The primary threat when using a video streaming platform is that your streaming habits and subscription lists could be used to profile you. You should combine these tools with a [VPN](vpn.md) or [Tor](https://www.torproject.org/) to make it harder to profile your usage.
**FreeTube** is a free and open-source desktop application for [YouTube](https://youtube.com). When using FreeTube, your subscription list and playlists are saved locally on your device.
By default, FreeTube blocks all YouTube advertisements. In addition, FreeTube optionally integrates with [SponsorBlock](https://sponsor.ajay.app) to help you skip sponsored video segments.
When using FreeTube, your IP address may still be known to YouTube, [Invidious](https://instances.invidious.io) or [SponsorBlock](https://sponsor.ajay.app/) depending on your configuration. Consider using a [VPN](vpn.md) or [Tor](https://www.torproject.org) if your [threat model](basics/threat-modeling.md) requires hiding your IP address.
**The LBRY network** is a decentralized video sharing network. It uses a [BitTorrent](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent)-like network to store the video content, and a [blockchain](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain) to store the indexes for those videos. The main benefit of this design is censorship resistance.
**The LBRY desktop client** helps you stream videos from the LBRY network and stores your subscription list in your own LBRY wallet.
Only the **LBRY desktop client** is recommended, as the [Odysee](https://odysee.com) website and the LBRY clients in F-Droid, Play Store, and the App Store have mandatory synchronization and telemetry.
While watching and hosting videos, your IP address is visible to the LBRY network. Consider using a [VPN](vpn.md) or [Tor](https://www.torproject.org) if your [threat model](basics/threat-modeling.md) requires hiding your IP address.
We recommend **against** synchronizing your wallet with LBRY Inc., as synchronizing encrypted wallets is not supported yet. If you synchronize your wallet with LBRY Inc., you have to trust them to not look at your subscription list, [LBC](https://lbry.com/faq/earn-credits) funds, or take control of your channel.
You can disable *Save hosting data to help the LBRY network* option in :gear: **Settings** → **Advanced Settings**, to avoid exposing your IP address and watched videos when using LBRY for a prolonged period of time.
**NewPipe** is a free and open-source Android application for [YouTube](https://youtube.com), [SoundCloud](https://soundcloud.com), [media.ccc.de](https://media.ccc.de), [Bandcamp](https://bandcamp.com), and [PeerTube](https://joinpeertube.org/) (1).
NewPipe is available on the main [F-Droid](https://www.f-droid.org)'s repository. We recommend that you use NewPipe's own [F-Droid repository](https://newpipe.net/FAQ/tutorials/install-add-fdroid-repo) instead to get faster updates.
When using NewPipe, your IP address will be visible to the video providers used. Consider using a [VPN](vpn.md) or [Tor](https://www.torproject.org) if your [threat model](basics/threat-modeling.md) requires hiding your IP address.
**NewPipe x SponsorBlock** is a fork of [NewPipe](https://newpipe.net) with [SponsorBlock](https://sponsor.ajay.app) integrated to help you skip sponsored video segments.
It also has integration with [Return YouTube Dislike](https://returnyoutubedislike.com), and some experimental settings such as the ability to use the built-in player for local playback, an option to force fullscreen on landscape mode, and an option to disable error reporting prompts.
This fork is not endorsed by or affiliated with the upstream project. The NewPipe team has [rejected](https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/pull/3205) integration with SponsorBlock and thus this fork is created to provide this functionality.
Invidious does not proxy video streams by default. Videos watched through Invidious will still make direct connections to Google's servers (e.g. `googlevideo.com`); however, some instances support video proxying—simply enable *Proxy videos* within the instances' settings or add `&local=true` to the URL.
Invidious is useful if you want to disable JavaScript in your browser, such as [Tor Browser](https://www.torproject.org/) on the Safest security level. It does not provide privacy by itself, and we don’t recommend logging into any accounts.
When self-hosting, it is important that you have other people using your instance as well in order for you to blend in. You should be careful with where and how you are hosting Invidious, as other peoples' usage will be linked to your hosting.
When you are using an Invidious instance, make sure to read the privacy policy of that specific instance. Invidious instances can be modified by their owners and therefore may not reflect their associated privacy policy. Some instances have Tor .onion addresses which may grant some privacy as long as your search queries don't contain PII (Personally Identifiable Information).
Librarian does not proxy video streams by default. Videos watched through Librarian will still make direct connections to Odysee's servers (e.g. `odycdn.com`); however, some instances may enable proxying which would be detailed in the instance's privacy policy.
!!! tip
Librarian is useful if you want watch LBRY content on mobile without mandatory telemetry and if you want to disable JavaScript in your browser, as is the case with [Tor Browser](https://www.torproject.org/) on the Safest security level.
When self-hosting, it is important that you have other people using your instance as well in order for you to blend in. You should be careful with where and how you are hosting Librarian, as other peoples' usage will be linked to your hosting.
When you are using a Librarian instance, make sure to read the privacy policy of that specific instance. Librarian instances can be modified by their owners and therefore may not reflect the default policy. Librarian instances feature a "privacy nutrition label" to provide an overview of their policy. Some instances have Tor .onion addresses which may grant some privacy as long as your search queries don't contain PII (Personally Identifiable Information).
Piped is useful if you want to use [SponsorBlock](https://sponsor.ajay.app) without installing an extension or to access age-restricted content without an account. It does not provide privacy by itself, and we don’t recommend logging into any accounts.
When self-hosting, it is important that you have other people using your instance as well in order for you to blend in. You should be careful with where and how you are hosting Piped, as other peoples' usage will be linked to your hosting.
When you are using a Piped instance, make sure to read the privacy policy of that specific instance. Piped instances can be modified by their owners and therefore may not reflect their associated privacy policy.
