Oh I misunderstood your post. No, this isn't possible but you can write to the dev. He is very eager to stay the best. And yes, 1Blocker might be better but it costs a lot more.
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Best Mac Adblocker for PRIVACY and data protection? [MERGED]
- Thread starter Silly John Fatty
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Cham2000
macrumors 6502
why don't you just check out the site I mentioned - Wipr reaches max 84% blocking because you can't set up customized blocking rules. Most of the one's it doesn't block are from amazon ads and google ads and trackers
Cham2000
macrumors 6502
Then what do you recommend to block trackers in Safari, if WIPR doesn't block them? A VPN only?
And what about the Google ads?
MacBH928
macrumors G3
I switched currently to Wipr to See how it goes This:
Had me worried.
None the less its still a better option since its Open Source and Wipr is not. I just felt Adgaurd extension was a bit heavy. We will see how it goes. I am also not a fan of 1 man operations because you never know when he stops working or gets ill or have issues...or or or....
For in browser ad blocker the best is uBlock Origin but its not available for Safari. People here recommend Wipr but in theory Adgaurd EXTENSION should be safer since its open sourced. The thing they do not like is the Adguard APP which has more access to your system
Thanks I was about to delete Wipr before I read this.
Had me worried.
None the less its still a better option since its Open Source and Wipr is not. I just felt Adgaurd extension was a bit heavy. We will see how it goes. I am also not a fan of 1 man operations because you never know when he stops working or gets ill or have issues...or or or....
For in browser ad blocker the best is uBlock Origin but its not available for Safari. People here recommend Wipr but in theory Adgaurd EXTENSION should be safer since its open sourced. The thing they do not like is the Adguard APP which has more access to your system
Thanks I was about to delete Wipr before I read this.
I use 1Blocker and set up the Custom domains to be blocked. That way I get 100 in both Test Pages metioned here
Cham2000
macrumors 6502
And is 1Blocker safe/trustable? This is one of the issues discussed in this thread. And is it available for both Safari and Firefox?
The problem with blockers is there are so many to choose, we want to get one for Safari (and maybe another one for Firefox) that is reliable/powerful enough and trustable.
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I would agree... BUT... in this case open source isn't any better than closed source, because Apple has locked the possibilities of Safari extensions. So the open source part has no advantage.
And yes, it's a one man show but then, it's a 2 Dollar "lifetime" extension. When development is stopped you lost the worth of a Big Mac on sale.
If you use the Adguard app and the devs decide overnight that they sell everything to the Russian or Chinese government then they have thousands of computers with root certificate. And this isn't some unlikely conspiracy theory, look at the beloved Opera browser who is in Chinese ownership now.
MacBH928
macrumors G3
There is something you have to know and that is all adblockers work the same way for the most part. Where they differ is the "block lists" they use. The ones that use more blocked domains get to see less advertisements, the down side the more domains you block the more likely you will see websites malfunctioning. So the art of it is to block just enough not to see ads but not break sites functionality.
Some adblockers allow you to adjust the blocklist (ublock origin) some don't (wipr).
As for trustworthiness, the most trust worthy is a popular open source app which is uBlock Origin and its not available for Safari.
Yes its open source. Its like Google Chrome without the spying code + has built in adblocker. Great on iOS.
What I don't like about Wipr is that there is no way to exclude domains. I use this page to test and wipr gets me 87%, 1Blocker with the suggested domains blocked I get 100%
How do you like 1blockr. I am thinking about joining them.
Its true, but if there is a better option why risk it from the start? Go with the more "professional" choice.
Well this only affects people who subscribed to the app. Those who use the extension or DNS servers should not have this problem (unless you give them permission to read the websites which I do not know how bad it can be).
The Same could be said about Wipr if you use the 4th filter or any other adblocker, they too could sell out to some gov. or spy agency. Why is Adguard the only one under the spotlight here?
We could say the same thing about Wipr, 1blockr, Ghostry, ABP, and even VPNs like Proton or Mullvad. The only safe choice AFAIK is an open source software running locally.
FelineTech
macrumors member
The combination of Safari + a "Safari Content Blocker" such as Wipr or 1Blocker is a great first step. They are "Content Blockers" and not extensions. This is a good thing!
Why Safari "Content Blockers"? Because they are basically rule sets. Wipr and 1Blocker don't read the data and change it. Instead, they create rules for Safari to interpret (e.g. ignore this web content (such as ads), remove these HTML tags). From a privacy standpoint, this is what you want. Those apps aren't reading your websites. They are only providing updated rules to Safari on what content should be filtered out.
1Blocker does have an additional "extension" component for blocking YouTube ads, but you do NOT have to enable it. OR, you can just enable it to work on YouTube's website and have Deny access to any other website.
I've tried both products, 1Blocker has turned out to be a great solution. Lifetime license that I can share with my entire family. Mac, iPad, iPhones all use it.
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Queen6
macrumors G5
Have used AdGuard extension for years on both macOS & Windows never had an issue, nor likely will. Even the extension you can create personal rules to block domains etc.
You need to apply some common sense, If AdGuard sold out it would completely kill it's business model and revenue stream as it would be revealed in a heartbeat across the web.
Bottom line AdGuard's extension blocks everything I dont want to see, nor do I feel anything nefarious is running in the background. For those that are concerned you can turn off aspects/modules of the extension in macOS and it still works...
Q-6
You need to apply some common sense, If AdGuard sold out it would completely kill it's business model and revenue stream as it would be revealed in a heartbeat across the web.
Bottom line AdGuard's extension blocks everything I dont want to see, nor do I feel anything nefarious is running in the background. For those that are concerned you can turn off aspects/modules of the extension in macOS and it still works...
Q-6
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Does a VPN really add privacy? I mean they can see your traffic and they know who you are. Except it's not your internet provider but perhaps some shady private company that possibly doesn't even have the resources to keep your data private. I don't know why but I prefer my provider or the state to have my data, I feel like they're bigger institutions and therefore being more observed and therefore being more careful with data.There is a distinction between being paranoid and careful. Lets say we are talking about your physical mailbox in front of your house. Everyday you come home and it is stuffed with ads and you need an hour to sort out important letters and stuff. So you put a sticker on it: no commercial flyers and stuff. This will keep away 80-90% of annoyances.
Then there is this company that promises to keep away everything, but to do it, you have to give them the key to your house and the allowance to read all your letters. Will you do it?
People are less careful when it comes to computer stuff but in reality if you do online banking, shopping, Paypal, crypto, you may have a lot to loose.
Yes it should be. But imagine you want to visit a page asap. And then you can choose: accept all cookies or click through a plethora of text and cryptic options. It's like reading the EULA of a computer game you will play anyways, no matter what.
Be aware that there is the possibility that someone can read your banking data and crypto or other stuff you do with your computer.
Firefox and Ublock Origin or Brave Browser as others have stated.
Firefox&Ublock works as well as Adguard and Brave Browser seems to be a little bit better even.
With Safari you are limited, but this is Apple. They are restrictive with their way and this is good and bad. As others have stated, with a good VPN like Mullvad or IVPN combined with a non invasive content blocker you have the same ad blocking capabilities as Adguard but with the added privacy of a VPN. This is your choice. There is no other.
A content blocker like Wipr works for 99% of all ads.
You can use this page to test any adblocker and VPN for their blocking ability:
There's no evidence, but there's terms and conditions and they're pretty clear. They say they can sell your data with your agreement. Safari warns me that AdGuard can read bank details and passwords. And little snitch shows me that my entire traffic goes through AdGuard.
It's not evidence that they're doing something. But if they wanted to do something … oh hell boy.
Do other ad-blockers really also so that? I read that this https-filtering is something most don't have, I may be wrong though.
I really regret installing AdGuard. Do you know if I can get rid of it forever without having to freshly reinstall the OS? I remember when installing it the OS warned me that it would read all traffic and be implemented very deeply into the core of the system. I was too stupid to take a screenshot. Can I ever get rid of it again? I don't know what it installed and where … do you also know if there's a way to see what application has installed which files and where?
I have one and another running redundant. Problem with PiHole is that its more expensive solution and harder setup for the average person. typing DNS number in the router settings is much easier (Free options at ControlDNS + Adguard DNS). One thing you have to deal with is that Pihole's tend to fail sometime at software or hardware level. So thats one extra thing you need to maintain.
DNS blockers are also unable to block everything like youtube ads
ah I see bad trade indeed. Ublock origin solves the problem.
How can I check if my system has any certificates that decrypt https?
@foo2
Consent-o-matic plugin
Needs an "always opt-out when asked" as option being set as default
Enjoy the read
What’s the most secure Web browser? | Brave
In this article, we'll define what makes a secure browser, and look at some of the best secure browsers available today.brave.com
5 Most Secure Browsers Today
If you are not careful, advertisers, hackers, governments and corporations can follow your online activities click by click. What is the best way to prevent this? One method is to use a secure browser that allows you to reclaim your right to privacy by protecting your identity online. Here is a lwww.forbes.com
Brave deemed most private browser in terms of 'phoning home'
The new Microsoft Edge and the Yandex Browser deemed the most data greedy.www.zdnet.com
I am more and more convinced of Brave. Will have a look into it. Basically it does everything AdGuard does too, but better, right?
And as for that consent-plug-in: Sounds practical and I want something like a permanent auto-decline as well, but browser extensions aren't safe from what I've read, so I completely mind them. A few years ago you could block all cookies and you wouldn't get that consent-window. Now you still get it I think. But even back then we would have needed a whitelist feature to allow some exceptions. Apple isn't really interested in privacy however …
Cham2000
macrumors 6502
I saw the evolution of the internet since the start of the 90's (from Usenet, back in the days). It's now a complete very wild far west. It's a freaking Philip. K. Dick mess! A dystopic nightmare that came into reality.
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I agree. The thing is: it isn't available anymore because Apple is too restrictive. Restrictive means saver, in theory.
You're right but then, this is a very fast evolving part of the internet. Why paying 50 Dollars / Euros for a lifetime license when in 5 years everything could look so very different that there is no need for blockers anymore or there is no flash anymore. 🙂
Adguard has its roots in Russia. Setapp dropped it because of some Russian VPN server. They claimed that they have no servers in Russia and that it was just naming the server to be in Moscow while it was in the Netherlands but... yea, do we know?
They never distanced themselves from the war, they just said they don't like it or something like that. Some people claim this is due to the fact that being to openly against the war would be dangerous for them but then they claim that they aren't in Russia anymore so... It just doesn't add up.
WIPR, Proton and Mullvad are European companies that are bound to European law. Which is very very strict.
This is happening so often with companies... look at the list I provided some pages before when the two most popular antivirus apps collected and marketed user data without consent. And it was their business model to keep user data safe.
Yes and no. Yes because on public WIFIs nobody who owns the WIFI can see what you do. This applies to your work WIFI, airports and so on.
No, because if your ISP is trustworthy and you don't use other WIFIs then probably not. I just can talk about Mullvad and IVPN. They are audited on a yearly basis by external entities. You can pay them with Monero or crypto. When you make an account you don't have to provide anything. You just get a number. No mail adress or anything else. They have a no log policy and even if they would log something they couldn't trace it back to you because they don't have anything.
I mean, that's how VPNs work, right? That they decrypt the https, that's the delicate thing.
Yes, there is a detailed uninstallation guide on their webpage and you could use Hazels unistall feature.
I would say it was more wild west back then in the 2000s. Script kiddies and trojan horses everywhere, Flash, drive bys, the Internet is a lot saver nowadays where even Windows managed to provide good standard security.
Queen6
macrumors G5
So far AdGuard has not been proven to be untrustworthy, it works well and the extension is free with a good deal of user control, especially on macOS as modules can be restricted. Dont want to use it no one is forcing you to do so. Yet AdGuard does work as promised nor do I paint all companies and people from the region with the same brush.
AdGuard's extension is open source so those that whish to dig into it can and as far as I know there is no known issue. For me on macOS & Windows AdGuard & my VPN cuts through the Great Fire Wall of China like a hot knife through butter. Sometimes companies do hold their honour and deliver as promised, while others happily take your money knowing full well they cant deliver....
Q-6
Yes. As we stated 2 pages before, a clean record doesn't mean anything. I can give you a 10-pages list with VPN / antivirus / security based companies that had a clean record before they went rogue.
And as testing shows, Adguard does a good job. And yes, the extension is a content blocker like all other content blockers. And it is open source, yes. This was also stated by me and others.
And no, I'm not forced to use it. But OP and others are asking for the best privacy ad blocker. And I'm stating my honest opinion. Because OP and others asked.
Setapp dropped Adguard for a reason. I don't paint all companies coming from a region with the same brush. But being cautions when it comes to installing of root certificates is not a bad thing.
Regarding the China firewall: This is the VPNs doing, not Adguards.
Regarding 1Blocker, is Actions and Scripts really safe to have enabled?
Actions wants web page history and Scripts web pages, passwords, phone and credit card numbers.
Actions wants web page history and Scripts web pages, passwords, phone and credit card numbers.
Exactly. This is the discussion that we have since some pages. Is it really worth the 2-3% extra to give them access to this data? It's a matter of trust.
Some stated they are very open about who they are and what they do. This is a plus. Because in case something happens they can get problems by authorities.
I for myself decided to trust my VPN. And additionally I use a content blocker without any extra actions or scripts. They can't see my passwords, history or anything. I get 99% in the adblocker test.
If you decide that you don't want a VPN and use 1Blocker, you will still get very good results. I guess about 88% of ads blocked without Actions and Scripts enabled, right? So why taking the extra risk? I would just go this way if I use a page regularly and only Actions and Scripts is able to block it. And then I would reduce usage of Actions and Scripts to this page only, if this is possible.
I got 100/100 on adblock-tester.com with Actions and Scripts disabled. 👍
hwojtek
macrumors 68020
If you prefer that, why would you install an adblocker/privacy solution in the first place?
How do you expect ads on https pages (most of the internet nowadays) to be filtered unless it's a DNS-based solution?
Like any app that manipulates network traffic, it needs the ability to intercept it. Technically it works like a VPN, only this "VPN" runs on your local machine, not somewhere in the internet. "Very deeply into the core" lol. Just exactly as deep as any VPN app. Fully removable with Finder.
No reason to get hysterical. Install pihole if you want to get rid of ⅘ of the ads and don't care about the huge blank spaces on the webpages where the ads would be.
Queen6
macrumors G5
Same applies to all, you either trust or you dont. AdGuard kills the ads, VPN burns though the firewall, so no need to change what isn't broken....
If so worried stay off the web then you will be guaranteed of safety. Life itself is a risk. Personally I far prefer to take the risk with an educated point of view than be a Worry Worden....
1st thing I do with a modern Mac is switch the search engine to one that doesn't monetise me, as Apple is guilty as charged...
If AdGuard presents such an issue, show it. If politically biased your entirely on the wrong forum.
Q-6
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No. I agree to the rest of your post but Adguard app installs a root certificate and none of the VPNs I have used up to this day will do anything like that. Additionally, the root certificate is not removable with Finder. It will stay in your system and you have to delete it by hand. As a lot of other files:
- /Library/Application Support/AdGuard Software/com.adguard.mac.adguard (folder)
- ~/Library/Preferences/com.adguard.mac.adguard.plist (file)
- ~/Library/Group\ Containers/TC3Q7MAJXF.com.adguard.mac (folder)
- /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adguard.mac.adguard.adguard-pac.daemon.plist (file)
- /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adguard.mac.adguard.adguard-tun-helper.daemon.plist (file)
- /Library/Logs/com.adguard.mac.adguard/com.adguard.mac.adguard.adguard-pac.daemon.log (file)
- /Library/Logs/com.adguard.mac.adguard/com.adguard.mac.adguard.adguard-tun-helper.daemon.log (file)
It's very obvious that you didn't read my posts or any of the other posts that have concerns.
And it's just that. Concerns. I don't need you allowance to express my concerns and I stated a lot of times that this is just my honest opinion, nothing more or less.
If you are happy to trust them or anyone else, I'm happy for you. No need to bash other peoples opinion because it differs from yours.
And I don't need to show you anything or proof anything to you. Me and others pointed out opinions and facts regarding Adguard. This has nothing to do with political bias. It is a fact that Setapp dropped Adguard for their Russian background. The only biased opinion is yours, towards anyone who differs with your point of view.
So maybe you are on the wrong forum, if you can't stand people expressing their thoughts and answering to the OPs original post.
MacBH928
macrumors G3
Does it work same way on iOS? or can it read anything on my iOS device?
What did you find in 1blockr that is better than wipr?
They can sell out everything and make a ton of cash to a 3rd party. Thats what TunnelBear did, they sold to McAfee. Made a ton of money. Its not their problem where the business goes after that
MacBH928
macrumors G3
If you use a VPN with DNS adblocker it does. You have to understand there are 2 ways for adblocking.
1- In browser. Thats what a browser extension does. It blocks things IN the browser but not anything OUT of the browser (OS+apps)
2-DNS. Basically your internet traffic goes via server that blocks ads and trackers from every reaching your home network including all devices on the network like tvs and IoT etc. You can do it via VPN or you can do it via adding DNS number to your home router. ADgaurd and ControlD has free options. There are other services like NextDNS or you can install your own via PiHole.
Apple warns you from others being able to read your data but never warns you that they can read your data too😅
If the adblocker is FOSS like uBlock Origin you have nothing to worry about as everyone can see what the extension is doing.
Installation | AdGuard Knowledge Base
This article is about AdGuard for Mac, a multifunctional ad blocker that protects your device at the system level. To see how it works, download the AdGuard app
after that you can download an app called "Find any file" and search for adguard in your computer. Any file that has that name will show up and you can delete it. careful not to delete anything else it will crash your system.
Note: The uninstall instructions on Adguard removes it throughly which shows signs of honesty and trust from Adguard
Brave is a browser. Like Chrome. It just has a built in adblocker. You can disable it and install another adblocker like uBlock Origin or whatever you like. Its supposed to be just more "convenient" for the average user.
It can do what what the adguard extension does but not what the adguard app does. To get the power of adguard app you need DNS blocker.
Its recommended to use both together , extension+dns adblocker, as they complement each other. Its not either or thing.
Cham2000
macrumors 6502
I don't understand clearly DNS. Can we have this protection without paying some external DNS service company?