And some of the ads called other trackers, etc. The branches of the tree diagram depict what called what. Most consumers are not aware of this entire cascade of ads and trackers loaded by the page.
Lichess is safe, because it is free of ads and trackers.
But browsing the rest of the Internet exposes us to the following threats:
- ADS-B Exchange - tracking aircraft using tar1090. Show Targets (radar track / airframe unknown).
- Blocks ads and trackers directly, but only within the Safari browser. About blocking ads. It's important to note that blocking ads is NOT theft. Don't fall for this creepy idea, which is the criminalisation of the inalienable right to privacy. Ads and trackers violate our privacy, make websites much slower, and deliver dangerous malware.
- Advertisement sells our screen estate and influences us
- Tracking sells our personal information to increase advertisement effectiveness
These don't benefit us, the website users, in any way. In fact, they use a lot of our computing power and bandwidth against us.
Fortunately, there are simple and legal ways to protect ourselves from these invasions.
Protect your computer
uBlock Origin
Live Military Aircraft Radar Tracking
Hands down the best ad-blocking browser extension. It's free software (GPLv3), blazing fast, and will effectively block most malware. We heartily recommend that everyone installs it. uBlock is available for most browsers on Windows, MacOS and Linux. Install it now!
Note that other browser extensions, such as the popular 'AdBlock', are unsafe: they have accepted money to expose you to some ads. Don't fall for it, just use uBlock Origin instead.
AdGuard
This is a DNS server that can block ads and trackers throughout the whole system. This includes video ads and ads in your favorite apps, browsers and games. It can be used as a replacement or, better, a complement of uBlock Origin.
It's very easy to set up, check out the instructions on the AdGuard website on how to do this.
Custom hosts file (advanced)
An alternative to AdGuard is to directly manage your hosts file. Here's a list of dangerous hosts to block, with links to raw hosts files available. To modify your current hosts file, look for it in the following places and modify it with a text editor.
Where to find your hosts file:
- mac OS (until 10.14.x macOS Mojave), iOS, Android, Linux: /etc/hosts
- macOS Catalina (10.15+): /private/etc/hosts
- Windows: %SystemRoot%system32driversetchosts
Protect your Android device
Blokada
Gets rid of ads and trackers across all of your apps, not only the browser. It doesn't require root, supports both Wi-Fi and mobile networks, and is perfectly safe and simple to use.
Once installed, select the AdGuard DNS in the Blokada app.
Protect your iPhone or iPad
BlockBear
Blocks ads and trackers directly, but only within the Safari browser.
About blocking ads
It's important to note that blocking ads is NOT theft. Don't fall for this creepy idea, which is the criminalisation of the inalienable right to privacy.
Ads and trackers violate our privacy, make websites much slower, and deliver dangerous malware. We say no to them.
We have the right to decide what we download from the Internet, what we send to it, and what we display on our screen.
We have the right to refuse downloading source code that works against us. It's our bandwidth and computer, and no-one can decide for us what to use them for.
Ads And Trackers Block
A service that has valuable features should be able to sell us a subscription, without blackmailing us with ominous ads.