German blogger calls Adblock Plus 'a mafia-like advertising network'

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by Pinga, Jun 26, 2013.

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  1. guest

    guest Guest

    I wouldn't even think about running AdBlock Plus, I run AdBlock Edge instead, if I want to look at ads I'll go to the walmart site
     
  2. Pinga

    Pinga Registered Member

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  3. TheWindBringeth

    TheWindBringeth Registered Member

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    Isn't Adblock Edge the equivalent of Adblock Plus minus the "allow unobtrusive advertising" and "typo correction" features? Eliminating those is nice, and FWIW I saw some comments which suggested that the later may be removed from Adblock Plus itself. However, that would still leave Adblock Edge vulnerable to:

    1) Shortcomings in the rest of the Adblock Plus code. There are two I believe to exist. One, the inability to block URLs that are requested by clicking on a link or entering the URL in the address bar. Two, the inability to block at least some redirected (cross-domain) requests. I believe the ABP crew is aware of both but is not interested in fixing either one.

    2) Shortcomings in the subscriptions. In addition to #1 above reducing the effectiveness of filter rules, there is also the potential for a softer, less thorough approach to be taken when it comes to deciding whether to add filter rules. I don't watch the process carefully and I use custom ABP filters and ABE rules that mask shortcomings in the ABP subscription filters I use. So I personally don't know if and to what degree this might be happening. I'm just pointing it out since it seems like something that could be of concern given the "we should let some ads, privacy threats, etc through" mentality that some have.

    I find myself thinking that we could use a more full-fledged competitor to Adblock Plus. Not a fully duplicative one mind you, but one that at least involves code improvements, some parallel review of the main Adblock Plus subscription filters, and if necessary distribution of tweaked subscription lists that offer better protections (especially against malware and privacy threats).
     
  4. m00nbl00d

    m00nbl00d Registered Member

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    Nowadays I rarely seen ads :D, but I recall seeing quite a few Doubleclick ads in websites such as networkworld\.com*, and boy... those are really annoying... all over the damn page. Images/banners, not text ads.

    The only text ads I've ever seen from Google were those in Gmail account, when I had one. :argh:

    -edit-

    Don't recall if it's networkworld\.com or computerworl\.com or both.
     
  5. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    Here are the criteria for acceptable ads:

    https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads#criteria
     
  6. Pinga

    Pinga Registered Member

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  7. mlauzon

    mlauzon Registered Member

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    There's a similiar problem with Spybot Search & Destroy, as there are a few "allowed" pieces of spyware that SBSD ignores unless you go through the list and uncheck them so it no longer ignores them, the funny thing is, not a lot of people know it does it!
     
  8. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    I don't think I've seen even text ads that abide by those rules, lol. That's a very very lax set of guidelines.

    @M00nbl00d: Yeah, you're right actually. I often forget Google is behind those as well.

    If ABP is going to let everyone buy their way past it, it'll quickly become a useless program.
     
  9. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    Not a lot of people bother using Spybot these days either, lol.
     
  10. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    Really? AFAIK Google's ads satisfy those criteria and the ad placement is the responsibility of the webmaster.
     
  11. siljaline

    siljaline Registered Member

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  12. mlauzon

    mlauzon Registered Member

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    I haven't used it in years, but there are still a lot of people that swear by it, even though there are better alternatives out there!
     
  13. Pinga

    Pinga Registered Member

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    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5995140
     
  14. Nebulus

    Nebulus Registered Member

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    As long as it still has the check-box to allow you to disable this "feature", it will still be usable. And I hope that this backlash about it will make them keep the check-box where it is (it would be helpful if accepted ads were opt-in, and not opt-out, but you can't have everything...).
     
  15. Pinga

    Pinga Registered Member

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    Even if they did, it is rather unlikely that Eyeo would manage to restore lost trust and credibility. For now, Adblock Edge is an excellent replacement. But I think the time has come for a community-based alternative.
     
  16. MyBlackBox

    MyBlackBox Registered Member

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    I won't link here, but you can check by yourself on the community forum:

    Adblock Plus Homepage ‹ Board index ‹ Moderated forums ‹ Non-intrusive ads proposals

    Non-intrusive ads proposals? AdBlock do blocks ads no more... as the 'Acceptable Ads' policy is a bypass ticket for affiliate junk YiedlKit.

    Some versions ago it worked seamlessly, while recent versions do some strange calls even if I deactivate any automatic update. Sad. :thumbd:
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2013
  17. m00nbl00d

    m00nbl00d Registered Member

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    Something else that I witness when I used it a few months back - for testing purposes - I recall that whenever it upgraded to a new version - under Chromium web browser - it would always reset the lists I add subscribed to, and that would mean it would also reset back the Acceptable ads to its default value, which is enabled. :ouch:

    I don't know if that was simply due to a bug or not, but it persisted for quite a while until I finally gave up.

    Then again, the only valid alternative for Google Chrome, Adblock has/used to have code that will make it connect back to Adblock server for statistical purposes, even if the author says its anonymous. My issue with this one is that nowhere in Adblock page its mentioned that it will do it. I haven't check it ever since, so no idea if it's still the case with this extension.

    It's quite annoying that so-called privacy extensions end up killing our privacy, sometimes doing it without promptly noticing it. Heck, I have no idea for how long ABP had its setting back to their defaults. :argh:
     
  18. anon

    anon Registered Member

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  19. tlu

    tlu Guest

    And why is that replacement necessary if you get the same result just by deactivating Acceptable Ads?

    I understand that you don't trust Eyeo. But Adblock Edge is equivalent to Adblock Plus minus a couple of lines in the code. Let's imagine that Adblock Plus will go down the plughole because most users will uninstall it - but that probably means that there won't be new versions/updates for Adblock Edge, either. Who knows if the Adblock Edge author will be able to do something with the rest of the ABP sourcecode ... Let's not forget that ABP has become a rather complex extension with a lot of optimizations brought in by Wladimir Palant over all these years. If someone else would be able/willing to develop it further is the question.

    And another big question is what will happen to the filter lists if Adblock Plus should go west. Will they still be maintained as always? Or will this community rather fall apart?

    I think Eyeo will have to take the necessary actions. In any case I doubt that we as users would benefit from Adblock Plus going bust.
     
  20. mlauzon

    mlauzon Registered Member

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    You're late to the game, that's what this thread is about!
     
  21. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    Who knows what's already bypassed on those lists unless we go through them line by line and actively research each entry. I personally think Easylist and others are too aggressive, but unless you want to go through making a custom HOST file/list yourself, or want to rely on a 3rd party HOST file that may not get updates for two months, it's the best we have (free at least).

    ABP going sour would be very bad for users. We may not like how Palant is currently doing business, but the crappy way the ad industry does business is worse.
     
  22. anon

    anon Registered Member

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    04.07.2013
     
  23. mlauzon

    mlauzon Registered Member

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    So, that article is from July 4th, 2013, this thread is from June 26th, 2013; like I said...late to the game!
     
  24. Kirk Reynolds

    Kirk Reynolds Registered Member

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  25. Pinga

    Pinga Registered Member

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    My hat's off to you - and to noone_particular for cutting through to the essence:
     
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