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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

#301

Removing ads only makes you more unique. As most users don't block ads, by using an ad blocker sites can identify you more by knowing you use an ad blocker. It is more comfortable, but it's preferred using a wide DNS ad blocker as sites can only know that for some reason the DNS server can't resolve their domains. DNS ad blocker can also increase uniqueness. Using an ad blocker extension can also cause security issue…

>Using an ad blocker extension can also cause security issues,

But loading ad's are the much greater security issue.

And if you care about "uniqueness" you have that already with your IP, so you should start there with yourOwnVPN, TOR etc.

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

#303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

"...all F-Droid apps that are GPS-free.".

Clearly you're right (sometimes I'm overcautious). :-)

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

#304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

what do you mean by gps free? i have lots of apps installed from fdroid that use gps

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

#305
post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 o…

GrapheneOS prevents people getting adblocking working in Vanadium (the GrapheneOS chromium).

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

#306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I respect your feelings, but Ublock Origin is not available on my Android phone or on my iPad. It's also not available for all browsers. It may not work for you, but for me Pi-hole is a wonderful solution for my whole family, and they don't ever need me to touch their devices in order for it to work for them.

It's on Firefox

also kiwi browser, which is chrome based

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

#307
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.

Most blockers are running through Safari Extensions, so they’re limited to whatever Apple allows them to do. It’s no uBlock, but I made an app that lets you run your whole device’s traffic through a blocker [0].

[0]https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tulabyte/id1566083358

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

#308

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.

> The other has no plugins; I use it to visit my bank's website.

I use a separate portable FF[0] for that. That makes "cross contamination" impossible.

[0] https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

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

#309
Using Brave Browser and never looked back. I use MSEdge for work stuff (client testing as it's their default). It was vanilla, but recently I had to install uBlock (minimum).

It was too unbearable to do a simple search for some technical info and end up on a website that would LITERALLY slow the OS as a whole due to spike on Edge's CPU and memory usage.

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

#310

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.

I sometimes use a shortcut/profile like this:

  cp -a /my/firefox/profile/template "$TMPDIR"
  firefox --no-remote --profile "$TMPDIR"
Gives you a fresh profile every launch.
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