streetfighter 2
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- Jul 26, 2010
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I'm not a particularly paranoid person but I do despise marketers and advertisers. It used to be fairly trivial to block cookies and advertisements but not anymore.
Take a look for yourself:
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/201...he-zombie-cookie-war-by-raising-awareness.ars
http://samy.pl/evercookie/
http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/10/it-is-possible-to-kill-the-evercookie.ars
Blocking evercookie in:
Firefox (Ad Block Plus may also work but but I'm not sure and it may conflict with Ad Muncher/hosts file)
Opera
Internet Explorer (just kidding, you're screwed. get a real browser)
Also the FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz is somewhat on my side:
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0710170/071220leib.pdf
What I'm writing about is blocking the tracking attempts of every (yes, every) website I go to. I don't want Amazon.com to recommend a single thing to me. I don't want any other site to log my browsing habits so they can sell them to some other group of jerks. I don't want 10 million flash ads that make noises or otherwise impede using a particular site.
I'm sure someone here is thinking that it's wrong to block advertisements because I'm not paying TPU, arstechnica or other sites I use. You may therefore be startled to learn that in the rare event that I watch TV, I change the channel during the commercials. When driving a car I make a point of ignoring billboards that fill my peripheral vision. Whenever possible I pay in cash so companies can't track my purchases. I don't even like malls.
BTW, I obviously turn off all ad-blockers when I'm on TPU because the advertisements are always relevant and worthy of a good clicking.
There are many ways that advertisers track you on the net but the primary ones are:
1) Flash cookies
2) Cookies
and cookie monster (actually that's just a character from Sesame Street)
3) IP based
4) HTML5 magic
I should note that I also like settings to be transparent, omnipresent and compatible.
Without further ado, a brief discussion of my current methods. Please suggest new information or improvements on my methods wherever you can. Thanks!
-1) A good Firewall
Description:
If you don't have a firewall you really should be in the process of getting one right now. Some firewalls can block ads and all firewalls will help prevent hacking attempts.
Solution: There are lots of different firewalls available. The good Mr. AsRock recommended Outpost Firewall as a personal firewall/ad blocker/content control. I like ClearOS as a network firewall but it requires significantly more technical expertise and a dedicated machine to set up. Anyway about it you'll probably want something with ad blocking/content control to insure your privacy is protected. You can also augment you firewall protections using a tool like CCleaner which wipes your browser's internet files (cookies, temp files, etc.) though many browsers allow you to tune these features automatically.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: If you run a personal firewall like Outpost Firewall it will run on your machine and you'll know it's there. Consequently I like an external firewall because I only need to interact with it to change settings. External firewalls also have the advantage of offering protection for all computers on a network, regardless of OS. When it comes to simplicity though Outpost Firewall seems to be the winner. A good firewall will actually help with all the issues I mention (1 thru 4), though it may be redundant with 0.
0) Null route
Description:
The first thing to do, and arguably the easiest, is to null route as many known advertising servers as you can. Null routing forces your computer to incorrectly resolve specific addresses. In laymen's terms it pretty much blocks specific sites.
Solution: Thankfully MVPS constantly updates a list of jerks which makes it extraordinarily convenient to block a good chunk of internet advertisers. If you know how to edit your hosts file you can manually update it with the MVPS version . Unfortunately new advertisers pop up every day so this isn't a complete solution but it's a pretty damn good attempt. If you'd like to manage your hosts file yourself you might want to give the excellent utility hostsman a try. On the other hand, if modifying your hosts file is not your cup of tea you can check out Ad Muncher which performs most of the tasks of a good hosts file but through it's own utility.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: The reason why I recommend this over traditional browser based advert blockers is because this works for everything on your computer. It even prevents some trojans from calling home and turning your computer into a digital depot. You can use this in conjunction with a browser based ad-blocker if you want the additional features it affords you, but don't skip on the hosts file/Ad Muncher! There are minor compatibility issues and they're usually with sites that are deeply in cahoots with advertisers. Oddly enough I noticed that I couldn't download VMware officially (without disabling my hosts file) because my hosts file was preventing VMware from sending my personal info to marketers . A hosts file will actually help with all the issues I mention (1 thru 4).
1) Flash Cookies
Description:
Also called Adobe love stains (I just made that up...). Adobe loves you so much that they allow flash to place cookies in several locations on your computer. They also don't do much in the way of advertising a bloody control panel but one does exist.
Solution: The most comprehensive solution I've found thus far is to remove read/write permissions on the folders mentioned here . If you're using firefox you can try BetterPrivacy .
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Once it's set it's done and it works in all browsers. Unfortunately removing read/write permissions on the folders mentioned on the wikipedia entry will also cause severe compatibility problems with a lot of sites sporting flash content. The only alternative is to use the poorly advertised Flash Settings Manager and disable as much as you can. It will still be necessary to periodically go into the folders on your computer and manually delete all the accumulated garbage or use BetterPrivacy to automate this process.
2) Vanilla (as in plain-olde) cookies
Description:
Browser cookies are like horse flies, they bite you and they perpetually follow you. Occasionally they're good, like the one TPU uses to keep me logged in. More often they're just tracking you so advertisers can make money off your browsing habits.
Solution: Only one way out of this unfortunately. Go into your browser setting and disable cookies but add exceptions for sites you like or otherwise need to visit.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Chances are you'll always find another site to add to the list of exceptions. Worse still is that each browser has to be configured separately. Some sites will completely refuse to work unless you enable cookies for them.
3) IP Based
Description:
Websites with annoying marketing departments will log your IP and record your browsing habits under that IP for the purpose of hawking you and the people around you more crap.
Solution: A good proxy or Tor . If you opt to use Tor I'd recommend JanusVM because it's easy to configure and doesn't require you to manually enter a proxy in different browsers. I've found xroxy and hidemyass provide decent lists of public proxy servers.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Unfortunately you're not going to want to run your internet through a proxy or Tor all the time (unless you have to). Additionally setting up a proxy/Tor is often a per browser setting and can occasionally be a pain in the neck to set up. Tor does have some compatibility issues but they're quite tolerable in my opinion. If you use a good socks5 proxy server you shouldn't have too many problems.
4) HTML5
Description:
I hate it, I hate it, I hate it... But it's so useful. Reminds me of the .NET framework. It has more holes than a colander thats been hit with 20 birdshot shells.
Solution: Turn off JavaScript except on sites that you trust.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Most every site has JavaScript these days so turning it off is going to be a shitstorm.
A note about the numbering of the methods
You may have noticed that the methods start at -1, this is a bit like the rules of thermodynamics. The first two methods are so fundamental that they shouldn't need to be stated but I do anyway to insure that the list is comprehensive.
Any suggestions for improving my list would be great!
Take a look for yourself:
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/201...he-zombie-cookie-war-by-raising-awareness.ars
http://samy.pl/evercookie/
http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/10/it-is-possible-to-kill-the-evercookie.ars
Blocking evercookie in:
Firefox (Ad Block Plus may also work but but I'm not sure and it may conflict with Ad Muncher/hosts file)
Opera
Internet Explorer (just kidding, you're screwed. get a real browser)
Also the FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz is somewhat on my side:
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0710170/071220leib.pdf
Originally Written by Commissioner Jon Leibowitz
Ultimately, if the online industry does not adequately address consumer privacy through
self-regulatory approaches, it may well risk a far greater response from government. To be sure,
the World Wide Web remains an awe-inspiring universe for experimentation and exploration
and, certainly, advertising is integral to expanding the Internet frontier. We just need to ensure
that consumer privacy isn’t trampled in the race to mine data.
What I'm writing about is blocking the tracking attempts of every (yes, every) website I go to. I don't want Amazon.com to recommend a single thing to me. I don't want any other site to log my browsing habits so they can sell them to some other group of jerks. I don't want 10 million flash ads that make noises or otherwise impede using a particular site.
I'm sure someone here is thinking that it's wrong to block advertisements because I'm not paying TPU, arstechnica or other sites I use. You may therefore be startled to learn that in the rare event that I watch TV, I change the channel during the commercials. When driving a car I make a point of ignoring billboards that fill my peripheral vision. Whenever possible I pay in cash so companies can't track my purchases. I don't even like malls.
BTW, I obviously turn off all ad-blockers when I'm on TPU because the advertisements are always relevant and worthy of a good clicking.
There are many ways that advertisers track you on the net but the primary ones are:
1) Flash cookies
2) Cookies
and cookie monster (actually that's just a character from Sesame Street)
3) IP based
4) HTML5 magic
I should note that I also like settings to be transparent, omnipresent and compatible.
Without further ado, a brief discussion of my current methods. Please suggest new information or improvements on my methods wherever you can. Thanks!
Solution: There are lots of different firewalls available. The good Mr. AsRock recommended Outpost Firewall as a personal firewall/ad blocker/content control. I like ClearOS as a network firewall but it requires significantly more technical expertise and a dedicated machine to set up. Anyway about it you'll probably want something with ad blocking/content control to insure your privacy is protected. You can also augment you firewall protections using a tool like CCleaner which wipes your browser's internet files (cookies, temp files, etc.) though many browsers allow you to tune these features automatically.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: If you run a personal firewall like Outpost Firewall it will run on your machine and you'll know it's there. Consequently I like an external firewall because I only need to interact with it to change settings. External firewalls also have the advantage of offering protection for all computers on a network, regardless of OS. When it comes to simplicity though Outpost Firewall seems to be the winner. A good firewall will actually help with all the issues I mention (1 thru 4), though it may be redundant with 0.
Solution: Thankfully MVPS constantly updates a list of jerks which makes it extraordinarily convenient to block a good chunk of internet advertisers. If you know how to edit your hosts file you can manually update it with the MVPS version . Unfortunately new advertisers pop up every day so this isn't a complete solution but it's a pretty damn good attempt. If you'd like to manage your hosts file yourself you might want to give the excellent utility hostsman a try. On the other hand, if modifying your hosts file is not your cup of tea you can check out Ad Muncher which performs most of the tasks of a good hosts file but through it's own utility.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: The reason why I recommend this over traditional browser based advert blockers is because this works for everything on your computer. It even prevents some trojans from calling home and turning your computer into a digital depot. You can use this in conjunction with a browser based ad-blocker if you want the additional features it affords you, but don't skip on the hosts file/Ad Muncher! There are minor compatibility issues and they're usually with sites that are deeply in cahoots with advertisers. Oddly enough I noticed that I couldn't download VMware officially (without disabling my hosts file) because my hosts file was preventing VMware from sending my personal info to marketers . A hosts file will actually help with all the issues I mention (1 thru 4).
Solution: The most comprehensive solution I've found thus far is to remove read/write permissions on the folders mentioned here . If you're using firefox you can try BetterPrivacy .
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Once it's set it's done and it works in all browsers. Unfortunately removing read/write permissions on the folders mentioned on the wikipedia entry will also cause severe compatibility problems with a lot of sites sporting flash content. The only alternative is to use the poorly advertised Flash Settings Manager and disable as much as you can. It will still be necessary to periodically go into the folders on your computer and manually delete all the accumulated garbage or use BetterPrivacy to automate this process.
Solution: Only one way out of this unfortunately. Go into your browser setting and disable cookies but add exceptions for sites you like or otherwise need to visit.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Chances are you'll always find another site to add to the list of exceptions. Worse still is that each browser has to be configured separately. Some sites will completely refuse to work unless you enable cookies for them.
Solution: A good proxy or Tor . If you opt to use Tor I'd recommend JanusVM because it's easy to configure and doesn't require you to manually enter a proxy in different browsers. I've found xroxy and hidemyass provide decent lists of public proxy servers.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Unfortunately you're not going to want to run your internet through a proxy or Tor all the time (unless you have to). Additionally setting up a proxy/Tor is often a per browser setting and can occasionally be a pain in the neck to set up. Tor does have some compatibility issues but they're quite tolerable in my opinion. If you use a good socks5 proxy server you shouldn't have too many problems.
Solution: Turn off JavaScript except on sites that you trust.
Transparency/Omnipresence/Compatibility: Most every site has JavaScript these days so turning it off is going to be a shitstorm.
A note about the numbering of the methods
You may have noticed that the methods start at -1, this is a bit like the rules of thermodynamics. The first two methods are so fundamental that they shouldn't need to be stated but I do anyway to insure that the list is comprehensive.
Any suggestions for improving my list would be great!
Last edited: