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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

#221

Post by EricE »

Terretta wrote: post #184
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.

Sounds like you need to try more. 1Blocker is fantastic. AdGuard for iOS is fantastic. MagicLasso is free. You can even run uBlock on Kagi Orion if that's your thing. I use one of the above + NextDNS* and am entirely ad free all the time everywhere. * See also the new AdGuard DNS.

1Blocker has a built in internal device local VPN service that also covers all apps on the phone - not just Safari. Breaks any of the "free with ad" games so yeah, it's effective!

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

#222

Post by emacdona »

eNV25 wrote: post #220
emacdona wrote: post #203

I recommend using an ad-blocker while visiting that site :-/ Lately, I find myself using more and more plugins to make the "modern web" tolerable. To list a few: Channel Blocker (lets me block channels from search results on Youtube); uBlock Origin; Disconnect; F.B Purity; Consent-O-Matic (auto fill cookie consent forms); Kagi Search; PopUpOFF; Facebook Container; Privacy Badger; ClearURLs; Return YouTube Dislike Bas…

A lot of your privacy related extensions are obsoleted by features in uBlock Origin. Consent-O-Matic: use annoyances filter list PopUpOFF: sounds useless, use filter list Privacy Badger: sounds useless, use filter list ClearURLs: use url cleaning filter list

Thanks for the tips. I will check out the filter lists you mention.

You might be wrong about PopUpOFF, though. I started using it as a solution to websites that pop-up an overlay asking me to subscribe to their newsletter when I mouse-out of the window. It is fantastic at putting an end to that.

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

#223

Post by EricE »

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.

1Blocker works perfectly. And has a local VPN service (it's all on phone) that blocks traffic in apps too - not just in Safari.

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

#224

Post by incompatible »

PeterisP wrote: post #175

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.

In the case of the FBI, et. al., who according to the article "are already reportedly using network-based ad-blocking technologies", I'd wonder if not being able to access certain material would hinder the investigation of scams.

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

#225

Post by bandyaboot »

scarface74 wrote: post #127
kornhole wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is only if you have Google Play Services installed.

So you mean like 99%+ of all Android devices sold outside of China?

I think this was meant to point out that trading ads for system wide tracking isn’t necessarily a deal you are forced to make if you are a person who is motivated not to make that deal. For most people avoiding tracking isn’t even a thought. Their first order of business is inviting Facebook, Twitter, and Tik Tok to the party.

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

#226

Post by doodlesdev »

eNV25 wrote: post #220
emacdona wrote: post #203

I recommend using an ad-blocker while visiting that site :-/ Lately, I find myself using more and more plugins to make the "modern web" tolerable. To list a few: Channel Blocker (lets me block channels from search results on Youtube); uBlock Origin; Disconnect; F.B Purity; Consent-O-Matic (auto fill cookie consent forms); Kagi Search; PopUpOFF; Facebook Container; Privacy Badger; ClearURLs; Return YouTube Dislike Bas…

A lot of your privacy related extensions are obsoleted by features in uBlock Origin. Consent-O-Matic: use annoyances filter list PopUpOFF: sounds useless, use filter list Privacy Badger: sounds useless, use filter list ClearURLs: use url cleaning filter list

uBlock Origin URL filter lists don't work the same as ClearURLs. Privacy Badger is an extension by the EFF. It blocks cookies, that's it. The other one I don't know, but you should stop being condescending when teaching people about things you don't know about. Using uBlock Origin only might be a good option for some cases, but it's not a silver bullet.

For reference, ClearURLs can bypass redirects, has etags protection, both features which uBlock origin does not have (or at least didn't have last time I checked). Privacy Badger removes outgoing link tracking by Facebook and Google, has custom well-tested lists to block cookies or blocking third-party without blocking them entirely when necessary/useful. It also has quite a few smart learning features (not the ones Google tells are "fingerprinting" you) such as blocking canvas-based fingerprinting on the go.

uBlock Origin is awesome. The default blocking lists are great. The other ones provided with the extension are even better. But it's not a magic silver bullet. What you're going to use really depends on what you want out of your browsing experience, what your threat model is, etc.

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

#227

Post by emacdona »

emacdona wrote: post #203

I recommend using an ad-blocker while visiting that site :-/ Lately, I find myself using more and more plugins to make the "modern web" tolerable. To list a few: Channel Blocker (lets me block channels from search results on Youtube); uBlock Origin; Disconnect; F.B Purity; Consent-O-Matic (auto fill cookie consent forms); Kagi Search; PopUpOFF; Facebook Container; Privacy Badger; ClearURLs; Return YouTube Dislike Bas…

For anyone curious as to how I solve the problem right now, I just have two separate Firefox profiles. One has a ton of plugins; I use it to browse the web. The other has no plugins; I use it to visit my bank's website.

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

#228

Post by realusername »

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.

That's also the case on iOS, the tracking has been a security exploit since it has a lot of permissions.

At least on Android there's a way to use a custom rom even if it's difficult.

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

#229

Post by panopticon »

calt wrote: post #198
NikolaNovak wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol - I installed and paid... And then realized I havent opened safari since I got the phone. I assume it only works in safari and not chrome? I clearly need more sleep...

It might work for chrome since safari is actually the only browser on iOS. Chrome iOS app is just a skin over safari with some of the history/bookmark/etc syncing.

While Chrome uses the same rendering and JS engines as Safari under the hood, it doesn't share all features (like the extensions API). I think only DNS-based ad blockers work for both and content API-based ad blockers like Magic Lasso don't.

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

#230

Post by dredmorbius »

hilbert42 wrote: post #215
dredmorbius wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's ... near a necessity for most apps. Though I seem to recall GPS shim that's available and which I really should swap in on my BOOX tablet.

Most F-Driod apps don't require Google Play Services. If you can live within the functionality provided by those apps then you're OK. That said, I know many can't.

AFAIU it's all F-Droid apps that are GPS-free. I rely on a small handful of others installed from the Aurora, Google Play is a requirement for some of those.

I may be hallucinating that shim, though I'm pretty sure it actually exists...

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