Creators saw YouTube view drops in August - an adblock filter rule you likely missed may explain it

Key Details

• October 4, 2025 - YouTube Liaison said the change was not on YouTube's side and linked to an analysis. YouTube Liaison post on X
• August 11, 2025 - EasyPrivacy added a rule for "||youtube.com/api/stats/atr" in easyprivacy_specific.txt. GitHub commit
• The EasyPrivacy update is recorded in the EasyList project's public repository. EasyList repository
• The YouTube Liaison post did not describe platform-side product or policy changes. Post
• The linked analysis attributes view logging interference to the EasyPrivacy rule. Analysis thread

YouTube view drops and ad-block filter update

In an X post, YouTube Liaison wrote: see post

"The change wasn't on YouTube's side."

"this is the most common explanation I've personally seen."

The account referenced an external analysis describing an ad-block filter change. Read the analysis thread.

The EasyPrivacy modification at issue is dated August 11. The commit shows a single-line addition that targets "||youtube.com/api/stats/atr" in the easyprivacy_specific.txt file within the EasyList repository. View the commit. Observers say the rule can block requests to YouTube's stats endpoint used for view logging when ad blockers use this list, which could suppress recorded views.

Background Context

EasyPrivacy is a privacy-focused filter list maintained by the EasyList project. Ad blockers use filter lists to determine which network requests to block. Updates to these lists are made through commits to the project's public repository.

YouTube Liaison is an official channel that provides creator-facing updates and clarifications. The October 4 post addressed questions about view counts and pointed to a third-party analysis as the most common explanation cited by observers.

Source Citations

• YouTube Liaison official statement on X - "The change wasn't on YouTube's side."
• EasyPrivacy commit adding "||youtube.com/api/stats/atr" to easyprivacy_specific.txt
• EasyList project repository hosting the EasyPrivacy list
• Analysis thread explaining how the rule can interfere with view logging