Ad Blocking: These Effective Solutions are Possible

wozhere

Hi, I'm a new client of PIA and very happy. However ad Blockers (blokada in my case) can't work anymore as they use vpn definition on Android.

I researched and read many articles, discussions etc on Mace. There are 2 ways to have ad blocking as Google Play Store does not allow ad blocking as part of apps.

1) SEPARATE General AD BLOCKING APP:

* Only works if PIA Android app is installed with a valid account logged in. Not an app for general use
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* The PIA ad blocker apk file Can only be downloaded from PIA website (not Play store)

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2) Extra Hosts Method:

* This would be an app that reads a hosts-like file (not the actual hosts file in /system/etc ). So non rooted users can use it too.
* This new file, example: pia_hosts, can be in the data folder of the new app
* The new ad blocker app can download & update this pia_hosts file (can configure updates in settings) on a regular basis
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* Can have various degrees of strictness: which hosts files are used or not. See list of hosts in blokada Android app

https://github.com/blokadaorg/blokada
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* Initially it can use a single hosts file for the first version of app. Such a regularly updated hosts file can be found for example here:

https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts/blob/master/hosts
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 A sophisticated UI/UX example can be found in pihole but the initial version can simply read the pia_hosts file, later versions can be more complex like interface of the app:

https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/#one-step-automated-install

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Thank you to the PIA team for a great service. I'm already recommending it to friends.

With Android ad blocking, PIA can go really Viral and grow exponentially.

wozhere

If necessary, this new separate ad blocking app for PIA users only, can be created and hosted on a third party separate website.

[Deleted User]

This apk version comes with MACE: https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/helpdesk/guides/android/android-2/android-installing-the-pia-apk-file

wozhere

Thanks PIAThomas. As I said I researched well before posting and I installed that apk. It didn't catch most ads and it's an older version of pia too.

Anyway, my suggestion is for current and future versions of pia app, not past versions. It will also work better as any ad blocker needs constant updating of hosts lists. Because old versions of blockers basically become useless as everyday passes. So my thread here is not about past versions which are not effective any more but a strategy for ongoing effective blocking. As a strategy and constantly updated process.

Thirdly, my suggestion will split the ad blocking from the main app. So completely different to a past, basically dead abandonware apk, apk which misses many of current ad broadcasters, NVM more in future.

Fourthly that will stop updating the main app and sticking to it is not worth it's ever diminishing little benefit.

Thanks again.

Omnibus_IV

The problem I had with ad blocking and PIA was the fact that only one VPN could be used. If I wanted protection with PIA, I had to turn off my adguard or whichever ad blocker I wanted to use. But if I wanted to block ads I had to shutdown PIA. The solution for me was to root my phone.

After I did a root I installed both adaway and PIA. Now I was able to run both. I am sure that PIA's MACE works, but for what I wanted it did not work well. Not sure if MACE is programmable, but adaway allowed me to add specific DNS routes to certain ad sites used by a particular application on my phone.

All is JMHO, but works for me.