YouTube is stepping up its war on ad blockers by forcing some people to watch ads whether they like it or not

YouTube is now actively punishing users who have ad-blocking software installed.

As NeoWin reports, if the Google-owned video site detects that someone using the Google Chrome web browser is also using AdBlock Plus (or any other ad-blocking software), it removes the option to skip the pre-roll adverts that sometimes precede videos.

While normal viewers typically get the option to skip a pre-roll advert after a few seconds, Chrome users with ad blockers are forced to sit through the entire thing - no matter how long it is.

Here's one Twitter user discovering that their Adblock Plus doesn't work on YouTube anymore:

There is a heightening sense of worry in the tech community about the threat that ad-blocking software poses. Vast swathes of the internet are supported at least in part by advertising revenue, meaning that ad blockers are a very real threat to companies that creat sites and apps, and the people they employ. Users of the software respond, however, that it is made necessary by overly intrusive advertisements that often make web pages take far longer to load.

These fears are likely to increase this week when Apple announces iOS 9, which will include - for the first time - the option to install ad blocking software on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad.