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Top Ad Blockers for Online Privacy (2023)

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By Prathamesh Ingle

The most effective ad blockers are now indispensable for everyone using the modern web. Regardless of the sites you frequent, you will need robust security against the countless pop-up adverts, activity trackers, and malvertising that plague the web. The FBI itself advocates for their use.

It’s easy to discover safety now that browser add-ons and specialized ad-blocking programs are available. They’re up there with the top VPN and anti-virus programs as crucial resources. Several ad-blockers are available, so the only questions are which one to use and whether or not the drawbacks are acceptable to you. However, if you feel the benefits outweigh the costs, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the most effective ad blockers and privacy enhancement applications. They support every browser and operating system imaginable so that you may surf the web without worry.

AdBlock Plus (ABP)

AdBlock Plus (ABP) has plugins for common browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Opera. With ABP, blocking most advertisements, spyware, and social media links is as easy as loading a preconfigured list of filters and clicking a button. To keep their advertising income positive, savvy users can select additional block lists, implement custom filters, or whitelist their preferred websites. While AdBlock Plus’s “non-intrusive advertising” filtering feature may annoy some users, it can be turned off in the settings menu. The AdBlock Browser for Android provides a Firefox-based browser that blocks incoming advertising, and the AdBlock Plus app for iOS combines with the content blocker system effortlessly and without requiring configuration block advertising on Safari.

AdBlock 

AdBlock is by far the most widely used ad-blocking software worldwide. AdBlock can stop banner advertising, video commercials, and pop-up windows from appearing. Trackers, employed by marketers to keep tabs on your online movements, are also blocked. AdBlock does more than eliminate annoying advertisements; it also increases your online privacy and security. AdBlock does this by obstructing trackers, which advertising uses to follow you as you navigate the web. This can make it harder for them to track your online activities and provide adverts. AdBlock is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. It’s also compatible with iOS and Android devices. The “Get AdBlock Now” button may be found at GetAdBlock.com, where AdBlock can be downloaded. After that, the AdBlock browser add-on will be recommended to you. The installation of the add-on triggers immediate ad blocking via AdBlock.

Ublock Origin

Ublock Origin is an ad blocker for web browsers that prioritizes lightweight, effective blocking. The plugin ships with preconfigured filter lists for common advertising and malware domains, and you may download more filter lists or read and write your filters using host files. uBlock Origin does more than block adverts; it also prevents tracking. Small pieces of code called “trackers” are often inserted into websites. They collect data about what websites you visit and share it with advertisers. If you use uBlock Origin, you can prevent certain trackers from accessing your data. In short, uBlock Origin can be set up and used with minimal effort. Once it’s set up, all you have to do to allow adverts on specific sites is add them to a “whitelist.” You can tailor uBlock Origin’s ad blocking to exclude only certain formats—for example, video advertising or pop-ups.

Poper Blocker

Poper Blocker (also known as Pop Up Blocker For Chrome) was not created to replace existing adblockers but to work with them. Poper Blocker is an extension for blocking advertisements focusing on pop-ups, pop-unders, overlays, timed pop-ups, and pop-ups appearing as you scroll down a page. When pop-ups are being prevented, you will see a small notification. Poper Blocker may be kept running in the background with minimal impact alongside other adblocker extensions, and it also allows you to examine your blocking statistics.

Stands Fair AdBlocker

Stands Fair AdBlocker is a quick and lightweight ad-blocking plugin for Chrome. The fully functional add-on prevents annoying pop-up adverts and other tracking forms from appearing in your browser. Stand’s Fair AdBlocker allows you to choose which advertisements to block down to the individual element. You can even choose to have Facebook advertisements blocked. The “Fair” in AdBlocker refers to the option to whitelist ad-supported websites you don’t want to deprive of revenue by blocking all advertisements from or allowing only specific types. Compared to other ad blockers, this one doesn’t go all-out to achieve its goal.

Ghostery 

Ghostery can help you focus on the content while you browse. However, Ghostery’s true worth rests in the privacy safeguards it provides. You can check who is attempting to collect information about you online by using Ghostery to view trackers. You can prevent such tracking with Ghostery as well. If you’re concerned about maintaining your privacy, you can use Ghostery’s Enhanced Anti-Tracking feature. You can get Ghostery without spending a dime, and it will keep you safe online. Premium security begins at just $4.99 monthly, and the $11.99 plan includes a VPN. Ghostery is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Adblocker for YouTube

Ads on YouTube have become increasingly intrusive, prompting developers of ad-blocking add-ons to create even more sophisticated solutions. Whether it’s the pre-roll commercial that loads before your movie or the text and banner advertising that load during it, Adblocker for YouTube is a Chrome extension that promises to block all of YouTube’s advertisements automatically. There is also an AdBlocker for YouTube add-on for Firefox if you want to use something other than Chrome. Same name as a seemingly new creator, but still able to filter out commercials from both videos and websites. This is also compatible with Android smartphones.

Privacy Badger

Privacy Badger is a free and open-source browser extension to safeguard your privacy when surfing the web. It functions by obstructing any tracking attempts made by websites automatically. Privacy Badger is an ad blocker that does not rely on a database of recognized trackers. Instead, it adapts to recognize potential trackers through their actions. This means that Privacy Badger will be effective against even previously unknown trackers. Privacy Badger does more than prevent tracking; it also uses the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal to prevent your personal information from being sold or shared. If you don’t want websites to share your data with third parties without your permission, you can send them this signal. Using Privacy Badger is a breeze. After installation, it will function exactly like any other web browser. When Privacy Badger detects a tracker, it will immediately shut it down.

AdLock 

AdLock is a complete ad blocker that protects you from pop-ups, flash banners, video advertisements, malware-infected banners, and tracking bugs on the web. It eliminates all advertisements from your web browser, mobile apps, games, and IM client. AdLock is compatible with Mac OS X, Android, iOS, and Windows. The free version filters most advertisements, while the premium version stops trackers and viruses and provides other benefits. AdLock is a powerful ad-blocking software. It filters out commercials from numerous websites, including those used for social networking, news, and video streaming. Apps, games, and IMs are also protected from invasive advertisements.

AdGuard 

AdGuard is a mobile, desktop, and tablet ad blocker that protects you against annoying adverts, tracking software, and malware. It’s a cross-platform app with Mac OS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS without cost or restrictions. AdGuard prevents advertisements by preventing requests from reaching ad servers. Ads won’t load and won’t show up on your screen. AdGuard also protects you from tracking technologies. This is for your safety and privacy. When used in conjunction with other security and privacy measures, AdGuard can greatly enhance your online safety and anonymity. It’s accessible from a multitude of devices and has an intuitive interface.

By Prathamesh Ingle

Prathamesh Ingle is a Mechanical Engineer and works as a Data Analyst. He is also an AI practitioner and certified Data Scientist with an interest in applications of AI. He is enthusiastic about exploring new technologies and advancements with their real-life applications

Sourced from Marktechpost

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5 details about AdBlock Plus every browser user should know

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It’s complicated. Eyeo, which makes the top ad blocker, is also an ally of online advertising.

You might be perturbed if somebody calls your business an “extortion racket” or your sales pitch a “ransom note.” But Eyeo Chief Executive Till Faida, leader of the widely used Adblock Plus browser extension, is unruffled. The way he sees it, he’s just trying to rescue online advertising and the websites that rely on it.

The criticism stems from the company’s business: Offer a browser extension that blocks ads, then carve off 30% of ad revenue from large publishers that agree to participate in an Eyeo program that unblocks ads. Faida doesn’t say who’s paying, but looking through Eyeo’s “whitelist” that governs which websites get to show ads, you’ll see big names like Google and Amazon.

“There needs to be a sustainable way to fund content on the web, but it should be done in a user-controlled way,” Faida told me while visiting CNET during one of his periodic US excursions from Eyeo headquarters in Cologne, Germany.

Back in the good old days of online advertising, people blocked ads because they didn’t like in-your-face clutter. Now people often block them because they can invade your privacy, slow down websites, flatten your phone’s battery, eat through your data plan and deliver malware.

No wonder, then, that Eyeo’s ad-blocking software is on 100 million PCs and smartphones and that AdBlock Plus is the top Firefox extension by far. But it’s hard to block ads everywhere without driving websites to paywalls, and Eyeo’s situation is complicated. Even as it blocks some ads, it also offers an ad exchange of its own to help supply publishers with ads. Here’s a closer look at the Adblock Plus landscape.

1. How does Eyeo’s Acceptable Ads program work?

Eyeo launched the Acceptable Ads program in 2011 to codify its standards for ad usage that Adblock Plus wouldn’t block on websites that agree to cooperate and get on Eyeo’s whitelist. To meet the requirements, ads can’t be too large, flashy or intrusive. It’s a matter of striking the right balance between what users like and what websites need, Faida said.

By default, Adblock Plus blocks ads for all sites that aren’t on Eyeo’s whitelist, though some of Eyeo’s nearly 170 employees are hired to keep publishers from sneaking past the system. You can set Adblock Plus to block all ads.

More than 90 percent of companies on Eyeo’s whitelist don’t have to pay to participate, Faida said. Only larger publishers showing more than 10 million Acceptable Ads per month have to pay Eyeo the 30% of resulting revenue.

Ad blocking may drive publishers toward paywalls, but Faida believes ad blocking is here to stay. “What’s really putting the free and open web at risk is not ad blockers,” he said. Instead, it’s that there are too many spots available for online ads. “There’s a vicious cycle where ads are more and more aggressive at same time they’re less and less valuable.”

2. Who sets the Acceptable Ads rules?

In 2017, Eyeo set up the work as a nonprofit with participation from other companies involved in online advertising. Its 50 members include ad technology companies, ad agencies, publishers and others in the industry.

Another outfit, the Coalition for Better Ads, serves a similar role. That’s the one Google chose when looking for standards for Chrome’s ad blocking policy, which began in 2018 for websites that overused ads. That was a notable move given that Google, in addition to making the dominant web browser, is one of the biggest online ad players and operates some of the internet’s biggest online services.

3. Why doesn’t Adblock Plus block ad trackers by default?

Tracker blocking is catching on, with notable moves in Apple’s Safari, Mozilla’s Firefox and Brave Software’s Brave today. Some tracking protections are coming to Microsoft Edge and even Chrome, too. That’s on top of tracker blocking from extensions like uBlock Origin, DuckDuckGo, Privacy Badger and Ghostery.

But Adblock Plus doesn’t block tracking by default through the Acceptable Ads program. It’s up to users to decide, Faida said. If you don’t like Facebook and Twitter tracking you, there’s also an option to disable those social sharing and like buttons.

“Some consumers don’t mind tracking and want to support the websites they use,” Faida said. “Other users are more concerned about privacy.” But when users engage the stiffer privacy controls, that shuts off the revenue for Eyeo, not just publishers.

4. Will Chrome cripple Adblock Plus?

Through a policy called Manifest v3, Google’s Chrome team is adding new limits to extensions, including ad blockers, in an effort to improve security, privacy and performance. Unfortunately for ad blockers, that puts limits on rules they use to probe website elements — for example, finding if an ad comes from a whitelisted internet domain.

Google lifted an earlier proposed rules limit from 30,000 to 150,000, but some content blocking extensions say that’s not enough. And that’s after months of discussion and user threats to quit Chrome if it hurts ad blockers. Google has said it wants to allow content-blocking extensions, though, and Faida doesn’t expect Adblock Plus will be crippled.

“I’m optimistic they will listen to our feedback,” he said. Google has legitimate security concerns, but he believes engineers can find a solution that doesn’t hobble blockers. And if Chrome goes ahead anyway, other browsers will swoop in to claim disaffected users, Faida said.

5. What about building ad blocking into the browser?

Ad blocking is becoming a built-in option in some browsers like Opera and UC Browser. Brave enables it automatically. Adblock itself is joining the trend, too.

Microsoft’s mobile version of Edge is integrating Adblock Plus directly, and it can be enabled with Firefox and Samsung Internet on Android. Adblock Plus also offers its own ad-blocking browser for iPhones.

But Faida disagrees with Brave’s ad-blocking approach. Specifically, he doesn’t like that Brave’s ad system shows Brave-supplied ads after stripping out publishers’ ads. “Blocking ads and injecting your own is a very different approach than helping publishers to show their own ads,” Faida said. “We want to create an open ecosystem.”

But Brave’s ad system, which is optional, pays users a portion of the revenue generated and has a mechanism to share that revenue back with publishers. Brave is also working on a system to show ads directly on websites in cooperation with publishers that will receive the lion’s share of that revenue.

“Unlike Eyeo, we block trackers and refuse to whitelist them, because privacy-by-default is the only way to rebalance the system and to justly reward users and publishers instead of intermediaries that perpetuate a toxic ecosystem,” Brave CEO Brendan Eich said in a statement.

Brave’s technology offers both user privacy and publisher revenue — something Eyeo can’t manage if you enable its tracker blocking, Faida acknowledges. “There are very few ads available that don’t require any tracking at all,” Faida said.

So, as even ad-supported companies like Google and Facebook join Apple’s call for online privacy, it’s clear more change is coming to today’s online ad industry.

Feature Image Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET. Ad blocking is becoming a built-in option in some browsers like Opera and UC Browser. Brave enables it automatically. 

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Sourced from C/NET

 

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Brave Browser Review: The Secure, Fast & Private Web Browser with Adblocker

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Sourced from Cryptomedia

Brave is fast, and secure Web Browser with Adblocker. It is trying to fix the internet as we know today, by improving the ad model. In 2014 Mozilla’s CEO Brendan Eich left the company and started Brave Software, quickly beginning work on a new and perhaps game-changing web browser. Fast forward to 2016 and Brave Software released Brave, its open-source web browser. While similar to most browsers in many respects, Brave stands out in one key aspect: ad blocking. Specifically, it differs in how it deals with ad blocking and how that will ultimately affect businesses and the individuals browsing content.


Brave is available on desktop machines for Windows and MacOS for the desktop and for being fairly new is a very functional browser.  And with its unusual approach, it’s safe to say that Brave is stirring the browser pot a fair bit with it strategy. In this Brave Browser Review, I will look more detail about Features of the Brave browser:

Speed

Their website claims that the browser is up to 3 times faster on desktop and up to 8 times faster on mobile. During the normal usage I could see that the browser was way faster compared to other browsers. The browser start time is also very less. Personally this is critical for me. Couple of years ago though I liked everything else about Firefox I didn’t move to it, as it used to take very long for a cold start.

Security

  • Brave automatically encrypts your website connection when possible (on Chrome, this only occurs with an extension like HTTPS Everywhere).
  • Brave now supports all Chrome extensions, including popular password managers like LastPass and 1Password.

Privacy

  • Brave blocks ads by default (unlike Chrome, or firefox, which requires a 3rd-party extension such as AdBlock).
  • Brave blocks 3rd-party tracking by default.
  • On Chrome, large company like Google and Facebook use 3rd-party cookies to track your browsing on nearly every website.
  • By blocking 3rd-party cookies, Brave limits the amount of data Facebook, Google, and other ad networks can collect about your browsing habits.
  • Brave stores all your browsing data locally on your computer, which means you can delete it at any time.
  • Brave supports Tor browsing, making it the first all-purpose browser to do so.

Revenue Model

Digital advertising is broken and online publishing is dying a slow death. These are interrelated and one cannot be fixed without fixing the other. In the words of founders of Brave “It is a market filled with middlemen and fraudsters, hurting users, publishers and advertisers.”

The Basic Attention Token (BAT) was developed to address this. BAT, an ERC20 token built on top of Ethereum, will be the token of utility in a new, decentralized, open source and efficient blockchain-based digital advertising platform.

In the ecosystem, advertisers will give publishers BATs based on the measured attention of users. Users will also receive some BATs for participating. They can donate them back to publishers or use them on the platform.

This transparent system keeps user data private while delivering fewer but more relevant ads. Publishers experience less fraud while increasing their percentage of rewards. And advertisers get better reporting and performance.

The following revenue split seems to be fair enough and looks it is taking everybody’s interest into consideration.

Brave Revenue Share

Brave Ads Models
Brave Ads Models

Chromium and Chrome extensions Support

Brave is built on Chromium, which is the open source engine that also drives Google Chrome and soon Microsoft Edge. And because Chromium forms the underpinning of Brave, you add nearly all Chrome extensions to Brave. The company said it’s as easy as browsing the Chrome Web Store and adding the extension you want.

Sourced from Cryptomedia

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