ADBLOCK and similar
blocking ads and popups on the internet in 2014
Some of us are old enough to remember an internet without adverts. I'm always shocked by the crap that people put up with all the time.
If you want to shop, go looking for stuff. Otherwise, ads can GTFO of my way. Popups too.
Adverts are bad for you and security. They can be used to track your movements around the internet by setting cookies - by seeing if you have been to a site before, tracking can also be used to increase the prices you pay (for example if you only visit expensive upmarket stores they gradually get to know that too *)
Ads are also bad for security for the following reason. Go to any site to download free software for MS Windows computers and you can be faced with 3 or more fake ads with "DOWNLOAD" buttons on them. Click the wrong one and you get conned, or worse, a virus or trojan. WTF?
It doesn't have to be like this.
If you're a NON-technical user, install ADBLOCK for Chrome or Firefox. It will remove most ads on the internet without any messing around. It's a simple install, with no maintenance or complicated things to set.
To install ADBLOCK, open Chrome or Firefox and click on the link here
https://getadblock.com/
If you're a slightly technical user, install ADBLOCK PLUS for Chrome or Firefox. It's a bit more complicated though. This will also remove most ads, with some simple setup required.
To install ADBLOCK PLUS, open Chrome or Firefox and click on the link here
https://adblockplus.org/
see https://easylist.adblockplus.org/en/ for setting advanced lists in Adblock Plus
Any problems, gimme a ring and I'll be happy to discuss it all.
Blocking adds takes memory, old or slow computers with low memory may struggle and slow down with both these adblocking extensions, though they probably struggle anyways with the amount of ads displayed and the trouble that popups cause. I prefer the to be adfree even if it slows me down. yourdownload speed will not be affected, only the load times of heavily ad-infested pages.
If you are a MS Windows user, I recommend you DO NOT use Internet Explorer to access the internet unless you have a high level of security training and know what you are doing. In my opinion, the risks of using IE are just too high. Modern versions are muchbetter than older ones, but the risk is still too high. Lower your risk footprint by diversifying to some other browser and keep it updated!
Chrome is what I personally use at the moment, the heavy integration with Google and Android systems is very convenient, though I find Firefox to be more ethically acceptable. I don't use MS-Windows, so IE is not an option for me anyways.
ETHICAL WARNING: There have been some worrying development with the above tools, it seems that advertising conglomerates don't like the fact that people aren't getting hundreds of ads rammed down their throat ever few seconds so are looking to buy out the ad-blockers. Blocking ads is now becoming big business itself. Advertising companies are looking to buy out the adblock projects and the adblock project is becoming slowly evil in some people's eyes. It's still the best option for non-tehcnical users though, at least at the time of writing (May 2014) The vultures are definitely circling!
If you're a technical wizard (only if you are) you probably use already use Privoxy or Polipo some other filtering proxy somewhere on your network, regardless of your browser choice
(watch out for the 2G or 4GB download filesize limit on 32bit OSs of Polipo)
You could also Squidguard the f.kers with Shalla's list or use hosts file entries for blocking the main adservers (but read the comments there too) either on your router (a real router, like something running pfSense or OpenWRT) or on your client machines. There are so many adservers nowadays that blocking using the client's host file is likely to end in tears if you aren't careful, so it's best done on the router that is also the DNS resolver for the whole network/subnet.
Blocking a couple of thousand adservers on the router/resolver also makes sense even if you use Adblock or Adblock+ on your browsers, because it can reduce memory usage by removing crap before it gets to you.
These technically complicated approaches are far too complicated for most Windows users, but have some very snazzy features.
* The truth is that cookies, while needed for most sites to function and innocent enough in many cases, are use by large advertising conglomerates for "market intelligence". By running many different tracking systems across thousands of websites and selling the intel of you movements to retail companies, companies can put 2 and 2 together and make 4, or 32, or 256.
Cross-tracking is big business, once they have confirmed who you are (this is very easy, you only need to order something form a firm that uses a market intelligence company) they can then track you with confidence across all other websites and stores that subscribe to the same intel feed.
I like cinnamon cookies me, and Craster kippers.
