[How To] Block Every Single Tiny Ads, and YouTube Ads!

Zalex108

@Steffie said in [How To] Block Every Single Tiny Ads, and YouTube Ads!:

@Zalex108 I don't know, i don't care. This is entirely missing the point. I'll bow out now.

Was just curiosity.

I may have a look again at some point.

Dr.Flay

You can cover the topic with 1 link
https://www.mrfdev.com/enhancer-for-youtube

KSB

@Steffie said in [How To] Block Every Single Tiny Ads, and YouTube Ads!:

@Zalex108 I don't know, i don't care. This is entirely missing the point. I'll bow out now.

umatrix rly takes the cake. Not sure what they're not getting.
I use dns blackhole as well but on a network level as to not process those domains locally in the first place, anything that slips between (since it is still finite) - umatrix catches since it's a catchall. Your host file could have 10m domains and still remains finite and imperfect. Umatrix doesn't have that particular problem.

jamesbeardmore

The ultimate protection is with tools such as uMatrix and NoScript; however I personally like multilayer protection when it comes to surveillance and malware, so I also use blocklist-based solutions.

Additionally, a non-technical or impatient user will never be able to satisfactorily configure uMatrix or NoScript, whereas blocklists provide a bit of a safety-net to stop the worst and most blatent malware and surveillance.

I also like to have a hosts-based solution to provide a modicum of protection to those devices that can't run their own malware/surveillance-blocker, for instance so-called "smart" TVs. Of course the best solution for those devices is to vote with your wallet and not buy one in the first place, but if you already have one, are given one, etc., then it helps.

For ages I used curl to scrape loads of hosts files from reputable sources, for instance the now-defunct hphosts, seven black, energized, winhelp2002, someonewhocares, various malware domain lists etc. I concatenated the lot, then piped through sort and uniq, and the resultant hosts file was still in the 100s of MB. Everything I used that hosts-file on worked perfectly, from Linux boxes to Android phones to (eventually) my internet gateway... and with a big performance-improvement. That's everything... apart from my one Windows machine, which for some reason couldn't cope with it. How ironic that the one machine that really needed it, couldn't use it! I don't use Windows enough for it to be worth diagnosing so I couldn't be bothered to work it out and now just don't bother connecting that machine to the internet unless the one tool I use on it desperately needs an update.

Note I don't mention the word "ads" or "trackers" anywhere here. We should call this scum what it really is. Each is simultaneously "malware" and "surveillance", and should be treated as such until the ad-networks clean up their acts and scrutinise the code they deliver to peoples' machines - and the webmasters who place this cruft on their pages stop passing the buck, and take responsibility for what they choose to embed on their pages.

Pathduck

Kudos for the effort - although I doubt I'll ever use this, as I'm quite satisfied with what I get with uBlock Origin.

I didn't even know the built-in blocker supported hosts-file style lists so that's news to me as well.

A small suggestion: You should add a title to the files to make them easier to find in the sources list. Like this:
! Title: The_Quantum_Ad-List_PART-1
Apparently both # and ! are valid comments when it comes to hosts-style lists, weird...

rdreammaker

@TheQuantumAlpha
It costs a lot of money for most of us to present educational and informative videos on YouTube, especially for small channels who work hard enough to reach YouTubes required 1000 subscriber threshold, or to meet their content requirements of 1 video per week to maintain viewership. It's really a disincentive to create content for most of us, when people block ads, YouTube ad's generate pennys for most creators. The average video takes several hours minimum to develop the content, film it, edit it, up load it. Not to mention if there are other people involved, which in many cases is true. We have to pay them if they are involved in the process, not to mention purchase and maintain video and audio equipment.
This topic is very discouraging.

iAN CooG

@TheQuantumAlpha said in [How To] Block Every Single Tiny Ads, and YouTube Ads!:

Odysse.com

opens as http:// and not secure, no https:// available, hardly an alternative nowadays until they fix their site.

iAN CooG

@TheQuantumAlpha I don't know, only shows as a completely blank page to me, nothing shown.
oh, it seems that if I click on the link in your post it goes to http://odysse.com then if I type on a new tab https://odysse.com vivaldi says
This site can’t be reached
odysse.com unexpectedly closed the connection.

but if I search on google https://www.google.com/search?q=Odysse.com and click on the link, the site actually opens for me.

This is way too weird.

Dr.Flay

@rdreammaker As someone with 2 YT channels I feel that as I personally cannot chose which adverts are shown, yet advertisers have the choice who's channels they get shown on, I don't want their stinking money.
Heaven forbid my channel showed someone an advert for Norton or Mcafee, I would rather delete the channels than give missleading info in adverts I can't opt out of.
This is even more of a problem when it comes to malvertising missinformation campaigns, where again I would not be able to opt out of anything I thought was unwanted.

If you were a TV channel or station you would would get to choose exactly what adverts you carry.
If YT gave channel owners that power it would be more honest and trustable.

If channels want revenue then sponsorship and patrions is honest and favourable.
Twit.tv have existed for years with this model. The presenters get to use the products and give a user perspective.

All YT channels of all size are about to get spammed with adverts, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55016142
so the war is on.

jamesbeardmore

@Dr-Flay said in [How To] Block Every Single Tiny Ads, and YouTube Ads!:

@rdreammaker As someone with 2 YT channels I feel that as I personally cannot chose which adverts are shown, yet advertisers have the choice who's channels they get shown on, I don't want their stinking money.
Heaven forbid my channel showed someone an advert for Norton or Mcafee, I would rather delete the channels than give missleading info in adverts I can't opt out of.
This is even more of a problem when it comes to malvertising missinformation campaigns, where again I would not be able to opt out of anything I thought was unwanted.

If you were a TV channel or station you would would get to choose exactly what adverts you carry.
If YT gave channel owners that power it would be more honest and trustable.

If channels want revenue then sponsorship and patrions is honest and favourable.
Twit.tv have existed for years with this model. The presenters get to use the products and give a user perspective.

All YT channels of all size are about to get spammed with adverts, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55016142
so the war is on.

I whole-heartedly agree, and it also relates slightly to the point I made amongst my previous rant, regarding webmasters "passing the buck". Webmasters or YouTube channels want the money from ads, which is understandable, but not enough care whether the ads are relevant, inoffensive and virus/spyware-free. They want the benefits without the responsibilities. If more cared like @Dr-Flay does, the content platforms would be forced to offer the page-owners choice as to what was displayed, and/or the ad networks would be forced to clean up their act.

Until either of these happens, I'm not displaying ads for anyone as I don't want to execute malicious/surveillance code on my hardware and waste my bandwidth (and therefore money). (Additionally, I don't see why watching videos of Lamb of God and Immortal should lead me to be bombarded with "Christian dating" adverts, lol)!

If I can't view a channel or a webpage because they can't afford to run without ads, then I don't care, I just go elsewhere. If the website or channel disappears, then so be it. I support certain sites and channels with donations, using their online shop, buying from their sponsors/partners, etc. It's fairer anyway, and cuts-out the scummy middleman.

KSB

@Dr-Flay This is what's great about sponsors. The deal is between you and them, you get to accept or decline it. Also no affect from adblockers since the ad is in your own video, by you. This is the best approach with youtube ads - if you're big enough to be attractive to them.

Pesala

@jamesbeardmore The trouble is that Google is getting greedy

I recommend that users who are annoyed by excessive ads use an ad-blocker, or Vivaldi Browser with built-in ad-blocking.

balachandarsmr

Android blessed with Vanced youtube. It completely block ads and support background play.

Dr.Flay

Plus 1 for Newpipe.
You won't regret using it and it has some handy extra features like the ability to download the audio or video to a folder.

BTW. I have a 1-hit solution for the problem of advertising being out of control.

If those who show adverts are held liable for the content, and could be sued for giving you malware, displaying scam adverts or breaching your privacy, you would soon see webmasters and content makers suddenly become more involved in hand-picking their relationships with advertisers.

anajames

how to block ads on streaming sites? is there anyway ?