This post was originally published on 18 MAY 2022; it has since been updated and revised.

You may hear a lot that you should block ads and trackers, but you may also have a lot of questions, such as (but not limited to):

• How can you block ads on your iPhone or Android?
• Is it possible to block ads on your SmartTV?
• What’s the best in-browser adblocker for Windows or Linux?
• Which browsers have native (built-in adblocking)
• Which adblockers should you use?
• Which adblocking method is best?

This guide aims to answer these questions and to provide information on different adblocking solutions that can hopefully help you in eliminating privacy-invasive ads and trackers in your browser, on your devices, and on your home/small network.

Why you should block ads (and trackers)

The main benefits of block ads and trackers boils down to limiting the amount of data collected about you (privacy) and improving your security.

Some users may also find ads annoying and unsightly, which by itself could fall outside these two benefits or complement them.

For better privacy

Ads are typically displayed with embedded trackers (most commonly tracking pixels), though they may use other tracking methods as well. Generally speaking, different methods of tracking (and their subsequent implementation) collect different data, ranging from identifying you, your devices, and network(s) to tracking the various things you may do on your devices.

Trackers buried in targeted advertisements can collect:

• Personal Identifiable Information (PII); which can include but not limited to age, gender, age
• IP addresses
• Specific location data
• Click-through rate of other ads (especially if the ad is served by the same ad network)
• Screen resolution
• Device type (device, operating system, version numbers)
• Browser settings
• Browser’s referrer header
• Browsing habits
• Set language prefs
• Timezone settings

* Not an all-inclusive list

More data points collected over time paint a better “overall” picture of you, the user. Accurate, current, and relevant data relies heavily on tracking the user – often across multiple channels (think: browsing history, search history, location history, purchase history, among others).

Likewise, the more data points targeted ads and their associated trackers collect, then the more severe the negative effect on user privacy:

• Location data reveals the places you go
• Message metadata can reveal who/when you talk or message someone and over time can reveal your contacts and contact frequency
• Browsing data tells advertisers a wealth of information from the type of websites you visit to your visit frequency and duration
• 
  Tracked and logged searches
  , which can be sold or “shared,” tell advertisers what you’re looking for
• Invasive analytics show anywhere from how often you use an app/service to details on how you interact with the app/service
• Fingerprinting uniquely identifies you and your device and enables further tracking methods

For improved security

Targeted ads can pose a security risk, potentially delivering malware, leading users to malicious/phishing domains, and/or scamming users.

According to MalwareBytes, a respected anti-malware vendor, “Malvertising can appear on any advertisement on any site, even the ones you visit as part of your everyday internet browsing.”

Malvertising can serve malware to visitors, attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in the user’s browser, and link to phishing or other malicious websites designed to trick users into providing sensitive information or downloading malicious programs. When interacting with or clicking a malicious advertisements, users may not even realize they have been lead to a phishing or otherwise malicious website. As such, they may interact with the website – which can include providing sensitive information or downloading malware/additional payloads.

Commonly, many websites display programmatic ads served by third-party ad networks – if the third party becomes infected, then the ads displayed on the website you visited could try delivering malware, even if the website has not been directly compromised. For example, malicious actors compromised a media content provider used by hundreds of US newspaper websites, enabling them to serve malware via these websites.

Places that run their own ads, such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram), have allowed blatant misinformation and scams to be advertised on their platforms. In 2020, Facebook reportedly allowed advertisements spreading fake coronavirus information on its platform. As a result, Meta’s ad screening process has since come under scrutiny, but they’re not the only offenders. Meta’s ad platform has also been abused to deliver infostealing malware and perpetrate a variety of scams.

Google’s “sponsored results” in its Google Search engine have been abused by threat actors to point users to domains serving malware, misinformation, and scams. This has also resulted in Google’s ad screening process (or apparent lack thereof) coming under scrutiny; more threat actors have been abusing the platform to deliver malicious advertisements.

So, would you rather deal with the burglar’s actions after he’s ransacked your living space or prevent him from entering in the first place? As “they” say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – so blocking an ad before it’s had a chance to possibly compromise your security is the ideal solution.

Blocking Ads in Your Browser

If you’re like most people, then you most likely spend a lot – if not most – of your time on your device’s web browser – you may use a web app to check your email, login to your bank account to pay bills, or watch a YouTube video in different tabs.

Because of the time most people spend using their browsers, it’s crucial to block ads on this level as it can prove a noticeable improvement in privacy and a “defense” against the threats posed by malvertising. Not to mention, blocking ads in the browser may also improve loading speed times and lessen “clutter” on users’ screens.

Best browser adblockers

uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin is the absolute gold standard for blocking ads and trackers within the browser. You’ll often find it highly recommended within the privacy community. In many use-cases, uBlock Origin is the only browser based adblocker you need.

uBlock Origin is a free and open source browser plugin (add-on/extension) for browsers. It’s compatible with both Firefox and Chromium and can be found in Mozilla’s Add-ons for Firefox and…

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Avoid The Hack! authored by Avoidthehack! RSS. Read the original post at: https://avoidthehack.com/how-to-block-ads