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YouTube Analytics

x# YouTube Analytics

The YouTube Analytics feature in content scanning serves as a data enrichment tool for YouTube event data, offering more insightful and meaningful reports. Leveraging the YouTube API, it augments raw data with crucial information such as video names, categories, and other valuable metadata. This enhanced data equips users with a deeper understanding of YouTube activity, streamlining the tracking of content usage and the analysis of viewing trends.

Enable YouTube Analytics

YouTube Analytics requires HTTPS inspection of YouTube traffic to obtain the full URL containing a videos unique ID. When enabled, YouTube Analytics automatically generates firewall policies that push YouTube traffic into HTTPS inspection. It is important to deploy the client HTTPS inspection certificate to all client devices in order to prevent certificate-related issues before enabling this feature. To enable YouTube Analytics go to:

  1. Content Scanning > YouTube Analytics
  2. Toggle "Enable YouTube analytics"
  3. Configure the following:
    • Scanned Zones: Specify the network zones where you want YouTube Analytics to be applied. By default, all networks within the selected zone will be scanned and undergo HTTPS inspection. This is a required configuration item.
    • Excluded ranges: Specify one or more IP Addresses or networks to exclude from YouTube analytics.
    • Excluded Groups: Specify one or more user groups to exclude from YouTube analytics.
  4. Click "Save"
  5. Click "Save" and "Apply" changes

YouTube Analytics

To view YouTube analytics event data go to https://reporting.localnetwork.zone > Content Scanning > YouTube Analytics

YouTube Analytics

Inspected Domains

When YouTube analytics is enabled, the following domains will be automatically inspected over HTTPS. No additional Access Policies are required to inspect YouTube traffic over HTTPS.

.youtube.comm
play.google.com
youtubei.googleapis.com

Important info

  • The CyberEdge YouTube Analytics service requires access to youtube.googleapis.com (YouTube API endpoints) to perform the data enrichment process. In networks where upstream firewalls or proxies are in use, a policy change to allow access to youtube.googleapis.com on upstream network equipment from the CyberEdge may be required.
  • YouTube apps on both iOS and Android use certificate pinning. Certificate pinning is a security feature that ensures the app only trusts specific certificates, typically the certificates issued by YouTube or Google. This can cause issues when attempting to inspect HTTPS traffic, resulting in the app not functioning properly. You should consider your network architecture supports the ability to exclude such devices from YouTube Analytics.
  • YouTube analytics rules will always be applied prior to any YouTube HTTPS inspection Access Policy.