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Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

perflyst.github.io

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Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#81

Post by eli »

syshum wrote: post #43
brynx97 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can create port forward firewall rules to redirect any outbound DNS port 53 traffic. This will not work for DNS over HTTPS, which is going to be increasingly common for IoT I'd imagine. edit: method for this on pfSense: https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/recipes/dns-redir...

Then you have to contend with DNS over HTTP, Thanks Firefox and Google.... DNS over HTTP has got to be the most ill thought out "privacy" feature that has done more to HARM privacy then it could ever help

That's a stretch given the context. A smart TV maker can put whatever they want in their own client software. They don't care what features Firefox and Google support.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#82

Post by MerelyMortal »

TeamXe wrote: post #32

For those who are still looking for dumb tvs these are the best ones available as far as I'm aware. Bought one last year and works as expected. https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV-category1category73.htm...

I wanted an 85" TV, and unfortunately Sceptre only makes up to 75".

I ended up with a Costco 85" LG and unplugged the WiFi card before turning it on, and so far it's worked very well for me.

I wish I could have voted with my wallet on this.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#83

Post by MerelyMortal »

markovbot wrote: post #75
TeamXe wrote: post #32

For those who are still looking for dumb tvs these are the best ones available as far as I'm aware. Bought one last year and works as expected. https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV-category1category73.htm...

Is there something wrong with just buying a normal TV and not giving it your wifi password?

Just as long as you never have any guests that want to be helpful and connect it to the Internet either via your guest wifi or their own phone's hotspot so they can watch their Netflix or whatever on it.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#84

Post by walterbell »

eli wrote: post #81
syshum wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then you have to contend with DNS over HTTP, Thanks Firefox and Google.... DNS over HTTP has got to be the most ill thought out "privacy" feature that has done more to HARM privacy then it could ever help

That's a stretch given the context. A smart TV maker can put whatever they want in their own client software. They don't care what features Firefox and Google support.

Smart TV retail prices are subsidized by revenue from data analytics on content search and viewing.

Web browsers are subsidized (free) by search (ad) revenue.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#85

Post by kstatz12 »

QuarterReptile wrote: post #73
jjulius wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes; PiHoles are used for far more than just blocking smart TVs. The difference between browsing the web at my house and browsing away from home is so stark that it's almost not worth browsing most sites if I'm not behind it.

So true. At about one week per year spent at a relative's home, I start to consider putting a pi-hole there, too.

I did what i think is the logical extreme and put a pihole on my tailscale network and use that as my dns on any device connected to that network so i have it on the go

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#86

Post by Groxx »

caymanjim wrote: post #58
assttoasstmgr wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't be the only one that thinks this (DNS blocking) is an exceptionally poor solution to this problem. It's essentially whack-a-mole. You either A) don't allow your smart TV ip address to egress traffic to the internet or B) don't connect it at all. There are some domains in that list like the *.cloudfront.net that might change over time.

You're not wrong, but it is whack-a-mole, and this is one of our hammers.

Part of the problem is that it's a rather terrible, leaky, and easily-worked-around hammer. It mostly only continues to work because they haven't bothered to do simple things to prevent their more technical users from blocking it.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#87

Post by eli »

walterbell wrote: post #77
syshum wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then you have to contend with DNS over HTTP, Thanks Firefox and Google.... DNS over HTTP has got to be the most ill thought out "privacy" feature that has done more to HARM privacy then it could ever help

> the most ill thought out "privacy" feature Whose privacy? DoH helps to protect billions in revenue for the ad network that funds Chrome, Firefox, Safari and web standards. A better web will need a different revenue model. In the meantime, here's a maintained guide to blocking DoH with pfsense, https://github.com/jpgpi250/piholemanual/blob/master/doc/Blo...

Many of the biggest ISPs in the US are actively monitoring DNS queries, collecting the data of which sites you visit, and packaging it for sale to ad networks and data brokers. DoH stops that.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#88

Post by ceejayoz »

litoE wrote: post #49
dsr_ wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could pay a very small amount for a used house router and convince the TV that the house router is The Internet... and The Internet is down today. Best is if the TV doesn't try wifi when an ethernet cable is plugged in. Second best is if it has credentials to the wifi running on the used router. Note that the router should not actually be connected to any other network.

You don't need a separate router. If you don't give the TV the password to your WiFi it won't be able to connect.

Until they do a deal with Amazon to use Sidewalk, or the ROI on putting a cellular modem in works for them.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#89

Post by the_snooze »

nobody9999 wrote: post #74
heavyset_go wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree despite using DNS blocking myself. DNS blocking can easily be mitigated against with DoH or DoT at the application level. It's only a matter of time before advertisers start using either to bypass DNS blocking and serve ads.

>I agree despite using DNS blocking myself. DNS blocking can easily be mitigated against with DoH or DoT at the application level. It's only a matter of time before advertisers start using either to bypass DNS blocking and serve ads. DoH/DoT are just the camel's nose under the tent. Just wait (perhaps it's already happening) until TV manufacturers install 4g/5g modems in their devices. At which point, there will be a…

>Just wait (perhaps it's already happening) until TV manufacturers install 4g/5g modems in their devices.

I hear this raised every now and then, but is that even feasible economically? Those embedded cell connections are a recurring cost, after all. I'm curious if the per-unit revenue from ads and tracking is large enough to justify the per-unit cost to send/receive that data over a cell connection.

Seems like UI nudges and dark patterns to push users into connecting their TVs to their home internet connection would be cheaper and more effective.

Re: Smart-TV blocklist for Pi-Hole

#90

Post by vlunkr »

jjulius wrote: post #52
e2le wrote: post #36

Is the Pi-Hole even reasonably effective these days? > Nearly 70% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles were found to contain hardcoded DNS settings - allowing them to simply ignore your local network’s DNS server entirely. https://labzilla.io/blog/force-dns-pihole

Yes; PiHoles are used for far more than just blocking smart TVs. The difference between browsing the web at my house and browsing away from home is so stark that it's almost not worth browsing most sites if I'm not behind it.

I run a simple VPN at my house alongside pinhole. You can block ads anywhere that way.
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