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Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

cloud.google.com

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Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#61
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They provide an SDK for mobile developers. Here is a video of how it works. [0] They don't even hide it. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a9HLrwvUO4&t=15s

Of course they're pitching it like everything's above board, but from the article: > While many residential proxy providers state that they source their IP addresses ethically, our analysis shows these claims are often incorrect or overstated. Many of the malicious applications we analyzed in our investigation did not disclose that they enrolled devices into the IPIDEA proxy network. Researchers have previously found…

If popup ads that open the play store are ethical, this is ethical.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#62
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in the UK and can't view a large portion of the internet without having to submit my ID to _every_ site serving anything deemed "not safe the for the children". I had a question about a new piercing and couldn't get info on it from Reddit because of that. I try using a VPN and they're blocked too. Luckily, I work at a copmany selling proxies so I've got free proxies whenever I want, but I shouldn't _need_ to u…

> that they have to objectively ruin the site for everyone using it. See the API changes and killing off of third party apps. Third party app users were a very small but vocal minority. The API changes didn't drop their traffic at all. In fact, it's only gone up since then. The datacenter IP address blocks aren't just for scrapers, it's an anti-bot measure across the board. I don't spend much time on Reddit but even…

Reddit's traffic is almost exclusively propaganda bots.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#63
post #50
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, nevermind the tech companies building their own proxy networks, such as Find My or Amazon Sidewalk.

How is Find My a proxy network?

In the literal sense. Your traffic is proxied through devices belonging to unwilling strangers.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I have never interacted with a reddit employee who wasn't actively gaslighting me about the platform. Do you even use the site? I talked to a PM recently who genuinely thought the phone app was something people liked.

They probably get paid by how many people believe their nonsense.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#65
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is Find My a proxy network?

In the literal sense. Your traffic is proxied through devices belonging to unwilling strangers.

By “your traffic” you mean device location reports? Or something else?

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#66

> These efforts to help keep the broader digital ecosystem safe supplement the protections we have to safeguard Android users on certified devices. We ensured Google Play Protect, Android’s built-in security protection, automatically warns users and removes applications known to incorporate IPIDEA SDKs, and blocks any future install attempts. Nice to see Google Play Protect actually serving a purpose for once.

Does it also block unwanted traffic from Google apps or does it have a particular hatred for companies that interfere with Google's business model?

Play Protect blocks malicious apps, not network traffic, so no, it obviously doesn't interfere with Google's apps.

AFAIK it also left SmartTube (an alternative YouTube client) alone until the developer got pwned and the app trojanized with this kind of SDK, and the clean versions are AFAIK again being left alone. No guarantee that it won't change in the future, of course, but so far they seem to not be abusing it.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#67

We need more residential proxies, not less. I've had enough of companies saying "you're connecting from an AWS IP address, therefore you aren't allowed in, or must buy enterprise licensing". Reddit is an example which totally blocks all data to non-residential IP's. I want exactly the same content visible no matter who you are or where you are connecting from, and a robust network of residential proxies is a stepping…

There's a company that pays you to keep their box connected to your residential router. I assume it sells residential proxy services, maybe also DDoS services, I don't know. It's aptly named Absurd Computing.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#68
post #59
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone know how to create a usable reddit account from the .onion domain?

I've tried it, and my account was shadowbanned a few hours after I created it. It's very obnoxious.

Reddit bots shadowban almost everyone who post before they have enough comment karma. Nothing to do with Tor or VPN.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#69

We need more residential proxies, not less. I've had enough of companies saying "you're connecting from an AWS IP address, therefore you aren't allowed in, or must buy enterprise licensing". Reddit is an example which totally blocks all data to non-residential IP's. I want exactly the same content visible no matter who you are or where you are connecting from, and a robust network of residential proxies is a stepping…

[flagged]

everything on Reddit is so locked down it’s useless. even if you do get to post something useful some basement dwelling mod will block it for an arcane interpretation of one of the subreddits 14 rules.

Re: Disrupting the largest residential proxy network

#70

I'm surprised by the negative takes... Yes, proxies are good. Ones which you pay for and which are running legitimately, with the knowledge (and compensation) of those who run them. Malware in random apps running on your device without your knowledge is bad.

Many are "compensated" (in the way of software they didn't pay for), so the real question is that of disclosure (in which case many software vendors check the box in the most minimal way possible by including it as fine print during the install)

No, the question is not just disclosure. People have their bandwidth stolen, and sometimes internet access revoked due to this kind of fraud and misuse - disclosure wouldn’t solve that
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