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The iOS 9 Content Blocker thread
- Thread starter thatJohann
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0,99 right now.
And the next update will be awesome, full of new features. It is a steal.
No really
I hadn't picked up on that. I use Crystal and personally I'm not that caught up in the frenzy about Content Blockers. If he adds a toggle to stay at the same level it is now to Block All then I see no issue.
I use Purify and Silentium too.
Just wanted to be clear but this hasn't gone live yet right? I ask because I checked the app plus settings but I can't seem the option to either block all ads or do the white list acceptable ads.
UNLESS hes saying that the acceptable ads are now on by default and that he will eventually release an update that allows you to block all of them.
UNLESS hes saying that the acceptable ads are now on by default and that he will eventually release an update that allows you to block all of them.
Most users will stick with the default setting - everyone knows that and that's not a coincidence. The Acceptable Ads manifesto doesn't even mention the trackers that make a lot of people nervous/upset about current ads.
I expect that ad companies will make more of these $$$ offers to content blocker devs because it's a lot of money to devs but very little to advertisers who stand to lose millions (at least) due to content blockers. Some successful devs may even have their apps bought out-right for large upfront $$$ just so the app can be removed from the store or used to drive traffic to "preferred" ad networks.
The speed that all of these changes are happening should be a clue that content blockers are already making an impact (real and perceived). The ad networks are scared and it's only been a few days.
Indeed. It may very well be possible to come up with a working "acceptable ads" agreement. But not in the way it's currently envisioned by Eyeo. Control over the policy should not lie with some company that is paid off by the advertisers, but a non-profit organisation that includes consumer rights advocates (such as the EFF). The whitelist should be opt-in, not opt-out. And of course an ad being "acceptable" should not depend on whether the advertiser paid for it to be.
I definitely like the idea of one or several whitelists controlled by non-profit consumer advocacy organizations. The same organizations could evaluate and grade ad networks. Content blockers could pay to license the databases to help sustain them.
PEOPLE, GOOD NEWS:
We have one more serious contender here. This time is FREE and OPEN-SOURCE, like uBlock Origin.
HERE: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1032930802
AdBlock Fast, the first free and open-source adblocker for iOS
Source: https://github.com/rocketshipapps/adblockfast
My few tests are very GOOD. As good as Purify and AdBlocker by Mobotap. AND THIS IS OPEN SOURCE. Try it.
We have one more serious contender here. This time is FREE and OPEN-SOURCE, like uBlock Origin.
HERE: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1032930802
AdBlock Fast, the first free and open-source adblocker for iOS
Source: https://github.com/rocketshipapps/adblockfast
My few tests are very GOOD. As good as Purify and AdBlocker by Mobotap. AND THIS IS OPEN SOURCE. Try it.
Crystal has not added the feature yet so it’s unclear whether it will apply as an opt-out to existing users. He could make it opt-in for them and enable it by default for new users. As long as the update is not there, it is purely speculative. People can still give feedback to him and he is very approachable.
What Eyeo is doing is still better than nothing. Maybe we should have an NGO that maintains the list, but there is none. At least Eyeo is open about which things they unblock, as the whitelist is publicly available. They even make sure that the adblockers they partner with stick to this agreement. What kind of guarantees do we have from all those other content blockers? They could let plenty of trackers slip through and nobody would notice. That is a much bigger threat to your privacy. Partnering with Eyeo means that they can focus on blocking all those ads while leaving the white-listing to them. All a user needs to do is make a choice.
Which is precisely what Eyeo is not doing. If that were true then their initiative wouldn’t be widely supported.
This is the kind of blocker that people should support, IMO.
AdBlock - Mobile, by Betafish, is pretty good. No options, but it cleans up websites real well. Worth a try.
AdBlock - Mobile by BETAFISH INC
https://appsto.re/us/kd4X9.i
AdBlock - Mobile by BETAFISH INC
https://appsto.re/us/kd4X9.i
Another one: http://blog.appgrounds.com/beyond-adblocking-in-ios-9/
This one has crowdsourced rules.
This one has crowdsourced rules.
This one is pretty cool from a technical perspective. They claim to use only 7 filtering rules. But the rules are huge; good luck reading them:
https://github.com/rocketshipapps/adblockfast/blob/master/opera/chrome/scripts/blocking.js
No doubt machine-compiled. The JSON list they appear to generate for the iOS version is significantly larger.
Unfortunately it doesn't currently have a whitelist feature.
No competition for adbomb or purify. Several pages I use everyday miss titles and stuff
This one is pretty cool from a technical perspective. They claim to use only 7 filtering rules. But the rules are huge; good luck reading them:
https://github.com/rocketshipapps/adblockfast/blob/master/opera/chrome/scripts/blocking.js
No doubt machine-compiled. The JSON list they appear to generate for the iOS version is significantly larger.
Unfortunately it doesn't currently have a whitelist feature.
but it is a nice start.
That's nice. The problem is that I happen not to agree with their idea of what should and shouldn't be on that whitelist.
You seem to be saying that it's OK ... sorry, "acceptable" to violate my privacy if you do it openly. I couldn't disagree more.
Why then are Google and others paying money to them, in addition to designing their ads to be "acceptable" (in Eyeo's mind)?
Widely supported by whom?
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not in my tests.
adblock fast blocked everything. and all sites working normally.
which sites it missed?
My new business plan:
- Release a paid ad blocker for iOS.
- PROFIT!
- Strike a deal with advertisers allowing them to pay to unblock their ads.
- PROFIT!
- Add an in-app purchase to block the unblocked ads again.
- PROFIT!
- Put ads in your ad blocker.
- PROFIT!
- Add another in-app purchase to remove the ads.
- PROFIT!
- Change in-app purchases from one-time to monthly subscriptions.
- PROFIT!
AdBlock Fast is my FAVORITE so far.
There are others equally good, but the fact it is open-source made my mind.
Until purify's update, i will stick with AdBlock Fast.
http://adblockfast.com
There are others equally good, but the fact it is open-source made my mind.
Until purify's update, i will stick with AdBlock Fast.
http://adblockfast.com
I really wouldn't mind ads so much if they weren't so glaringly trying to get my attention!
A bright salmon pink flashing rectangle with bugs crawling all around it telling me I just have to buy such and such is just too much! And those that block what I am trying to read are even worse.
I feel bad that good sites that I get so much good info from such as MacRumors could be hurt by these new ad blockers. I don't even watch live TV anymore because of the stupid commercials.
So if an Ad-Blocker such as Crystal is open and up front as to what they are doing I think I could understand. Peace got out because of a guilty conscience so Crystal is just trying to work it out so good sites like this one can still survive. Like they said though, they have to follow the stringent rules and only have less obtrusive ads that aren't in your face, and Crystal will let them through. I think that might be a good comprimise.
I'd be OK with that actually.
I dunno, I'm so iffy on all this stuff.
A bright salmon pink flashing rectangle with bugs crawling all around it telling me I just have to buy such and such is just too much! And those that block what I am trying to read are even worse.
I feel bad that good sites that I get so much good info from such as MacRumors could be hurt by these new ad blockers. I don't even watch live TV anymore because of the stupid commercials.
So if an Ad-Blocker such as Crystal is open and up front as to what they are doing I think I could understand. Peace got out because of a guilty conscience so Crystal is just trying to work it out so good sites like this one can still survive. Like they said though, they have to follow the stringent rules and only have less obtrusive ads that aren't in your face, and Crystal will let them through. I think that might be a good comprimise.
I'd be OK with that actually.
I dunno, I'm so iffy on all this stuff.
Hey, be careful with things like that. At first I thought that picture you posted was an ad, and I was like "What happened to my content blockers?".
The whole premise of Crystal is that it currently doesn’t let you choose anything. Just enable it, done. If an ad slips through then all you can do is send a request and hope that it gets included, if you notice it at all. If you are really that serious about privacy you wouldn’t even be considering this blocker in the first place. Offering a preselected and optional whitelist is a compromise for some people, whether you use it is up to you. That isn’t materially different to what is happening now anyway as currently every content blocker seems to have holes in it.
No, that’s not what I am saying at all. You shouldn’t trust them blindly, but a publicly available whitelist means that you can always check for yourself if you have concerns about a particular advertiser/website and it puts them under public scrutiny as well, meaning that they can’t just hide it when they are paid off. This policy has been there for years now and the company seems to be doing just fine and their blockers remain popular. Crucially though, they point this out to you the moment you install the extension, they aren’t even sneaky about it. They know that not everyone wants this and they let you turn it off, no questions asked.
Several reasons. One, they have actual employees that need to be paid. Two, those employees are there to make sure that the contracts are concluded and complied with. The advertising sector is huge. Three, they are sometimes subject of lawsuits that cost money. Four, they are letting mostly big advertisers pay for their expenses so that users don’t have to. Why not let the polluter pay for the pollution they caused? Makes perfect sense to me. That’s something different than taking bribes. A bribe presupposes an inducement for something that the bribee isn’t inclined to do. That’s not what is happening here.
I did anyway.
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I'm sticking with Silentium.
These are the paid apps I've bought in order of preference:
1. Silentium
2. Purify
3. Ad Block Multi
4. Crystal
5. Blockr
The one free app that interests me and has potential, is AdMop. I really like that the developer is active and receptive to feedback.
These are the paid apps I've bought in order of preference:
1. Silentium
2. Purify
3. Ad Block Multi
4. Crystal
5. Blockr
The one free app that interests me and has potential, is AdMop. I really like that the developer is active and receptive to feedback.