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Block Ads in Apps on Android

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Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#141

Post by Fnoord »

nvr219 wrote: post #138
Fnoord wrote: post #12

I'm using Pi-Hole on an Ubiquiti router together with WireGuard and DNSSEC. My Synology NAS is backup (with regards to the DNS-based Pi-Hole blocking) taking the adblocking load off the router (there's no redundancy for WireGuard endpoint though). I don't (need) to use a RPi anymore. It works extremely well for me, and all my clients also get to connect to Nextcloud running on the Synology. My setup does far more tha…

Your solution is 100 times too complicated for the people who need the most protection online.

Kinda, yes. It depends. All my partner needs is WireGuard installed and running. She doesn't need anything else installed, nor maintain it, nor even run Android. Either way, my solution isn't meant as the better option; it is meant as an alternative.

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#142

Post by Fnoord »

michaelmrose wrote: post #131
dfxm12 wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think pihole makes it reasonably easy to disable for some amount of time or until you switch it back on. I know "reasonable" has different meanings to different people though. For example, I don't think changing networks is a pain in the neck. It's just 3 clicks on my android phone or 2 on Windows 10. This is compared to 3 clicks to turn off a browser based ad blocker.

I don't think this is a reasonable analysis. It takes 3 clicks to disable adblocking for a particular site once ever. Click icon at top of window, click disable, click reload. This takes aprox 2 seconds once ever for each site. If you regularly use 7 sites that are annoying in this fashion you have invested 14 seconds. By contrast lets discuss switching networks one of which uses dns to filter out ads. If you use one…

> It takes 3 clicks to disable adblocking for a particular site once ever. Click icon at top of window, click disable, click reload. This takes aprox 2 seconds once ever for each site. If you regularly use 7 sites that are annoying in this fashion you have invested 14 seconds.

Per browser/adblocker.

> If your mobile platform doesn't allow someone to release such software for your platform use a different mobile platform.

This isn't a feasible solution. Why not use DNS-based adblocking instead? It works for my Android TV...

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#143

Post by dspillett »

alias_neo wrote: post #102
dspillett wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unfortunately, my provider (EE, UK) throttles UDP traffic something rotten Interesting. I've not noticed performance issues beyond those expected due to signal quality when using work's VPN over a tethered phone using EE. That VPN is using OpenVPN with a UDP transport. Then again it doesn't get used for anything with high throughput so perhaps they only throttle when it looks like bulk transfers are happening or th…

I don't run my VPN for ad-blocking (my phone is rooted), I use it for more traditional access reasons. To copy and paste another reply I just made: "I ran some tests with the guys in WireGuard IRC which seemed to confirm that the issue is specifically EE limiting UDP whether by QoS or otherwise." I'll give OpenVPN a go over TCP once I have a chance to set it up and I might even consider contacting EE for info. I woul…

Another possibility is that they are using naive port-based filters in their traffic shaping rules, and it thinks that any encrypted-looking packets not destined to one of a white-listed set of ports is torrent or other P2P traffic.

If you run the server side of the VPN as well as the client, you can test that possibility by trying other known ports (1194 that OpenVPN usually lives on, 433 if that isn't already directed elsewhere on the target address, ...).

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#144

Post by michaelmrose »

Fnoord wrote: post #142
michaelmrose wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think this is a reasonable analysis. It takes 3 clicks to disable adblocking for a particular site once ever. Click icon at top of window, click disable, click reload. This takes aprox 2 seconds once ever for each site. If you regularly use 7 sites that are annoying in this fashion you have invested 14 seconds. By contrast lets discuss switching networks one of which uses dns to filter out ads. If you use one…

> It takes 3 clicks to disable adblocking for a particular site once ever. Click icon at top of window, click disable, click reload. This takes aprox 2 seconds once ever for each site. If you regularly use 7 sites that are annoying in this fashion you have invested 14 seconds. Per browser/adblocker. > If your mobile platform doesn't allow someone to release such software for your platform use a different mobile platf…

ublock origin can sync between machines meaning once ever for an entire range of devices.

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#145

Post by michaelmrose »

vvanders wrote: post #134
michaelmrose wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think this is a reasonable analysis. It takes 3 clicks to disable adblocking for a particular site once ever. Click icon at top of window, click disable, click reload. This takes aprox 2 seconds once ever for each site. If you regularly use 7 sites that are annoying in this fashion you have invested 14 seconds. By contrast lets discuss switching networks one of which uses dns to filter out ads. If you use one…

> If you regularly use 7 sites that are annoying in this fashion... I've had one false positive across a year of using pi-hole, so this is a non-issue. If you want to use an adblocker by all means go ahead, just don't go dumping all over everyone else because your usage doesn't line up with other people's.

If you never ever need to selectively disable adblocking dns based solutions only suck in that they either work only in the lan, don't work with vpns, or require rooted devices to work. No downsides to be seen.

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#146

Post by Fnoord »

michaelmrose wrote: post #144
Fnoord wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It takes 3 clicks to disable adblocking for a particular site once ever. Click icon at top of window, click disable, click reload. This takes aprox 2 seconds once ever for each site. If you regularly use 7 sites that are annoying in this fashion you have invested 14 seconds. Per browser/adblocker. > If your mobile platform doesn't allow someone to release such software for your platform use a different mobile platf…

ublock origin can sync between machines meaning once ever for an entire range of devices.

How does the sync work? What protocol?

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#147

Post by michaelmrose »

Fnoord wrote: post #146
michaelmrose wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ublock origin can sync between machines meaning once ever for an entire range of devices.

How does the sync work? What protocol?

Firefox optionally syncs a configurable list of things between installations. It uses firefox sync. All of this is opt in and encrypted so that mozilla can't read it.

https://hacks.mozilla.org/2018/11/firefox-sync-privacy/

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#148

Post by Fnoord »

michaelmrose wrote: post #147
Fnoord wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does the sync work? What protocol?

Firefox optionally syncs a configurable list of things between installations. It uses firefox sync. All of this is opt in and encrypted so that mozilla can't read it. https://hacks.mozilla.org/2018/11/firefox-sync-privacy/

Cheers, I knew about Firefox Sync (I used Weave with Fennec on the N810 back in the days), I knew it syncs addons, but I did not know it syncs addon settings. I'm still unsure how it determines which settings to use.

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#149

Post by jonwinstanley »

Spivak wrote: post #16
jonwinstanley wrote: post #15

So you're sending ALL your internet traffic through a VPN, that you know nothing about? Sounds like the craziest idea I've ever heard. Who owns the VPN? What are they doing with your data?

"Using the Android VPN feature" != "Tunneling traffic through a remote network"

Oh - it's a private VPN? Sorry, that wasn't clear in the article

Re: Block Ads in Apps on Android

#150

Post by alias_neo »

dspillett wrote: post #143
alias_neo wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't run my VPN for ad-blocking (my phone is rooted), I use it for more traditional access reasons. To copy and paste another reply I just made: "I ran some tests with the guys in WireGuard IRC which seemed to confirm that the issue is specifically EE limiting UDP whether by QoS or otherwise." I'll give OpenVPN a go over TCP once I have a chance to set it up and I might even consider contacting EE for info. I woul…

Another possibility is that they are using naive port-based filters in their traffic shaping rules, and it thinks that any encrypted-looking packets not destined to one of a white-listed set of ports is torrent or other P2P traffic. If you run the server side of the VPN as well as the client, you can test that possibility by trying other known ports (1194 that OpenVPN usually lives on, 433 if that isn't already direc…

I tested running on other known ports such as 443 and hit the same rate limit. I suspect they have some network-wide cap on UDP transfers.
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