I’ll start by stating my threat model is avoiding corporate tracking, profiling, and analytics. For anything beyond that scope I believe tor is ideal.
Correct me if I’m wrong but my understanding is that Newpipe is a frontend to provide an alternative to the awful YouTube app and/or youtube account. However, your IP along with other device information may still be exposed to google servers. Any ideas as to what info beyond IP is sent to google?
Whereas invidious instances act as a proxy in addition to what is offered by Newpipe, but you are trusting your privacy to the instance owner.
My idea for utilizing these services is the following: Newpipe for managing subscription based YouTube viewing. Google would have my IP, but this IP would be a VPN IP address that periodically changes. Much more reliable than invidious and better quality. App is great.
Invidious for random video searches as well as content I may want to be slightly more cautious about associating with.
I’m looking for feedback on this conceptual setup. I’ve also been considering making a public invidious instance that I can use but hopefully obfuscates my viewing through its usage by others.
IMO, the best order for everything is:
- Piped (you can keep subs and playlists but watch from another instance, this is PERFECT when one instance gets limited)
- Invidious
- Tubular (NewPipe fork with sponsorblock)
- YouTube website
On Android, LibreTube (Piped) is the best IMO, you can log into some Piped server for subs and playlists, but select another instance for viewing, so you still get your subs and playlists even if you had to fall over to another instance to watch videos. I have 3 or 4 instances that I know generally work, so I switch between them whenever one gets limited or broken.
If YouTube changed something that breaks Piped, that’s when I try Clipious (Invidious), and if that is broken too, I go to Tubular (NewPipe fork with sponsorblock). Last resort is obviously YouTube website.
