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Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

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Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#211

Post by infinityplus1 »

L3viathan wrote: post #108
GuB-42 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same, but it is more and more annoying to root your phone with all these banking apps blocking rooted phones. And now, with the new security standards (which are good), banks insist on having you install their proprietary app just to authorize payments (which is annoying). I am not talking about Google Pay here (which I can do without). There are workarounds of course, but I am becoming tired of the cat and mouse gam…

I'm in the same boat. I recently had to upgrade my phone, and oh boy is is annoying to get root working with Google Pay and my banking app. It still works, but it took me a few hours(!). I'm seriously considering switching to iOS for my next phone.

To solve the banking apps problem with root:

1. Root your phone 2. Install Adaway and update hosts 3. Unroot your phone.

It just takes a system restart to unroot. Then all banking apps work fine. If I need root again, I can just flash Magisc zip file again. Easy enough.

But nowadays just setting up adguard's DNS in Android's private DNS settings is enough to get Adaway like effect without root.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#213

Post by YetAnotherNick »

alickz wrote: post #193
disintegore wrote: post #178

I categorically reject ads. I want them completely abolished. I will do everything that's in my power to get them out of my machines. If I had just a little bit more courage I would go out at night with cans of spray paint and deface billboards.

I purposely look away when YouTube starts playing ads. It's silly I know, but I get a tiny amount of satisfaction from not letting them advertise to me.

I don't get the hate on Youtube TBH, when they provide youtube premium.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#214

Post by sofixa »

adhesive_wombat wrote: post #179
GekkePrutser wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or morphs itself into another Chrome in search of more revenue to support their new corporate lifestyle. I'm more worried about that. Since they made it a corporation with all the usual trimmings like an overpaid CEO they are becoming like all the other big tech. Flirting with big investors, looking at ROIs. All those paths lead the same way and it's away from the user.

It's frustrating that "filling a niche and filling it well" is just anathema these days. Everyone is hustling to become a trillion dollar whatever, and burning customers, money and good will in the process. There should be nothing wrong with just bring good at what you do and not seeking endless expansion (and yes, I know, it's actually dangerous because you're vulnerable to predation in that position).

> It's frustrating that "filling a niche and filling it well" is just anathema these days

On the contrary, a lot of (offline) companies are deciding that diversification is bad and they should divest everything outside of one core business. Be it ThyssenKrupp, Alsthom, Bombardier, GE, Phillips, take your pick.

However many web companies choose to diversify. Why not? It helps them retain and gain users, and protects them against heavy hitting competitors (FAANG can copy your business model and features quite quick). E.g. take someone like Snapchat - their features were copied by competitors and they had no differentiator, so they floundered. A Telegram or Signal was little differentiation bar potential diversification, which is why both tried some crypto crap.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#215

Post by denton-scratch »

cft wrote: post #119
laurent123456 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even without the ads, you still have multiple cookie popups and banners, floating videos and newsletter notifications to closes before getting to the content. And of course as you scroll down some of those come back (floating videos in particular). There was a time where you could just close the tab if it was that bad, but now pretty much all websites are like this so there's no choice.

The GDPR cookie pop-ups that make navigation on mobile often nearly impossible was a major assault in the remaining open web. The EU bureaucrats that drafted it never created anything constructive in their lives, only regulated. As a result, less and less of the independent web is getting traffic, everything is consolidating in TikTok, Instagram and similar apps

They are not GDPR "cookie pop-ups". GDPR does not call for this plague. You don't need to get the users approval for cookies needed for the correct operation of the site.

I believe they are a protest by largely US-owned companies against regulation, designed to annoy internet users and turn them against regulation.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#216

Post by alexb_ »

Terretta wrote: post #207
Larrikin wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The experience is so awful when I browse on my iPad, instead of my Android phone with Firefox+UBlock. I really don't understand how most people can stand to browse with all the ads. The modern web is so much worse than the pop up ads of the old web.

> The experience is so awful when I browse on my iPad, instead of my Android phone with Firefox+UBlock. I really don't understand how most people can stand to browse with all the ads. Most people don’t. Most people who use anything for iOS tend to use things like: - 1Blocker - super full featured, including custom script and css rules. business model is paid software, not ‘acceptable ads’ paying them for placement or…

95% of users have no idea what any of this is.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#217

Post by tssva »

cricalix wrote: post #139
pmontra wrote: post #137

For all the love I have for Blockada I'm not going to send my traffic through their cloud. I wonder if I can run something like PiHole on a VPS somewhere so that I can protect my devices both when I'm at home on WiFi and when I'm outside on 4G. I'll investigate but does anybody already experienced such a setup?

Tailscale have a knowledgebase article on doing it - https://tailscale.com/kb/1114/pi-hole/ There's probably other ways.

I have been using this setup for about 3 months and it works great.

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#218

Post by timbit42 »

alickz wrote: post #193
disintegore wrote: post #178

I categorically reject ads. I want them completely abolished. I will do everything that's in my power to get them out of my machines. If I had just a little bit more courage I would go out at night with cans of spray paint and deface billboards.

I purposely look away when YouTube starts playing ads. It's silly I know, but I get a tiny amount of satisfaction from not letting them advertise to me.

Can't you still hear them?

Re: Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers

#220

Post by Terretta »

twistedpair wrote: post #198

Ghostery browser on Android is pretty easy to use.

It had been excellent. Have you kept track of their ownership and business model since the mid 2010s?

- monetization strategy involves affiliate marketing and the sale of ad analytics data

- shows advertisements of its own to users

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