185
Ad blocking is alive and well, despite Chrome's attempts to make it harder
(www.theregister.com)
Better be. Also, fuck chrome.
this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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Let's be honest: The internet without adblock is unusable. I really do not know how all those people without adblock are doing that.
No seriously though. Was using managers laptop very briefly, and needed to look up some instructions. No adblock, Google Chrome default browser, etc. The websites were almost unreadable. Giant video ads in top and bottom corners, big thick flashing distracting ads on all sides making the readable area a little bigger than a postage stamp. Genuinely how do people browse the Internet like this?
I see people who put zero effort into ad-blocking in a similar light as people who don't leave shitty partners. At some point they manage to convince themselves that it's not a problem.
Don't forget that most people don't know that blocking ads is possible. To most people, their browser is on an appliance, like a washing machine or fridge. They know how to do the basics, but that's about it.
Some even LIKE the ads.
I'm pretty sure I've clicked in like 3 ads in my life accidentally. But I saw people actively clicking in ads on purpose regularly and that shit shocked me completely. People don't look at it as malware and phishing links like I do and think it's a good thing. Internet was a mistake.
I used to click on ads when they were hosted by Project Wonderful. :( Shit was amazing. I even uploaded some back in the day.
So I’m not trying to be contrary… but who is using their browser on an appliance?! Certainly not ‘most people’?
I would agree that there is a general ignorance of adblockers but there’s no way most people are using browsers on appliances..
I believe he meant "people use their browser like they use an appliance" as in they don't know any details about it, just open it and use it as is.
What? Nobody's using their browser on an appliance (except for a handful of masochists with Samsung fridges). I said to most people their browser is on an appliance, as in they treat computers, phones, and laptops like appliances, in that they're mysterious boxes that do a particular job.
Hardly anyone is trying to hack their appliances, and the majority of people just lump their computing devices into the same category - it does what it was designed for and nothing else
Haha, clearly a misunderstanding then.. I think the ‘on an appliance’ part did it! In any case we seem to agree!
I have got a mental picture of a Linux super nerd trying to browse through a text only browser on their oven's display now though 😁
Similar light? Go get some fresh air. It's just a bunch of ads, the worst are avoidable if you don't visit clickbait sites.
Found the person who needs to leave their partner.
Or who do so little cleaning at home that their appartment becomes almost unusable or outright dangerous to live in
It's genuinely insufferable. I have plenty of ad block on my pc but little on my phone. When I'm doing stuff on my phone it's sometimes impossible to navigate certain news sites or watch videos because of all the fucking ads.
If you have Android, you can install Firefox and use uBlock Origin there. It's awesome :)
AdGuard works well,l on Android, as well as Vivaldi or Brave with their in-built adblockers.
What browser/OS? There are many options on mobile, from extensions to system wide DNS blocking.
Can't believe the world we live in. Everyone knows google and meta are f'ing up the internet yet they posted massive record profits.
Trumps name is in Epstein file. There's pics video audio of him grabbing women and yet he's the president.
Companies like Tesla and big banks pay 0 federal tax and yet they are operational.
Social media has literally brainwashed people and people especially 9-5s will destory themselves and their kids future.
I am honestly sad and sick of the sheer volume of ads, well, everywhere and in everything. Internet, tv, even in the real world you are bombarded by ads from every angle. Every time any free app or service gains traction, boom, there are ads now.
It is absolutely unavoidable, even when using adblock and similar services, and what is even worse is that this doesn't even feel like marketing now, but just a coercion tactic to force you to subscribe to "premium", because the ads do not really often feel like trying to sell you something but just annoy the hell out of you.
I am just so tired of it...
I am honestly sad and sick of the sheer volume of ads, well, everywhere and in everything. Internet, tv, even in the real world you are bombarded by ads from every angle. Every time any free app or service gains traction, boom, there are ads now.
Capitalists: BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY
Me: With what money???
even in the real world you are bombarded by ads from every angle
I despise the digital billboards that now litter highways and roads that gets congested during rush hours. And especially at night when they just ignore brightness laws and blinding everyone and endangering drivers.
And gas station ads, especially ones on max volume. Obnoxious ads blaring so loud that even if you sit in your car you can still hear them.
Depending on the model of the pump, you can usually turn off the sound with one of the buttons on the right. The ones I have seen have four buttons on each side, and the second or third (or maybe bottom? I forget) button on the right will at least mute the ad. It's worth a shot. It's so obnoxious, it's almost worth soaking it in gasoline.
Is there a way to block youtube ads on the tv? I have an android tv and using the youtube app is painfull... :-(
pi-hole may be what you're gunning for.
That's via DNS, right? If so i don't think it will work, i'm using https://nextdns.io/ with lots of block lists and it doesn't work.
My ad blocker won't let me watch YouTube...OR YouTube won't let me watch with an ad blocker. I don't care. No ads for ME.
My company forced us to use only Chrome on our PC's and one of the things I was worried about was the ads. I put youtube in the background while I work.
And I was surprised by how...... My experience was exactly the same as Firefox and Brave. Ok, actually, one or two ads managed to slip through and appeared in the front page - albeit rarely and randomly - but I never got those ads at the beginning of the video. On other websites, I never got ads.
I was wondering, then, if there was some catch. Maybe the trackers would still get through or something. But according to that link, not even that? lol
I’m surprised by these results tbh. And it seems for most people there is no big difference. But I do think for power users the catch is still there.
Lazaros Papadopoulos, research assistant at Goethe University, told The Register in an email that the study used the default filter sets for the respective ad blocking extensions in order to mimic the behavior of the typical user and to ensure rule consistency.
They used the default rule sets. One of the major limitations of mv3 iirc is the number of block list urls you can have. Like I’ve added a number of additional items to block via additional lists which I believe is mostly not possible in mv3.