Systemwide, Rootless Adblocking

Forums › Android › Systemwide, Rootless Adblocking - Open Source Too!

muppet

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#222905 3-Sep-2017 07:22

Hello,

If you hate ads as much as me, you'll love Blokada.

You don't need to have a rooted phone. It works on Wifi and Mobile. The only downside I can see is that it's not on the Playstore, it needs to be sideloaded.

It works by setting up a local VPN (i.e. local to your phone, not to a 3rd party VPN provide) through which all traffic is routed and inspected. If it's destined for an ad-server, it's denied.

I've been testing it and it works great! No more ads.

I think the only problem you might have is when you need to use a VPN for other reasons, I don't know how well Android handles 2 VPNs at a time.

Anyway, free, opensource and it works. Enjoy.

freitasm

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#1857491 3-Sep-2017 09:45

I like how the page says they protect the users privacy. The same users who have Facebook and Twitter accounts, install root and other side loaded apps.

My point is that the privacy of the majority of users has gone down the drain even before ads start showing.

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d3Xt3r

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#1857597 3-Sep-2017 13:13

Another rootless, systemwide, open-source alternative is DNS66.

https://f-droid.org/app/org.jak_linux.dns66

NetGuard is another open-source alternative, but it's not as easy to us or set up.

If you really, really hate ads however, it's worth checking out AdGuard - while it's not free or open-source, it has several advantages over all the above apps, for instance, it users the same standard ABP filters as desktop adblockers so you get the same quality filtering, and you can subscribe to your filters (Fanboy, EasyPrivacy etc) and also add your own custom filters. It also has the anti-adblock killer filter which blocks adblock blockers. Also, if you're rooted you could filter using HTTP Proxy mode, which means you can use this along with a VPN. AdGuard is having a 30% sale today so you can get a lifetime subscription for just $17 US. Alternatively, you could apply for a beta testers license and get a free yearly license which you can renew again for free. :)

michaelmurfy

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#1857600 3-Sep-2017 13:20

On many sites ads support them (including Geekzone). If you're going to use one of these tools it could be worth considering a subscription which is cheap as chips and has the ability to disable ads.

For me - I block ads on a network level because my sister uses those dodgy streaming sites. I however have YouTube Red and donate to many sites that I know run ads.

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d3Xt3r

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#1857606 3-Sep-2017 13:37

michaelmurfy:
On many sites ads support them (including Geekzone). If you're going to use one of these tools it could be worth considering a subscription which is cheap as chips and has the ability to disable ads.

For me - I block ads on a network level because my sister uses those dodgy streaming sites. I however have YouTube Red and donate to many sites that I know run ads.

One of the advantages of using AdGuard is that you can whitelist specific websites or apps - and this will allow all ad networks only for that site/app, while blocking them on other sites/apps. Traditional network-level blockers (which utilise a hosts file/DNS filter/firewall) for blocking unfortunately block all ad networks/domains and won't allow you to make exceptions for a specific website or app.

FWIW, I too subscribe to gz and other sites (where possible) and prefer paid apps. But there still far too much crap out there and not all sites/apps have a paid option.

Rikkitic

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#1857673 3-Sep-2017 17:39

Ads have also become a vehicle for infection. There are just so many reasons not to like them. How did people do things in the good old days when the Internet really was free and the ad zombies had not yet taken over?

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

freitasm

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#1857676 3-Sep-2017 17:44

The first ad appeared in wired.com back in 1994. There never was a "free" Web that was widespread before that. Ad-support is pretty much what gave us the web and services we know now.

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Rikkitic

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#1857685 3-Sep-2017 18:17

What I mainly remember was a lot of sharing of free software and ideas. It had more to do with showing off your programming skills and contributing something useful than just making a buck. It didn't yet have the taint of commercialism about it. Of course there was also no streaming and certainly no video. It was mostly Usenet-style discussion groups.

These days I pay for content I value and block all the ads I can. I think they are out of control. I could live with a few static magazine-style ads but not the kind of screamy shouty jumpy intrusive crap you see everywhere now. That may be paying for the Web, but it is also strangling it.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

muppet

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#1857694 3-Sep-2017 18:46

Well I'm glad this devolved into another thread about the ethics of adblocking.

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

Senecio

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#1857698 3-Sep-2017 19:03

Genuine question as I'm curious. When I visit Geekzone (without an adblocker enabled) does the site receive revenue just for my presence, or is revenue only generated if I follow one of the links? If its the latter then I won't be generating much revenue. I make it a point never to follow an advertisers link as I just don't trust them. If I see something that interests me I'll open another tab and search for it to make sure I'm on a genuine site.

shrub

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#1857710 3-Sep-2017 19:37

I use pi-hole have been for almost 2 years now. Its pretty simple and effective for network wide add blocking.

freitasm

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#1857714 3-Sep-2017 19:47

Senecio:
Genuine question as I'm curious. When I visit Geekzone (without an adblocker enabled) does the site receive revenue just for my presence, or is revenue only generated if I follow one of the links? If its the latter then I won't be generating much revenue. I make it a point never to follow an advertisers link as I just don't trust them. If I see something that interests me I'll open another tab and search for it to make sure I'm on a genuine site.

There are different ways of paid advertising. One is CPC (Cost per click) and requires a click. Most of our advertising is CPM (Cost per mile) which is a fixed price per thousand impressions.

In other words, just by visiting one of our pages with an ad counts, no click involved.

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lapimate

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#1857742 3-Sep-2017 22:05

d3Xt3r: ...it's worth checking out AdGuard ...

The OP was referring to WiFi & Mobile but AdGuard seems to indicate the Android version works only for Samsung & Yandex browsers?

d3Xt3r

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#1857779 3-Sep-2017 23:06

lapimate:
d3Xt3r: ...it's worth checking out AdGuard ...
The OP was referring to WiFi & Mobile but AdGuard seems to indicate the Android version works only for Samsung & Yandex browsers?

There are a few different versions. The Samsung and Yandex ones are just extensions, much like the Adblock Plus extension for Firefox they work only inside the browser. However they also have a standalone app on the website that works systemwide and on all Android devices. The app works by either creating a local VPN or by a local HTTP proxy (this mode requires root though).