I Block Ads

The author says he grew up liking advertisements and now blocks them because the modern web is overcrowded with them. After macOS Sequoia broke AdGuard in Safari because of a conflict with iCloud Private Relay, he noticed how unusable browsing becomes without an ad blocker.

He says he blocks ads both in the browser and at the DNS level, and that this combination works well enough for now. He also recommends some tools for ad blocking and mentions that the FBI has suggested using ad blockers to avoid scams and impersonation through search ads.

Reading notes

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• He says that, after updating to macOS Sequoia, AdGuard stopped working in Safari because of a conflict with iCloud Private Relay.
• He works around the problem by turning off Private Relay in Safari and also at the system level, while waiting for a fix.
• He says the internet is hard to use without an ad blocker.
• He says he buys access to some sites to remove ads, but that this only solves a small part of the problem.
• He argues that digital ads have become the target of constant tuning and retargeting to capture attention and influence what people think and believe.
• He says he does not hate ads, but rejects the ones that appear in excess everywhere.
• He notes that many sites have become full of ads and cites the phrase that “content” is what remains between them.
• He mentions that the FBI recommends using ad blockers to avoid fraud with search ads that imitate brands.
• He says he blocks ads in the browser and also at the DNS level, and that this combination is enough for now.
• He lists DNS resolvers and blocking tools, including Mullvad, AdGuard DNS, NextDNS, Control D and Pi-hole.
• He also cites uBlock Origin, AdGuard, AdBlock Tester and How I Experience the Web Today.