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As of late, I've been seeing a lot of video ads on YouTube that include specific claims that are quite questionable. These are generally of the "one weird trick to save a questionably high amount of money on your (heating bill, car insurance, etc.)" or that advertise dubious products such as flashlights that can burn holes in walls or "super spy" audio amplification devices that will let me hear private, whispered conversations from a mile away.

Clearly, many of these claims are notable, and can be phrased in a Skeptics-friendly manner such as "Is there really a flashlight that retails for less than $100 US and can cut through steel like a lightsaber like as mentioned in this ad I saw?", and the purpose of this question is not to discuss the fine points of topicality for such questions. My question is what is the best practice to cite a YouTube ad? For example, if I'm watching an ad right now, is there a way for me to jot down or catch a direct URL to the ad, or am I limited to jotting down quotations and then claiming I saw an ad with X claim but don't have a link? I can click on the ad itself to see what website it links to, but the website it links to does not always repeat all of the claims of the ad (which makes sense if the retailer knows the claims are dubious).

To be clear, I'm not asking whether dubious YouTube ads are notable, but the best way to cite one assuming it is notable. For example, I don't want to essentially ask the question:

I saw an ad on YouTube for a flashlight that is actually a lightsaber that cuts concrete, steel, and 95% of ceramics, was developed by the Polish military for covert ops in the late 1980's, was suppressed and banned by nearly all governments after 1990, but is now available in the US for three low monthly payments of $19.99 and that I should hurry before the US Congress realizes that their recent Omnibus Bog Paper Law unbanned it. Is such a product really available on the market? Unfortunately I can't provide any more details or exact quotes because I can't find the ad anymore, but please trust me that I saw it three hours ago!

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YouTube ads are regular YouTube videos too. If you can pause it in time, follow these steps to get a link:

  1. Right click on the ad video area and select Stats for nerds from the contextual menu.
  2. Find line with the Video ID in the little box and copy its string value next to it.
  3. Open a new tab and type in the address bar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViDe0_1D.

From kenorb on Web Apps.

Once you have a link, you can use it in your post. Be sure to quote the relevant portion of the video. (The transcript might help with that.)

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