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AdNauseam is a uBlock fork that goes further: it actively attacks marketers by auto-clicking every ad before blocking (adnauseam.io)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

180 comments fedilink hide all child comments

It garbles advertisers' data as a result, but you must disable uBlock Origin to run it; they can't work simultaneously. I recently moved to it and, so far, am never looking back!

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[–] [email protected] 142 points 3 weeks ago (51 children)

Couple of issues I'm wondering about...

First, wouldn't clicking on everything just make you easier to track?

Second, how much bandwidth would all this use?

[–] [email protected] 178 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (42 children)

not in this way
not enough to matter

the way it works is sending an HTTP request that registers as a "click" to the advertiser (thus costing them money), but then doesn't actually let the browser download any content and fetch the webpage, basically pi-holes the destination site and any attached tracking cookies. Combined with the fact that it does this to every ad, it would basically poison any click tracking.

edit: pedants

and before I get any more of you, this is just what I remember reading about adnauseam, do not take it as gospel, go look at AdNauseam's FAQ.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (40 children)

none

Ah great

it works [by] sending an HTTP request that registers as a "click" to the advertiser

Uh, wait a minute. 🤔

Sending a request also uses bandwidth, you know.

[–] [email protected] 144 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

A basic GET request, even with a long querystring, will be negligible even on a 1998 dial-up connection.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Right, but thousands of them, possibly every day? Could perhaps affect your data consumption on your phone e.g. 🤷‍♂️

Edit: I got it guys, thanks.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 weeks ago

I don't know of any data plan that limits on the upload. Caps are usually on the download side, and TFA says it does not download the server response.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You aren't terribly familiar with how much traffic we generate nowadays... are you? If we were still on 2G and isdn / dsl sure. You'd likely see a slight latency jump. On anything from this last decade+ ? Not a chance.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm not, am I. I hadn't done any calculations regarding this. It was strictly hypothetical, as you can probably tell from the question mark and 🤷‍♂️. 👍

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'll be honest - you weren't really presenting your case in that way. Understand my confusion: you seemed pretty adamant about your concern with no backing data on it. Most people pick their hills with something to back them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's not really a hill for me to begin with lol.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's kind of my point - just based on the reception it's clear that a number of people were perceiving that as one. Normally that's the "pump the brakes" or the "hol up 🖐️🖐️" moment where you clarify.