Basically, apps or app extensions can use the Content Blocker API tell Safari what to block based on a set of rules before rendering a web page.Īfter letting these two features spread in the app ecosystem for a few years, Apple realized it didn't need web developers creating extensions for Safari directly, as they could simply leverage the apps in its App Store to provide Safari users with extra features. App Extensions and Content Blockerįor Apple users, it all started a few years back when the company announced App Extensions, a mechanism through which apps could extend their functionality into other apps.Īpple said that App Extensions would work in tandem with Content Blocker, a mechanism introduced in iOS 9, in 2013.
Over the course of the last year and a half, Apple has effectively neutered ad blockers in Safari, something that Google has been heavily criticized all this year.īut unlike Google, Apple never received any flak, and came out of the whole process with a reputation of caring about users' privacy, rather than attempting to "neuter ad blockers." The reasons may be Apple's smaller userbase, the fact that changes rolled out across years instead of months, and the fact that Apple doesn't rely on ads for its profits, meaning there was no ulterior motive behind its ecosystem changes. There's been much said about Google's supposed plans to limit the power of ad blockers in Chrome, but something similar has already happened in Safari, and not that many people have noticed, let alone criticize Apple. 10 dangerous app vulnerabilities to watch out for (free PDF).Verdict:Īn excellent content blocker, highly configurable, packed with features, but also carefully optimised to be as lightweight and speedy as possible.Google Drive alternative: Decentralized and encrypted If you're using a VPN which doesn't block WebRTC leaks, for instance, there's a Privacy option in Settings which should do it for you.
The more you select, the more likely you are to have problems, without necessarily much gain in security.Įxperts can customise the program with their own filters, and there are a few other potentially useful extras. The "3rd-party filters" tab in uBlock's Settings shows you all the currently active filters and has many others, but treat this with care. UBlock Origin uses multiple sources to identify what to block, including Malware Domain List, EasyList and Peter Lowe's Ad and tracking server list. An element picker enables fine-tuning blocking for a specific part of the current page, or you can turn blocking off entirely for the whole site. If a site isn't working, you're able to toggle particular blocking types - popups, large media elements, remote fonts, more - with a click. UBlock Origin adds an icon to your address bar which shows the number of requests it's blocked if everything's fine you can leave it to run entirely atomatically, but clicking the icon displays a panel giving more control.
If you've ever used another ad blocker you'll already understand the basics. UBlock Origin is a popular and efficient content blocker which can protect you from ads, trackers, malware and more.