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AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

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Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#21

Post by 0xADEADBEE »

bad_user wrote: post #19

This extension apparently simulates clicks on blocked ads. I'm not comfortable doing that. First of all I don't see the point. I don't click on ads, so there is no profile that advertisers can extract from that. Having an extension that simulates clicks would only link to my supposed profile shit that I don't want, plus in my experience from when I worked in the ads industry, the user profile often gets compiled from…

A couple of quick points:

- Your ad profile will be built based on pages you visit as you indeed note, not just things that you click. Any noise you can introduce surely has to be a win for obfuscation? Would be interested in your thoughts here because you have more experience than I do!

- I'm not certain that paying for content makes any difference from a data mining perspective. Loading a NYT article causes uBlock Origin to deny 14 requests; I don't currently have a subscription but I imagine those assets are still loaded even if I'm signed in (with much clearer markers towards my identity!)

- Fighting back is a fine way to effect change. It's clearly working or Google wouldn't be banning this extension from their store or limiting their API.

I'm very comfortable with this so it's interesting to speak with someone who isn't. If adblocking is on the rise, I wonder what the next step will be towards monetizing content? Micropayments didn't take off (perhaps unsurprisingly) and subscription models seem to not have the return that people had hoped. There's huge amounts of money on the table but a lot of very smart people don't seem to have hit upon anything yet!

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#22

Post by 0xADEADBEE »

0xADEADBEE wrote: post #21
bad_user wrote: post #19

This extension apparently simulates clicks on blocked ads. I'm not comfortable doing that. First of all I don't see the point. I don't click on ads, so there is no profile that advertisers can extract from that. Having an extension that simulates clicks would only link to my supposed profile shit that I don't want, plus in my experience from when I worked in the ads industry, the user profile often gets compiled from…

A couple of quick points: - Your ad profile will be built based on pages you visit as you indeed note, not just things that you click. Any noise you can introduce surely has to be a win for obfuscation? Would be interested in your thoughts here because you have more experience than I do! - I'm not certain that paying for content makes any difference from a data mining perspective. Loading a NYT article causes uBlock…

Also I upvoted you - I'm not sure why you're being downvoted without explanation since you've axiomatically added an interesting viewpoint to the discussion.

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#23

Post by sanxiyn »

bad_user wrote: post #19

This extension apparently simulates clicks on blocked ads. I'm not comfortable doing that. First of all I don't see the point. I don't click on ads, so there is no profile that advertisers can extract from that. Having an extension that simulates clicks would only link to my supposed profile shit that I don't want, plus in my experience from when I worked in the ads industry, the user profile often gets compiled from…

> extensions that will inevitably get banned (due to this being essentially fraud)

AdNauseam has been up on Firefox Add-ons for a while and it is not banned and I don't believe it will get banned. Explain why you think differently please.

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#24

Post by [deleted] »

dymk wrote: post #9
abc-xyz wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. If it's so trivial and costs ad companies nothing, then why would Google go out of their way to ban the extension when it's essentially just an ad blocker that clicks on the ads in the background? 2. How would you filter out AdNauseam ad clicks with genuine ad clicks?

It’s banned because it’s made by people intentionally trying to not just subvert, but inject fake data into Google’s core business model. It’s like asking “why doesn’t Apple allow Cydia in the App Store?” AdNauseam clicks occur far more often than normal ad clicks, aren’t associated with other ad load events, timing is all similar, ads are clicked regardless of predicted relevancy. There’s dozens of obvious, and hund…

[deleted]

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#25

Post by TeMPOraL »

bad_user wrote: post #19

This extension apparently simulates clicks on blocked ads. I'm not comfortable doing that. First of all I don't see the point. I don't click on ads, so there is no profile that advertisers can extract from that. Having an extension that simulates clicks would only link to my supposed profile shit that I don't want, plus in my experience from when I worked in the ads industry, the user profile often gets compiled from…

> Also this "fighting back" attitude is not very constructive. If you hate the direction of this industry, consider paying for shit that you consume, instead of pushing for extensions that will inevitably get banned (due to this being essentially fraud) and that are pushing more and more publishers towards native apps and towards DRM, because the open web is a risky platform due to these extensions.

Fighting back is very constructive. It's a market signal. People aren't only restricted to express their dissatisfaction through buying elsewhere (people on the producing side would love everyone to believe that, though). Complaining loudly, accurately portraying adtech as the scoundrels they are publicly, to discourage others from using such products, are also valid market signals. And so is AdNauseam.

AdNauseam is definitely not fraud. Clicking on random ads with no intention of buying is something I, as a user, can do. I've signed no contract with advertisers saying otherwise, and the tech is deployed in such a way that I get to view and click (or not view / not click) how I please. AdNauseam just automates my preference for clicking on random ads while not looking at them. My preference to express that the whole industry is bullshit and should simply die in a fire. It's perfectly legal, perfectly by the rules of the Web and the HTTP protocol, and runs entirely on the User-Agent side of Browser/Server border.

Remember, Google didn't ban AdNauseam because it's wrong. They banned it, because it went against their commercial interest, and being a private platform they could just ban it without asking anyone.

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#26

Post by TeMPOraL »

0xADEADBEE wrote: post #2

I used this for some time and it's great; built atop ublock origin and does exactly what it purports to. The only downside is that it is used by such a comparatively small market-share that it's harder to blend in, but I imagine modern browser fingerprinting negates this concern anyway. Also it's (tellingly) banned from the Chrome store last I used Chrome, and you had to install it via a zip file. There is (or at lea…

They should promote the hell more out of the fact that it's uBO underneath. For a long time, I didn't install AdNauseam simply because I trusted uBO more, and didn't want to have two ad-blockers in a single browser.

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#27

Post by 0xADEADBEE »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #26
0xADEADBEE wrote: post #2

I used this for some time and it's great; built atop ublock origin and does exactly what it purports to. The only downside is that it is used by such a comparatively small market-share that it's harder to blend in, but I imagine modern browser fingerprinting negates this concern anyway. Also it's (tellingly) banned from the Chrome store last I used Chrome, and you had to install it via a zip file. There is (or at lea…

They should promote the hell more out of the fact that it's uBO underneath. For a long time, I didn't install AdNauseam simply because I trusted uBO more, and didn't want to have two ad-blockers in a single browser.

I agree with this - it's there (annoyingly, phrased exactly the same way I wrote my comment but I swear I didn't know and I haven't been on that page in months!) but they're not exactly leading with it. uBlock Origin has a strong brand and it's a bit myopic not to leverage that in a more prominent way. Still, I'm glad it's getting noticed and I'm sure their install base went up a fair bit from this thread alone!

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#28

Post by amelius »

chaz6 wrote: post #15

Apart from actual malware, this is the only browser extension I know of to have been blacklisted by Google. If you want to use it in Chrome you have to jump through hoops. For the record, I approve of AdNauseam. I have every right to browse the internet how I choose. My computer, my control. I am firmly against the corporization of the internet.

> If you want to use it in Chrome you have to jump through hoops.

Why would a potential AdNauseam user even use Chrome?

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#29

Post by TeMPOraL »

0xADEADBEE wrote: post #27
TeMPOraL wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They should promote the hell more out of the fact that it's uBO underneath. For a long time, I didn't install AdNauseam simply because I trusted uBO more, and didn't want to have two ad-blockers in a single browser.

I agree with this - it's there (annoyingly, phrased exactly the same way I wrote my comment but I swear I didn't know and I haven't been on that page in months!) but they're not exactly leading with it. uBlock Origin has a strong brand and it's a bit myopic not to leverage that in a more prominent way. Still, I'm glad it's getting noticed and I'm sure their install base went up a fair bit from this thread alone!

I'm on a fresh desktop setup and just installed it, so it's +1, and when I go back to my usual workspace, it'll be +3.

Re: AdNauseam: Browser extension to fight back against tracking by ad networks

#30

Post by ubercow13 »

bad_user wrote: post #19

This extension apparently simulates clicks on blocked ads. I'm not comfortable doing that. First of all I don't see the point. I don't click on ads, so there is no profile that advertisers can extract from that. Having an extension that simulates clicks would only link to my supposed profile shit that I don't want, plus in my experience from when I worked in the ads industry, the user profile often gets compiled from…

What makes you think paying for things would stop you being tracked?
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