The iOS 9 Content Blocker thread

[Swampbaby985]

I still have the app Been Choice installed for the time being..for most apps it is doing a good job of removing in app ads, Instagram. However if I navigate to www.yahoo.com and log in I'll browse the news articles available and occasionally see a sponsored post. Or if I do a Google search I'll see ads relevant to shopping appear up top.

I should also make clear that I also have the app Crystal installed. By disabling Been Choice and just leaving Crystal enables and vice versa I still see the ads.

 

[Zombiecrowd]

You do understand that by using an app like Been Choice you are literally allowing a 'man in the middle' attack against you on purpose....

 

[Swampbaby985]

Wouldn't one also be able to have the same argument in regards to jailbreaking?..

 

[ardchoille50]

Wouldn't one also be able to have the same argument in regards to jailbreaking?..

Your question shows that you don't understand what is happening here. Using Been Choice all of your traffic is routed through a third-party VPN, whether you like it or not, and they can sell your data to the highest bidder. Never use a VPN that you don't ultimately control or trust. Apple removed that app from the App Store for a very good reason.

Jailbreaking is a different matter entirely.

 

[Abazigal]

Chris, you got me. I m with with you again and forever.

Love when a dev is so open and helps the community to see the true.

Thanks for that, and for giving proofs to thenextweb that you were talking the true.


Adblock plus and Crystal can burn to the ground.

I am puzzled by the acrimony over Crystal.

From what I gather, the developer of Crystal will be offering an acceptable ads option, but it will be wholly optional and implemented on an "opt-in" basis.

Here is a statement by the developer.

http://murphyapps.co/blog/2015/9/25/on-acceptable-ads

Nowhere does it suggest that he is selling out in any way. What exactly am I missing or failing to understand?

 

[C DM]

I am puzzled by the acrimony over Crystal.

From what I gather, the developer of Crystal will be offering an acceptable ads option, but it will be wholly optional and implemented on an "opt-in" basis.

Here is a statement by the developer.

http://murphyapps.co/blog/2015/9/25/on-acceptable-ads

Nowhere does it suggest that he is selling out in any way. What exactly am I missing or failing to understand?

Overreaction and sensationalism.

 

[rijc99]

I am puzzled by the acrimony over Crystal.

From what I gather, the developer of Crystal will be offering an acceptable ads option, but it will be wholly optional and implemented on an "opt-in" basis.

Here is a statement by the developer.

http://murphyapps.co/blog/2015/9/25/on-acceptable-ads

Nowhere does it suggest that he is selling out in any way. What exactly am I missing or failing to understand?

I didn't see anything in the link that said it would be opt in. He had said it would be opt out in the past. Opt out is the only way these things work. If it's opt in then just give us a white list option.

As a matter of fact, from your link... "For people who purchased the app and are now furious about his recent decision: simply disable it once this update to his app lands. You aren't being forced to acknowledge any ads as being acceptable."

The app update will come with this option turned on. It's on the user to opt out. Many users get their app updates automatically. Many users don't know enough to go to settings and opt out.

People are upset because they paid for an app whose sole purpose was to block ads. The developer promoted and advertised it as such. Said developer makes a bunch of money then turns around and accepts more money from advertisers to opt the users in to viewing ads. This is why people feel cheated.

 

[Abazigal]

I didn't see anything in the link that said it would be opt in. He had said it would be opt out in the past. Opt out is the only way these things work. If it's opt in then just give us a white list option.

As a matter of fact, from your link... "For people who purchased the app and are now furious about his recent decision: simply disable it once this update to his app lands. You aren't being forced to acknowledge any ads as being acceptable."

The app update will come with this option turned on. It's on the user to opt out. Many users get their app updates automatically. Many users don't know enough to go to settings and opt out.

People are upset because they paid for an app whose sole purpose was to block ads. The developer promoted and advertised it as such. Said developer makes a bunch of money then turns around and accepts more money from advertisers to opt the users in to viewing ads. This is why people feel cheated.

This part.

Firstly - This will not be forced on anyone. It will be an entirely optional feature that will be described and presented clearly within the app before it is activated and that you can turn on/off at will. It will not be silently/secretly pushed out to everyone. I will to make sure that everyone is fully aware of how this feature works before it's enabled.

I say we give him a chance. I am not affiliated with the developer of Crystal in any way. I don't make a cent from defending him, nor do I have any form of stake. I am simply a very satisfied user of Crystal. I admit that I was one of the beta testers, and I don't know him in real life at all. However, he comes across as a pretty nice guy, and I feel it is only fair that we wait for this policy to roll out, observe how it is implemented, then lambast him if we feel he deserves it.

I agree with him to an extent. Ad-blocking should be viewed as the means to an end, not an end in itself. For now, we block ads not because we are fighting for a future with no ads. It's just that at the moment, ads have gotten out of hand, and ad-blocking is pretty the only way we can get the guilty parties to take notice and sit down at the table to negotiate with us.

I don't mind some ads, provided they are reasonable. I would like my favourite sites to stay financially healthy as well, just that on mobile, there is no way to weed out the bad ads while allowing only the lighter, less disruptive ones through (whitelisting a site doesn't count). I think what the developer is doing here is fair and reasonable.

 

[ardchoille50]

I didn't see anything in the link that said it would be opt in. He had said it would be opt out in the past. Opt out is the only way these things work. If it's opt in then just give us a white list option.

As a matter of fact, from your link... "For people who purchased the app and are now furious about his recent decision: simply disable it once this update to his app lands. You aren't being forced to acknowledge any ads as being acceptable."

The app update will come with this option turned on. It's on the user to opt out. Many users get their app updates automatically. Many users don't know enough to go to settings and opt out.

People are upset because they paid for an app whose sole purpose was to block ads. The developer promoted and advertised it as such. Said developer makes a bunch of money then turns around and accepts more money from advertisers to opt the users in to viewing ads. This is why people feel cheated.

Also, advertisers are more willing to gamble on an opt out option rather than an opt in option because most people won't know about the option itself ( who reads release notes anyway?). This is the main reason the option is enabled by default.

 

[Swampbaby985]

I do understand however apple approved the app knowing full well what it was intending to do and the method(s) on which it would be accomplished. I only asked if the same argument could be made about jailbreaking because so many people who are new to that concept cite security of personal data as a possible red flag. Also doesn't companies like Facebook, and Google collect your personal data and sell to third parties to be able to bring you "personalized tailored advertisements"?

 

[scjr]

I didn't see anything in the link that said it would be opt in. He had said it would be opt out in the past. Opt out is the only way these things work. If it's opt in then just give us a white list option.

Also at the same link below. To me, this couldn't be more clear.

Seems to me, unless you're going to close your eyes during the setup, you'll have every opportunity to make an informed decision. It really comes down to, folks who don't want this in the app or who are disapointed he made this decision won't use the app. Those willing to read the prompts during the setup, they can decide what they want to do.

http://murphyapps.co/blog/2015/9/25/on-acceptable-ads

Why are you forcing this on everyone?

Firstly - This will not be forced on anyone. It will be an entirely optional feature that will be described and presented clearly within the app before it is activated and that you can turn on/off at will. It will not be silently/secretly pushed out to everyone. I will to make sure that everyone is fully aware of how this feature works before it's enabled.

 

[Rigby]

I do understand however apple approved the app knowing full well what it was intending to do and the method(s) on which it would be accomplished.

And they subsequently removed the app. Probably they simply didn't notice what it was actually doing during the first review.

I only asked if the same argument could be made about jailbreaking because so many people who are new to that concept cite security of personal data as a possible red flag.

I fail to see the relation. But yes, jailbreaking is without any doubt a security risk, since it effectively disables iOS sandboxing.

Also doesn't companies like Facebook, and Google collect your personal data and sell to third parties to be able to bring you "personalized tailored advertisements"?

They don't monitor all your traffic, and they don't break the TLS encryption between your apps/browser and the secure web sites they connect to like "Been Choice" did.

 

[Rigby]

I am puzzled by the acrimony over Crystal.

From what I gather, the developer of Crystal will be offering an acceptable ads option, but it will be wholly optional and implemented on an "opt-in" basis.

First, from all we know it will be opt-out, not opt-in.

Second, I simply refuse to support the business model that's behind that. Essentially what's happening is that Eyeo (the company behind the "acceptable ad" campaign) is trying to insert itself as an additional middle-man and build their own ad network. Nothing is gained by that except an additional party collecting fees that will be paid for by us, the consumers, in the end. And I don't agree with their idea of what constitutes an "acceptable ad". All it is is a set of silly rules about the maximum size of ad banners and the like. It's nothing more than window dressing. They don't address the real problem at all, which is the pervasive monitoring and tracking of your browsing activities by the ad networks everywhere you go, without giving you a way to opt out (e.g. almost none of them honor your browser's "do not track" setting).

And third, adding this to a paid app after the fact is simply slimy and deceptive. He should have offered a separate, free version of the app with the "acceptable ad" crap and leave the paid version as it is.

 

[rijc99]

This will not be forced on anyone.

He's already stated it will be opt out. It is on by default. He's saying it is not forced because you have the option to opt out. If he truly wants the users to have the option why not make it opt in?

Seems to me, unless you're going to close your eyes during the setup, you'll have every opportunity to make an informed decision. It really comes down to, folks who don't want this in the app or who are disapointed he made this decision won't use the app. Those willing to read the prompts during the setup, they can decide what they want to do.

I've already paid for this app so it's too late for me. I would not have purchased this app if I had known the developer would include an accepted ad setting set to on by default. I wouldn't have supported this developer period. I would have skipped it and looked at alternatives.

Seems to me if the developer really has his users in mind he should change this to opt in but I suspect it's in his agreement with eyeo that this change has to be pushed out in an update as opt out.

 

[DotCom2]

So what is the general consensus here?
Which is the best Ad Blocker to use?
I don't want to have to read through 92 pages.

 

[hank moody]

try ADBLOCK FAST first because it is free. If you don't like it, buy PURIFY.

 

[tosbsas]

Or Ad block multi

 

[ardchoille50]

I do understand however apple approved the app knowing full well what it was intending to do and the method(s) on which it would be accomplished. I only asked if the same argument could be made about jailbreaking because so many people who are new to that concept cite security of personal data as a possible red flag. Also doesn't companies like Facebook, and Google collect your personal data and sell to third parties to be able to bring you "personalized tailored advertisements"?

Yes, but I don't put credit card details, home address, passwords to all of my sites, mothers maiden name (credit check), etc., into Facebook or Google. Using a third-party VPN means that your every keystroke is being sent through their system and potentially recorded.

You don't seem to want to acknowledge the severity of the situation, so you continue to do what you feel is right. But, many people in this thread have made comments regarding the danger of using that app (even earlier in the thread). You might want to read this entire thread.

 

[Rigby]

Using a third-party VPN means that your every keystroke is being sent through their system and potentially recorded.

Well, that is not quite true. The risk in this case came mainly from the fact that they broke the user's TLS encryption by installing a custom root certificate. But this is really a separate issue from using a VPN. If you are just using a VPN, the provider may be able to read your unencrypted traffic (just like your ISP can when not using a VPN), but cannot normally see TLS encrypted traffic (which almost all web sites use when entering passwords and the like). There are many VPN services that are perfectly fine and can improve security in some cases (e.g. when you are accessing the Internet through a public Wifi network).

 

[scjr]

Or Ad block multi

New rules update today. I really like ABM.

 

[scjr]

He's already stated it will be opt out. It is on by default. He's saying it is not forced because you have the option to opt out. If he truly wants the users to have the option why not make it opt in?



I've already paid for this app so it's too late for me. I would not have purchased this app if I had known the developer would include an accepted ad setting set to on by default. I wouldn't have supported this developer period. I would have skipped it and looked at alternatives.

Seems to me if the developer really has his users in mind he should change this to opt in but I suspect it's in his agreement with eyeo that this change has to be pushed out in an update as opt out.

I understand where you're coming from, but personally I don't have an issue with it. I have the control. I can accept the acceptable ads or not. I'm assuming, like you, that opt-out was an agreement he made with Eyeo.

Here's where Crystal may have bigger issues in the future, the app could easily get worse. The ABP iOS app is bloated and slow and if he has to add a ton more rules to Crystal, it could easily slow things down. Plus he's dealing with many unsatisfied former users like yourself.

 

[Swampbaby985]

To all of you who were saying that the app's VPN process was sketchy.....

 

[tosbsas]

A major update for Blacklist is coming today.

Introducing Blacklist Framework 2.0, stronger and better than ever, but not too strong as to break links or website layouts.

Speed enhancements help Blacklist Framework 2.0 work more efficiently than ever.

Blacklist Ad Blocker 2.0 will be available as a free update at 10AM PST today for existing users, and will be $0.99 for new users.

Please leave an App Store review when you update/download,
it helps new users understand why they should be using Blacklist.

still waiting for beta invite

 

[mariusignorello]

still waiting for beta invite

I invited you but iTunes Connect has been half working lately.

 

[tosbsas]

I invited you but iTunes Connect has been half working lately.

Hmm anything i can do?