Origin Lite shows that the restriction is not limited to a single solution, while Brave’s integrated ad-blocking is also unable to circumvent the new barriers.

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According to 9to5Mac, "Apple is working on supporting the ability to export notes in Markdown from Apple notes, which is something third-party apps have supported for years." Apple enthusiast and co-creator of the Markdown markup language, John Gruber, is not a fan. From a blog post: Some people find this surprising, but I personally don't want to use a Markdown notes app. I created Markdown two decades ago and have used it ever since for one thing and one thing only: writing for the web at Daring Fireball. My original description of what it is still stands: "Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers." Perhaps an even better description of Markdown is Matthew Butterick's, from the documentation for Pollen: "Markdown is a simplified notation system for HTML." The other great use case for Markdown is in a context where you either need or just want to be saving to a plain text file or database field. That's not what Apple Notes is or should be. I can see why many technically-minded people want to use Markdown "everywhere." It's quite gratifying that Markdown has not only become so popular, but after 21 years, seemingly continues to grow in popularity, to the point now where there clearly are a lot of people who seemingly enjoy writing in Markdown more than even I do. But I think it would be a huge mistake for Apple to make Apple Notes a "Markdown editor," even as an option. It's trivial to create malformed Markdown syntax; it shouldn't be possible to have a malformed note in Apple Notes. I craft posts for Daring Fireball; I dash off notes in Apple Notes. [...] But Markdown export from Notes? That sounds awesome. Frankly, perhaps the biggest problem with Apple Notes is that its export functionality is rather crude -- PDF and, of all formats, Pages. Exporting and/or copying the selected text as Markdown would be pretty cool. Very curious to see how they handle images though, if this rumor is true.

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Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. From a report: While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks down much more quickly and leaves no residual trace. At a lab in Wako city near Tokyo, the team demonstrated a small piece of plastic vanishing in a container of salt water after it was stirred up for about an hour. While the team has not yet detailed any plans for commercialisation, project lead Takuzo Aida said their research has attracted significant interest, including from those in the packaging sector.

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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 04: Assistant coach Dan Muse of the New York Rangers handles the bench during the game against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on October 04, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Microsoft has rolled out a major update to the Windows Notepad app for Windows 11, now available to Canary and Dev Channel testers. The new version adds text formatting features, including bold, italic, hyperlinks, lists, and headings. A formatting toolbar has been added next to the main menus, with an option to clear formatting and return to plain text.

Notepad now includes integrated Markdown support. Users can write with Markdown syntax, edit Markdown files, and switch between raw syntax and a formatted preview using the view menu or a status bar toggle. This update caters to developers and technical writers who prefer Markdown’s lightweight format.

While some users may favor the traditional plain text interface, Microsoft has included a settings toggle to fully disable the new formatting features and preserve the classic Notepad experience. This update comes just after the introduction of an AI-powered Write feature, which allows users to generate text drafts by providing prompts within Notepad.

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The danger journalists face isn’t limited to covering conflicts or crime — in fact, the risk is often greatest at the airport. Going through a border check puts reporters at risk of surveillance, refusal of entry, or detainment, and it can be triggered by something as simple as an unlocked phone.

For 15 years, the journalist Vegas Tenold has investigated extremist groups and authoritarian regimes, reporting from places where simply doing his job could land him in prison, or worse. To prevent this from happening, Vegas has developed a go-bag of privacy-focused tools. When reporting the truth is a criminal act, decoy phones, dummy wallets, and Faraday bags aren’t just gear — it’s how he stays safe.

In this short documentary, Vegas walks us through the kit that keeps him out of jail, the threats that come with border crossings, and the hard lessons he’s learned after years of working where surveillance is constant and trust is rare.

Why we support Vegas’s work

Vegas’s privacy arsenal isn’t about being paranoid, it’s about being prepared. Every lock he adds, every hidden USB he uses, every encrypted partition he builds is a response to the real-world threats that journalists, activists, and everyday people face when speaking truth to power.

This mindset is at the core of Proton’s mission. Privacy shouldn’t be reserved for those with technical expertise or insider knowledge. We believe everyone should have access to tools that make them safer — whether that’s with encrypted email, a trustworthy VPN, or a zero-knowledge password manager.