Adblock is stupid. Block hosts and be done with it. Pihole/pixelserv/diversion for the lan, gas mask for Mac, AdGuard vpn with custom lists for iOS. No ads, no stupid adblocker blockers bs.
"I don't trust ads, so I'm going to run all my internet traffic though this rando VPN in the Middle East."
AdGuard and similar apps such as Blokada function as local VPNs, as mentioned, so most traffic does not pass through any particular external server.
The AdGuard app does use AdGuard's DNS servers, so DNS traffic passes through their servers in Russia: https://community.spiceworks.com/tools/ip-lookup/results?hos...
AdGuard says they do not log DNS queries.
The company was founded in Moscow in 2009. In 2017, they changed their official headquarters to Cyprus: https://adguard.com/en/blog/the-chronicle-of-adguard/amp.htm...
Well, no it does not if you don't explicitly choose AdGuard DNS among other DNS servers. It filters everything locally.
> through their servers in Russia
I see no servers in Russia on the map: https://adguard.com/en/adguard-dns/overview.html
You're an AdGuard developer, I take it? Based on your Show HN post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18238503
Would you happen to know why AdGuard's IP addresses point to Russia, if you no longer have servers there?
The link I previously posted is simply a tool to look up AdGuard's DNS address: https://community.spiceworks.com/tools/ip-lookup/results?hos...
Any HN users can look up the same information themselves.
The link shows the owner of the AS, not the location of the servers.
The IP address itself belongs to an AS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_system_(Internet)) that belongs to a Russian hosting company, and we have a long term rent contract on this subnet (with a purchase option), and we'll eventually acquire it.
To check where it really leads you should see the output of `traceroute 176.103.130.130`. However, this is also not the best option because AG DNS uses anycast (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anycast), and the route depends on your location.
I'll have to take your word for it that the Russian IP address you use does not mean you have a server there. Thanks for the explanation.
Because that's where the company is headquartered: Cyprus, which has Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt for neighbors. The Middle East.
Why not just say "Cyprus" rather than using the "Middle East" appellative?
- The app is a local VPN so your data doesn't leave your device, except for their DNS feature.
- Cyprus is in the EU, so it's not what most people would think of as the "Middle East". The boundaries of the Middle East are man-made, not natural, and Cyprus is often considered closer to Europe these days.
- There may be concerns regarding certain states in the region, but implying "Middle East" is a pejorative is a bit crass.
TBH I'm more worried about AdGuard's Russian connections, though an AdGuard developer offered reassurances above.
If you're going to raise concerns about AdGuard, at least make them accurate.
FTFY: in the EU.
Or to be more accurate: in whichever country you reside. Because the VPN is local.
In all seriousness, I think the performance issue of ad-blocking is much more beneficial to me than the cross-site tracking. While cross-site tracking may end up being more nefarious or theoretically worse, the slowdown in reading and interaction is a definite real-world pain solved by blocking ads, even same-site ones.
I believe pervasive, omnipresent advertising is bad for society, even if it's native, and even if it respects people's privacy. Even in the real world, if there was some way of blocking billboards or posters on the subway, I'd be all for it. I really don't like companies inserting themselves into my life without my permission.
I don't know how typical that is -- almost certainly people like me are a minority, but I suspect that there's a non-trivial number of people who feel the same.
I'd rather have display ads like we've got now just to avoid having to do mental gymnastics to check if an article is an advertisement or not.
At least with the current situation things are separated.