Once the Song of the Day thread imploded for me (1 out every 25 songs are available so the enjoyment part is missing for me) I just quit using Youtube alltogether. Well, mostly.
I tried a few proxies (what is the real name?) and stuck with Freetube.

"How Many Degrees of Separation Does a Youtube Proxy Give?"
Is there a benefit? Does google know The User that is using Freetube?
Or does google know anonymous user X is using Freetube?
Cookie exchange? IP addresses involved?
Whose suggestions are in Freetube? Google's or Freetube's?

Or have I misled myself over what a proxy (middleman app) does?

Not a tinfoil question at all. Just wondering if these type of apps serve any purpose at all other than being an option to watch youtube.
Thanks for any insight and happy Sunday.

    Nevermind this answered my questions.
    Freetube=eh
    "Use YouTube without advertisements and prevent Google from tracking you with their cookies and JavaScript.....
    FreeTube uses a built in extractor to grab and serve data / videos. The Invidious API can also optionally be used. FreeTube does not use any official APIs to obtain data. While YouTube can still see your video requests, it can no longer track you using cookies or JavaScript. Your subscriptions and history are stored locally on your computer and never sent out. Using a VPN or Tor is highly recommended to hide your IP while using FreeTube."

    no youtube cookies=check
    no youtube javascript=check
    no youtube ads=check
    proxy seach=NO
    hides IP address?=NO

    It's a half-measure and something an extension could do. It prevents active tracking but does not promise anonymity so I don't think any youtube proxy can. Especially the online youtube video aggregates, and it's still a good standalone app. I will keep using it.

    No seperation is the correct answer. Anyway---kindly mark SOLVED thank you.

    edit/crossed out no. it offers modest separation

    brent Not a tinfoil question at all.

    Sounds like it might be useful in the Song of the Day section. Maybe Josh could figure a way to tie it in?

        WetGeek when the song of the day song is blacked out (almost all for me) you are left with a small youtube address of the video at the top of the box. cutting and pasting that into youtube works as far as seeing Forum Users' songs. It does not work in Freetube. Freetube doesn't use an address system.

        I will live. Josh (or somebody official) called this a newer Flarum limitation (or bug? forgot) for some users (like me) when Forum was resurrected in the Spring.
        It was my favorite thread but a wakeup call that nothing lasts forever and at least we got the forum and distro back. I am in the tiny minority since I only hear the occasion b**ch about it....
        ....a few years ago I gave up cigarettes, if I can do that then giving up Song of the Day, as painful as it is, is doable.

            brent That is weird stuff Most of the time they are all blacked out for me so I just
            Kinda pop in and its usually the same.

            But just now I popped in I can view them all go figure.
            I spoke to soon If I put my cursor on it blanks out. oh well

                Axios that is weird.
                in my linux life the weird will still astonish me but it no longer fazes me if that makes sense🙂. Weird is par.