Blockade Browser Extension

Is anyone using this? It looks kind of interesting.

https://blockade.io/

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/blockade-io/

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/blockade/dpcbdbpeiafniipmiedlceedbffiejek

Or is it just another one of those extensions?

 

There is a bug with the Firefox extension but the Chrome one installs, updates and blocks its test page, so...

 

Personally I would stay away from this kind of stuff. Because who can you trust nowadays, know what I mean?

 

But you use Ghostery, right?

 

What this has to offer more than any adblocker with filters?

 

Nothing, imo. Combo of a good ad blocker + security solution (AV + firewall even separately) is enough.

 

Probably nothing. I just seen it recommended here - https://blog.cryptoaustralia.org.au/2017/12/19/introduction-malware-blocking-dns/ - Was just curious if anyone used it.

 

I wouldn't also forget browser's built-in URL filtering.
I mean, why would one use this and still have to include with it an adblocker when you can get something like uBlock Origin to do both jobs (and more) as all-in-one tool.

I'd also guess that this extension make use of the already provided malware lists that other adblockers make use of, or it has its own lists?

Edit- found this in their description:

Any idea which lists/sources does it make use of?

 

Visit this site and you'll know at least as much as me.

https://blockade.io/

 

I've tested this with Firefox at https://www.phishtank.com/

Google Safe Browsing, or what ever it's called, blocks just about every new site. Malwarebytes blocks the ones Google misses, so I think my machines are fairly safe from phishing. I do have uBO installed in Edge, Firefox, Cyberfox and Chrome too though.

 

Yes, but mostly because of lack of better solutions. Now that I've switched to Firefox 52, I'm planning to give Privacy Badger a try again. But Blockade seems to be risky to me because it constantly needs to send data to the cloud, Ghostery does not.

 

My understanding is that Blockade only send information when it detects something isn't right, but I could be wrong.

https://blockade.io/faq.html

 

I still don't really trust it, and besides we already got Google's Safe Browsing that works in FF, Chrome, Vivaldi and Opera. I just don't see the need for this extension.

"In order to inspect web traffic, Blockade uses the browser.webRequest APIs and places a hook on onBeforeRequest, so that all web requests are analyzed prior to leaving the browser."