Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos

If you miss seeing the dislike count on YouTube videos, consider checking out this browser extension, which can bring the function back. 

A software developer named Dmitry Selivanov has created an open-source extension for Chrome and Firefox that can re-add the dislike count to videos across YouTube. 

The extension, dubbed “Return YouTube Dislike,” has already attracted more than 50,000 users, according to the Chrome Web Store. The software is an early alpha version, but it works as intended: load up a YouTube video, and the extension re-adds the dislike count to the clip. 

The extension is able to pull the dislike count by accessing Google’s own YouTube API, which opens third-party access to the video platform. So you should see accurate dislike counts, not just an estimate. 

The bad news is that Google plans on shutting down the API on Dec. 13. As a result, Selivanov has been archiving dislike counts for various videos across the platform. Once the API goes offline, the extension will “switch to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives,” the FAQ for the extension says. 

So expect the accuracy to drop over time, especially for newly uploaded videos. In addition, the dislike counts on the extension won’t be shown in real-time. Instead, the current version of the software will only update them once every two to three days. 

The other issue concerns privacy. In order to function, the extension needs permission to read and change data when your browser loads up YouTube. The FAQ also notes the extension will collect the IDs to which videos users are watching, but only at an aggregate level.

"We're not collecting any private data," Selivanov tells PCMag in an email. “We don't even know the exact number of users (only the numbers provided by Chrome store and Firefox store)—since we don't store anything user-related. We only store publicly available dislike counts."

“Later, when we start collecting actual votes made by extension users—we won't be storing this data in an identifiable way—just anonymous IDs,” he added. 

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Selivanov created the extension because the dislike count helped him determine whether a YouTube video was worth watching. “I mostly use YouTube for educational videos and tutorials—so not being able to see dislikes in these categories was quite hindering,” he said. 

It's a sentiment shared by many other users, including one of YouTube’s co-founders. “The ability to easily and quickly identify bad content is an essential feature of a user-generated content platform,” wrote YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim earlier this month; he called the platform's decision to remove the dislike count a "stupid idea."

Nevertheless, YouTube decided to hide the function over concerns the same feature was being abused for harassment. Now only uploaders of a YouTube clip can privately view the dislike count to their videos through the platform's official systems.