How to “test your adblocker” website can damage users and the adblocker ecosystem

This post was written by Shivan Kaul Sahib (President for Privacy Engineering).

The courage gives privacy protections to class, including strong add-party ad and tracker blocking. If the need for privacy grows, many websites go out to compare web browsers and extensions. While some of these comparative items, such as https: // protvivacytests.org and https://coverourtracks.eff.orgimportant resources for privacy users, others can be better. This post is evaluated by how few adblocking test websites – those who claim to be the effectiveness of the adblocker-fall due to the bad test method, and harms the edosystem by wrong results.

Problem with Adblocker test websites

Adblocker test sites can mislead – or damage even for many reasons. We designate four major issues below.

Low quality tests

First, the quality of these test websites is usually low. While the goal is good, many adblocking test websites check for restricted domains that Non-Levele or no even used for advertising or tracking. In addition, there is often no-or bad equity given for why there is a specific test.

For example, consider a test website check if your adblocker blocks HTML elements with specific class names, such as .box.banner_ads.adsbox. Most test sites do not give reason for Why An adblocker must block these elements. It is possible that adblockers have identified more effective options to block the actual ad serving elements, but without explicit explanation for test behaviors, it is impossible to check its validity. In fact, the attempt has not changed for blocked elements without reasoning why they NEED focus on any reasonable adblocker.

Savvy users can easily add a custom filter (such as ##.box.banner_ads.adsbox) with adblockers like courage to pass through these tests. However, doing so does not give a visible benefit, and make unnecessary rules that are unintentionally destroying websites. Trying, if done indifferent and wrong, more harmful than good on privacy tools, and finally, users.

Tests often do not follow the real hindrance of the world

The test websites will always fail to imitate the real-world delivery and trace actions. For example, some will issue network requests to basic domains that do not specify paths across the URL, and hopefully it is restricted by a filter list. This method does not show how trackers or ad ads operate in practice. Adblock advocates carefully do their rules to make the minimum required blocking to avoid website functionality – a nuance that is not good ignoring these tests.

Trials ignore the advanced ability to protect

Advanced adblocking capability, such as resource replacementEVER Forgot to these tests. The resource replacement refers to how adblockers specify an informed script tracking with an innocuous script version. It is useful for preserving the website’s behavior while still obstructing imperial privacy. Because these features are not easily measured in simple network request attempts, they are not excluded from scoring a testing website, which can lead to actual adblocker effectiveness.

Trials cannot be used for specific domain specified

To minimize website breakage risk, adblockers often use domain rules (rules only available on a particular website) instead of generic rules available on all websites. For example, a request to usertrack.js On the website search.com be something that an adblocker wants to block, because it knows that usertrack.js To that website is used for cross-site tracking. However, on different websites such as shoes.comA script named usertrack.js Can be a legitimate script used for tracking user preferences such as evening mode or theme. The test websites don’t try for this nuance because their assessments are charged with their own domain. Thus a simple overlap of the naming script can lead to scoring errors.

Why test websites can mislead for users

Mainly, these trials are unable to differentiate between adblockers effectively. Most adblockers are dependent on the same community filtering lists for their blocking rules, with minor deviations. Brave, for example, directly supports and continues to take care of the child easiness projects, and Proclaims research and techniques related to ad and tracker blocking. This shared foundation allows filter lists to work together and adapt immediately, especially against ressourced companies.

This means that the test websites is badly measured “are your adblocker requests on tracker.com?” There is a limited amount, because key rules are usually the same as big adblockers. Worst, these tests inspire adblockers to manipulate the odds to avoid misbehaving users. Both ublock source and adguard, two large adblockers, increased workarounds to pass tests (Cough workaround,, Addourard Workaround) To avoid confusing and alarming their users.

The boldly active reached – and attempted to help – the authors of many test websites to improve their attempts in the past (Here are some examples), but we have to eliminate efforts due to the basic test method issues (as described in this post) and the reason that quality tests will continue to add.

How are the adblockers NEED measure each other

Adblockers should be (and regularly do) different themselves in areas such as community-based support, advance, advanced adblocking features, and behavioral acts. These are different adblock comparison sites – and users – must focus on.

Extension-Base Hand Support

with Google has revealed v2 deprecationWeb extensions extensions faced endless threats to their abilities. At least, reveals hamstrings adblocking extensions by executing a cape to block the rules and banning background pages while that requires service workers. The adblocking engine of the rust of the brave machine, which is directly united with the browser and does not depend on any extensions, remain unaffected by any Google who will require for extensions. This ensures that brave shields will continue to offer a better ad and tracker experience. Brave will even Support some manifest v2 The extensions want to use interims before perfect transfer of brave shields as their primary adblocker.

make

Efficient equal algorithms Ensure small impact on browsing violence and system resources while blocking ads and trackers. The adblocking machine of browser-based browser is built in the browser, so we are allowed to make deep browser changes and adblocking code ensuring best regeneration. We are active working on improving our machine’s performance especially related to memory usage.

Advanced Adblocking Capabilities

Brave often sent new features of adblock like Prosedurale cosmedic filarethat allows for good control ad control and tracker block and tracker, and to expand class ads we can block for our users.

behavior

Unlike extensions to participate in “pay-to-play” programsThe bold will not accept fees to unblock some advertisers or trackers. This ensures that the user’s privacy and experience remains the most priority.

Overall, adblock tests make more harm than good

We clap the purpose behind Adblocker’s test websites. Online advertising online advertising-based advertising and ecosysemized ecosystem tracking at a point that even US intelligence agencies use adblockers in the room to deal with the threat of evil. Bold already It is meant to condemn this third party advertising and suggested choices preferring Brave ads that mainly the user, not the third ad-tech parties. But while good intentions, the adblocking testing website is now more harmful than good. By improving reasonable and quality standards, these trials are misleading users, press adblockers to adopt unnecessary field developments.

Besides, while adblockers are an important tool, privacy-targeted browsers as brave can protect users in ways that adblockers cannot. Read our Blog Privacy Updated For more details of how brave privacy ships are privatized to protect and enhance your web browsing experience. Courage will continue to work with legitimate test sites such as https: // protvivacytests.org and https://coverourtracks.eff.org and to a larger open source of filter list and adblock communities. Only through a steady test method and approves sets of common privacy we can harm web privacy for all users.