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The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

standard.co.uk

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Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#171

Post by LinuxBender »

JohnFen wrote: post #157
LinuxBender wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Blocking DoH is largely whack-a-mole Maybe this is so but I have yet to see it. AFAIK all the DoT/DoH are on known dedicated IP addresses. I know they don't have to be. They could be on generic Akamai/CF/BunnyCDN/etc... end points but I have yet to come across one utilized in the wild. Have you found any? What are their IP addresses? I would like to add them to my DNS timing/monitoring scripts. I null route about 24…

> I have yet to come across one utilized in the wild How would you be able to tell?

I confine everything on my network and if anything is able to resolve any one of the sanctioned countries or if the domains I override resolve to their correct address I will see it. I can only think of one opaque device I have that could even try to do that but I know it doesn't because I have to unblock .cn to get vehicle updates for it. I should add that I do not let random IoT's onto my network and that vehicle diagnostic tool from China is only on my network about once per year for a few minutes. I should also add that I have fascist firewall rules for anything I do not trust and all new SYN packets are logged. DoT and DoH use TCP.

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#173

Post by hilbert42 »

hailwren wrote: post #86
madars wrote: post #71

Or, in other words, FBI now recommends using Android :-) It's baffling how much better uBlock Origin + Firefox experience on Android is compared to any iOS ad blocker I have tried. They kind-of work but let half of the ads through.

Yeah, android trades browser ads for system wide tracking. I’m not really sure that’s a good deal.

Right, Android trades ads for system wide tracking and that's rotten for the user. Moreover, Android's tacking mechanism is brilliantly effective—one has to admire Google's ingenuity for its receiver/signalling system. It's so integral to Android that one can view the O/S as built around it rather than it as an addition/add-on to the O/S. Essentially, Android is an O/S built around an ingenious spying system.

It's just not possible to use an Android phone as Google intended (and as the vast majority of users actually do) without that tracking mechanism taking center stage.

My solution is to disable or uninstall Google Play Services/apps and I never create a Google account. Also, wherever possible, I use a rooted phone.

The penalty for such action is that many of the attractive so-called free services are unavailable to me. However, the benefits of closing down or uninstalling all unnecessary services and apps and disabling JavaScript are that my battery now lasts for days, ads are a thing of the past and the phone and internet access are much faster.

I accept however the vast majority of users either aren't capable of making such a tradeoff or aren't prepared to do so and Google knows that—that's why it's a winner. For Google, users like me are just insignificant noise.

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#174

Post by newaccount2021 »

rmason wrote: post #47

Is it time for an open source adblocker that only blocks bad actors? I am perfectly fine with ads, I've previously run sites where it was a small source of income myself. I know it would be in a cat and mouse game with the bad guys but if it blocked most of them it would certainly help a lot of people.

[dead]

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#175

Post by PeterisP »

The same applies to corporate networks - there is no good reason why the default office computer installations for your employees should have a browser without an ad blocker, there are some (not huge, but some) security benefits that make it a reasonable IT policy almost everywhere.

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#176

Post by bigtex »

grupthink wrote: post #159
skhr0680 wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AdGuard is free and has never let me down. Sometimes preroll YouTube ads will get through on my phone, but it’s not a big deal.

Is there an ad blocker for Safari on iOS that can deal with Youtube ads? AdGuard requires you to do a dance every time you reload the page.

Brave on iOS blocks YouTube ads. I never see them anymore.

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#177

Post by 3np »

hilbert42 wrote: post #173
hailwren wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, android trades browser ads for system wide tracking. I’m not really sure that’s a good deal.

Right, Android trades ads for system wide tracking and that's rotten for the user. Moreover, Android's tacking mechanism is brilliantly effective—one has to admire Google's ingenuity for its receiver/signalling system. It's so integral to Android that one can view the O/S as built around it rather than it as an addition/add-on to the O/S. Essentially, Android is an O/S built around an ingenious spying system. It's ju…

> It's just not possible to use an Android phone as Google intended (and as the vast majority of users actually do) without that tracking mechanism taking center stage

These things are not as tightly woven into the OS as you make it seem.

It is very much possible. GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, roll your own AOSP-based image.

A completely degoogled Pixel series is even practical and realistic for casuals. As you say you miss out or have to fiddle a big for many apps which break without SafetyNet and other malware.

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#178

Post by SamuelAdams »

agiacalone wrote: post #115
madars wrote: post #71

Or, in other words, FBI now recommends using Android :-) It's baffling how much better uBlock Origin + Firefox experience on Android is compared to any iOS ad blocker I have tried. They kind-of work but let half of the ads through.

NextDNS (or a similar DNS ad-blocker solution like PiHole) works wonders on iOS.

This assumes you never leave the house (which is true for me lol)

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#179

Post by userbinator »

paxys wrote: post #106

Those who are a bit tech minded – consider adding DNS filtering on your home network (using pi-hole or something else). It has drastically changed my web experience for the better, including across iPhone apps, smart TVs and other surfaces where ad blockers can't help.

If you're a bit more tech minded, go with a full MITM proxy.

Re: The FBI now recommends using an ad blocker when searching the web

#180

Post by dawnerd »

grupthink wrote: post #159
skhr0680 wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AdGuard is free and has never let me down. Sometimes preroll YouTube ads will get through on my phone, but it’s not a big deal.

Is there an ad blocker for Safari on iOS that can deal with Youtube ads? AdGuard requires you to do a dance every time you reload the page.

SponsorBlock might be what you’re looking for.
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