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Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

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71–79 of 79 posts

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#71
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Blokada seems to be very similar to DNS66, and is more actively maintained. Any reason to prefer DNS66? No, I've never heard of blokada. Thanks for the tip.

The blokada in play store doesn't block ads. Get it from their store. Also agressive power management from phone makers close them.

There is an aggressive stayalive option. :)

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#72

I use Firefox Focus and this looks similar for mobile (though they add MacOS too). Has anyone evaluated the difference?

Firefox Focus does not block ads the same was as Lockdown does. Lockdown uses the [Packet Tunnel Provider](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension/p...) API which has the added benefit of "protecting" the entire device (not just your browser).

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DNSCloak and Lockdown cannot be enabled at the same time. When I tried it quite sometime ago, it was one or the other, which is a bummer if you want to use Lockdown while also choosing specific DNS servers to use. I’m guessing this is due to a limitation imposed by iOS, but have no idea how it can be solved.

It probably can't, seeing as both use a local VPN server to implement what they do. You could always manually enter your DNS servers in your iPhone's settings.

> You could always manually enter your DNS servers in your iPhone's settings.

Can you do this for mobile connections? From what I've been able to see, you have to set DNS settings on a per SSID basis, and that particular menu doesn't exist when connected to the cell network instead of wifi.

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#74
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can possibly access all your activity, contacts, microphone, and camera... Hard pass from me at the moment. :/

> It can possibly access all your activity, contacts, microphone, and camera... Hard pass from me at the moment. :/ Camera and mic? How does it do this as a vpn? I see no requests for such things in iOS settings for the app.

It's an app you install on your phone. That app can use any service on the device if system permissions allow it, also, tracking and libraries or spyware can be embedded in the app itself which could potentially circumvent device security.

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$10/month is a lot for a firewall.

Important to note, our app is a VPN as well. This way, with the bulk of our business logic on the server-side, device battery is saved and we can do real-time block list updates rather than the app needing to pull down a new rule set. The $1/day / $10/month / $100/year has been fairly well received, but may not be for everyone, especially those who enjoy running their own VPN server and/or curating their own block li…

> The $1/day / $10/month / $100/year has been fairly well received,

...in countries where $100 a year isn’t a lot for one subscription.

> but may not be for everyone, especially those who enjoy running their own VPN server and/or curating their own block lists.

...and also not for those in countries where $100 a year is a whole lot of money for one subscription.

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The blokada in play store doesn't block ads. Get it from their store. Also agressive power management from phone makers close them.

There is an aggressive stayalive option. :)

Please details. I've set certain apps to have no power restrictions. Yet they get shutdown.

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#77
The unfortunate truth is, Apple does not allow us to use a firewall on iOS.

This is a DNS-sinkhole, which can be easily circumvented by apps (for example by using hard coded IPs.)

I would say it's rather dishonest to state your app is a Firewall on the front page, when in fact it is not.

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The blokada in play store doesn't block ads. Get it from their store. Also agressive power management from phone makers close them.

There is an aggressive stayalive option. :)

Thanks. Think I found it.

Re: Lockdown: Open-source firewall that blocks app tracking, ads, snooping

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any tips on how to set up NetGuard well? I use an app now called "NoRoot Firewall" that lets me filter on ip address or url and also port, with wildcards. (Ex. *.facebook.com). I cannot find a way to set up NetGuard since it appears to me that I can only decide on each request, which makes it near impossible to ever whitelist/blacklist something like AWS, which uses an ever rotating number of locations.

Nrf hasn't been updated in a very long time, but as you say you can whitelist/blacklist pretty easily. Sadly, netguard doesn't have this facility as a global, and only allows it to be done on a clunky, per-app basis. I seem to recall the author not being receptive to the idea.

Just knowing how to allow "*.facebook.com" for Whatsapp would be a godsend
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