The site’s founder, Jonathan Nader, views it as a DVR for the internet. He created it after finding that the existing tools weren’t user-friendly or fast enough.
Is It Safe to Use Yout?
The answer seems to be yes, Yout.com is safe. My Norton security gives it a green checkmark. It also reports no known threats on the site. I haven’t found any reports from users of any viruses, malware or other intrusions. The site has been active since December 2015, so it seems like there’s been plenty of time for people to encounter problems if they existed.
Is Your Information at Risk?
Using the free version of Yout doesn’t require you to enter anything. The paid version, Yout Pro, only requires an email address. You don’t have to give any personal information to the site that could be compromised. So, if you want to ensure that you can always watch funny cats and dogs, you’re in luck.
Is It Legal to Download Content This Way?
There is some debate on this point. In general, it’s not legal to download copyrighted material without permission. Things like TV shows, movies, music videos or sports footage are copyright protected productions. Making copies of these things is illegal, even if it’s just for your personal, non-commercial use. It is legal to download material that is in the public domain, that has a creative commons license or that has a copyleft license.
What Does YouTube Say About It?
YouTube’s terms of service prohibit the downloading or copying of any content without permission from them or the content’s licensor. If YouTube catches you downloading from their site, you could be banned. I don’t know how equipped they are to monitor this kind of activity. It’s also possible they could take legal action against someone, but this seems very unlikely to happen. As far as I know, YouTube has never sued anyone for this reason.
Another Consideration
YouTube and some content creators on their site earn revenue from video views. Copying a video to view it elsewhere cuts into their earnings. Of course, not everyone cares about this. Or they might only care if it affects a small producer.
How to Use Yout
This seems to be the simplest way to try Yout:
Open a video on YouTube that you want to keep. Click on the URL between the “e” and the “.” in Youtube.com. Delete the letters “ube” from the URL and press “Enter”. This takes you to Yout.com with your video of choice already selected. Choose the format and other options you want. Click “Record”.
Summary
Yout.com appears to be free of any online threats. Some videos are legal to download and some are not. It’s unlikely you’d be personally targeted with legal action. Even if you’re unlikely to face any consequences for illegal downloading, there’s also an ethical consideration.
© 2019 Howard Allen
