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Comment by mtmail | Hacker News Reader

Some users want to block only ads (visible content), some block everything including analytics, support widgets, mouse-over widgets, social media links, "back to top" links on pages. Some lists even block everything by file name, e.g. /tracker.php regardless of domain.

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That's wild. I like the luxuries. Thanks for the perspective.

Just to add, some of us even block all third-party domains by default. I had to specifically allow "pathview-analytics.com" to see what your script does ;)

Do you have a reason that extends beyond preference? Is the result worth the price?

The vast majority of sites work with some defaults (mainly CDNs), and it stops almost all 3rd party tracking. The minor inconvenience of sometimes having to whitelist some stuff is acceptable to me.

It tends to be good for security.

For example, it blocks a great many XSS attacks, as if every website had a strict content-security-policy header. Or if some joker on a website adds <img src="http://192.168.0.1/reboot-router.php"> or suchlike you're protected.

Websites that want to host sketchy untrusted content use iframes to external domains, so the sketchy content can't grab the user's cookies. If the website didn't trust the third party, why should you?

It can also block a variety of "features" that are actually annoyances - like third-party live chat popups, third-party cookie consent nag screens etc.

In terms of the price, how troublesome it is will depend on your web browsing needs. If you're a professional buyer visiting dozens of different companies' websites every day, you might find it inconvenient. But if most of your time is divided between your 10 favourite websites? Once you've got the whitelist right you'll barely notice it.

Also, some users block javascript altogether (pathview uses javascript) and only allow it on temporary or permanent basis on selected sites.

There are also anti-analytics filter list compatible with adblockers (default or opt-in) which might potentially add pathview in their database.

That's ok. I'm not trying to track everyone. If a someone wants to opt out, that should be respected. I'm trying to build utility while respecting visitors' privacy. There are certainly tradeoffs, but I'm comfortable making them.

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