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[Question] Stance on implementation of privacy / anti-fingerprinting measures #8162

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@sheltpat

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Hello there,
thank you for such an amazing app and the effort put into it.

My question is related to open issues, but I wanted to ask more in general, if that's okay.

I come from PipePipe (I still use it), which is a NewPipe fork, with additional features such as SponsorBlock, but also the benefit of many local options such as subscriptions. So a lot in common with LibreTube.

However, some users (like me) might want to use such an app for additional privacy gains.

That's why I wanted to ask:
If there are requests which don't benefit ease of use or comfortable features, but instead solely focus on privacy and anti-fingerprinting, are they realistically taken into consideration?
_

For example, one gripe I have with PipePipe is that it frequently reloads channel avatars on the (exclusive) subscriptions tab.
(At least I assume so, since loading with internet connected is much faster than local cache.)

The concern is that with just a few specific channel subscriptions, you might be perfectly identifiable if there is already identified traffic correlated from the same connection.

This does indirectly apply to LibreTube (in local mode) as well, because there are other identifiers, assuming avatars are already fetched:
The feed acts as a similar identifier.
Periodically (every 24h, IIRC), LibreTube fetches video thumbnails from your subscriptions, which, as stated above, can easily identify you with as little as one very specific channel subscription.

Let me add that this is an educated guess of mine of how this should work in theory. I am not 100% sure this is how it works.

Anyway, this is why I might want to request features like an option for a fully manual or completely disabled feed, or a subscriptions tab with only manually refreshed avatars, if you deem it feasible.

As an addendum:
Yes, I am well aware that traffic over existing connections (such as home IP) has definitely compromised any efforts.
But some users might use public connections or a (possibly dynamic) VPN and are maybe not even aware this does apply to them.
_

Sorry for making this a bit long. I hope I have made everything I mean as clear as possible and I'm eagerly awaiting any response to the initial question.
Feel free to not reply to any of the examples, they're made just for clarification.

Thank you for making it this far, and have a lovely day.
_

(Also does anyone know if the limited resolution to screen ratio described in #4255 would compromise this as well? I wouldn't assume a limited resolution like 1350p comes directly from YouTube, does it?)

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  • I have searched the existing issues and this is a new ticket, NOT a duplicate or related to another open issue.
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  1. Bnyro commented on Feb 8, 2026

    @Bnyro
    Member

    Periodically (every 24h, IIRC), LibreTube fetches video thumbnails from your subscriptions, which, as stated above, can easily identify you with as little as one very specific channel subscription.

    That's somewhat correct. We don't fetch all the thumbnails/avatars, only the ones that have changed are loaded (if you don't have datasaver mode enabled). With datasaver mode enabled, the app doesn't load any thumbnails or avatars. However, when refreshing the feed, we do make requests to YouTube for all your subscribed channels, yes.

    Anyway, this is why I might want to request features like an option for a fully manual or completely disabled feed, or a subscriptions tab with only manually refreshed avatars, if you deem it feasible.

    You can hide the subscriptions tab in the appearance settings, and just not subscribe to any channels. There's already an other issue about being able to change the feed refresh interval (e.g. 24h), but I still don't see why it's needed because you can still manually refresh the feed when needed by pulling from the top in the subscriptions tab (#7954).

    (Also does anyone know if the limited resolution to screen ratio described in #4255 would compromise this as well? I wouldn't assume a limited resolution like 1350p comes directly from YouTube, does it?)

    I don't think it allows YouTube to fingerprint you if you don't use the maximum resolution, e.g. the YouTube website doesn't use the maximum resolution either.

    So generally, I think you can already achieve most of what you're looking for by using the already existing options in the app, and I don't see any option that's still missing here tbh.

  2. locked and limited conversation to collaborators on Feb 9, 2026
  3. converted this issue into a discussion #8173 on Feb 9, 2026
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