Not asking for tech support here, just wondering if in theory it would be possible to create a plug-in or even a complete browser that blocks ads in a way that’s impossible to detect. One model that comes to mind is a quarantined / containerized non-blocking virtual browser which queries the web server directly, then the UX filters the content from that container and presents it to the user ad-free. As far as the web server can tell, the containerized browser is just vanilla Chromium.

  • @yesman
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    514 days ago

    It doesn’t matter how good your browser is when you can only access content through an app.

    That’s the way things are headed, I’m afraid. In a few years you won’t be able to load Facebook, Youtube, Reddit, or Twitter(formally X) from a browser.

    • BoozillaOP
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      614 days ago

      Bleak but probably true. Cabin in the woods with a good book is my future.

      What do you mean all the woods are “gone”?

      • @JubilantJaguar
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        214 days ago

        Paper books won’t be available either. You’ll be watching ads in your cabin where the woods used to be.

    • LostXOR
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      314 days ago

      They do still have to cater to desktop users, so I imagine accessible websites for those platforms will exist for many years to come.

      • @grue
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        514 days ago

        This is also yet another reason why it’s important to defend desktops in the face of people who think phones and tablets are “good enough.”

      • @QuadratureSurfer
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        314 days ago

        “Just download our app on the Microsoft Store/App Store!” /s

    • @AbouBenAdhem
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      214 days ago

      An ad-blocking DNS server on your local network should work for apps too, right? (As long as the ads are hosted on known ad servers.)

      • Admiral Patrick
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        314 days ago

        Should, yes, but the page/site may have ways to detect if the ad loads or not and still trigger “adblock in use”.

        A DNS-based approach also won’t work if the ads come from the same domain as the content.