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PiHole Ad Blocker

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codecage
(@codecage)
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@spyder

A question I have no answer for I'm afraid!  If someone else can advise, I'm all ears!!

SteveG


   
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(@dronebot-workshop)
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Posted by: @codecage

Well they claim it will work, but at least for me it did NOT!  It did add enough 'block domains' to my list that the list now is over 1 million, but it blocks no ads from YouTube.

As Bill mentioned above, the YouTube ads come from YouTube servers, not from 3rd parties, so you'd have to block the YouTube feed to stop the ads, and therefor you wouldn't get the video you wanted either.  Might as well not watch the YouTube video in the first place.  If you're not watching, NO ads.

The following is pretty well all speculation and is open for debate:

I suspect the list of a million domains does include some YouTube ones, which may be why it sometimes works.  But the key word here is "sometimes".

YouTube uses a CDN (Content Distribution Network) for their video, and likely for the advertisements as well. So the video I see on my screen here in Montreal may not be delivered by the same server @codecage watches in Georgia, even though we are watching the same content. I suspect it would be the same for the ads.

Any system like this, especially with a million domain names, is just playing cat-and-mouse. They discover new YouTube-owned advertising servers and try and strip their content out of the stream. YouTube responds by changing the server names, they respond by finding and adding the new servers.   Some folks luck out and get their ads removed because they're being served by servers on the list. When YouTube changes that server the luck runs out, until they load an updated list.

YouTube has a vested interest in having you see the advertisements. This is how they make their revenue, and they also offer YouTube Red which is their advertisement-free subscription service. 

YouTube also has an additional advantage when it comes to Chrome and Chrome-based browsers. Since they are affiliated with the people who write the code for these browsers they can probably put some browser-level code in place to foil ad-blockers.

This reminds me of the early 80s when we were decoding pay TV. The networks would find one way to scramble the signal and we would dissect it and figure out how to put it back together. It worked for a while until they changed the system and we had to get the scopes back out and try again. Again a cat-and-mouse game!

😎

Bill

 

"Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window." — Steve Wozniak


   
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Spyder
(@spyder)
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Posted by: @dronebot-workshop

YouTube also has an additional advantage when it comes to Chrome and Chrome-based browsers. Since they are affiliated with the people who write the code for these browsers they can probably put some browser-level code in place to foil ad-blockers.

This may sound counterintuitive, but, that might actually explain why the ABP plugin DOES work on my Chrome browser

Theory: ... The ABP Chrome plugin isn't a blocking a million ad servers, it's turning off some "switch" inside Chrome that triggers (or allows, or asks for) the ads, or maybe utilizing some trick that YT uses to turn off the ads in their paid service. Either way, it's basically "flicking a switch" inside Chrome as opposed to blocking the ad servers

Any good theory fits the available facts. On the other hand, using that logic, magic also explains it, but I'm currently disinclined to believe in such things


   
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(@dronebot-workshop)
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Posted by: @spyder

Theory: ... The ABP Chrome plugin isn't a blocking a million ad servers, it's turning off some "switch" inside Chrome that triggers (or allows, or asks for) the ads, or maybe utilizing some trick that YT uses to turn off the ads in their paid service. Either way, it's basically "flicking a switch" inside Chrome as opposed to blocking the ad servers

Perhaps.

Chrome has a built-in ad blocker, but it never blocks Google ads. Maybe the plugin has found a way to trick it to block the Google ads when you view YouTube - "throw a switch" as you suggested.

😎

Bill

"Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window." — Steve Wozniak


   
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Spyder
(@spyder)
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Posted by: @dronebot-workshop

Chrome has a built-in ad blocker

I had zero luck getting Chrome installed on the Roku monitor, but I did manage to get Chrome installed on the Amazon monitor on my desktop, but now it's fighting me on attempting to install the ABP plugin, and I've currently run out of ideas

I do have the beginnings of an idea, but it's going to take more research first

I'm working on a different project anyway. I'll get back to this if a lightbulb lights up over my head


   
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(@yurkshirelad)
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Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 493
 

I doubt PiHole could block ads in a YouTube video, because they're being fed via Google's IPs that aren't blocked and are required to watch videos. In my experience, you need an ad blocker for your browser. I use Firefox with uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger and I can't remember the last time I saw an ad on YouTube. That does mean you can't use the YouTube app though.


   
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Sean451
(@sean451)
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Posts: 62
 

@yurkshirelad

From what I understand, PiHole won't work on YouTube, but I find that Firefox blocks most ads just fine. However, my problem is that I like to snuggle in bed at night to read with my Kindle and sometimes I do want to surf the net on occasion and am bombarded by advertising, because we all know Amazon loves to make money. I was interested in install PiHole for my home system, but I chickened out when it came time to modify the router. My roommate handles the cable and internet and I didn't want to do something that would require her to make a call to the cable company. She puts up with enough as is with all of my electronic bits lying around the dining room.

Cheers!

--->Sean

(◕(' 人 ') ◕)


   
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(@yurkshirelad)
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Sean, when you say "modify the router", I assume you mean to configure it to automatically use PiHole for all devices? If so, you might be able to modify the Kindle to use PiHole, but don't quote me on that; I'm not familiar with the Kindle. You can manually configure some devices to use PiHole or any other DNS server but it isn't always easy.


   
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Sean451
(@sean451)
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@yurkshirelad

Wouldn't it require installing another program on the Kindle such as VNC viewer which allows you to connect to the Pi's web address? That would be hard since the apps for the Kindle are limited in scope.

--->Sean

(◕(' 人 ') ◕)


   
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(@yurkshirelad)
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Not necessarily; to configure any device or computer to use PiHole, you need to configure its WiFi settings to use PiHole as the DNS server. I don't know if you can do with this with the Kindle. I'll try to research this later after work.


   
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codecage
(@codecage)
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Topic starter  

@yurkshirelad

The way to accomplish that is to have the PiHole be the DHCP server as well, that way it can dish out the DNS servers you want.

SteveG


   
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(@yurkshirelad)
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Posted by: @codecage

@yurkshirelad

The way to accomplish that is to have the PiHole be the DHCP server as well, that way it can dish out the DNS servers you want.

That's very true, thanks.


   
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