How can you protect yourself from unwanted ad injections? [Tips and suggestions]

We’ve been having extensive conversations about this since the past week (in social media and amongst the team), and it seems like a good idea to put all tips and suggestions in one place for future reference!

TIP #1: Stop using http! A lot of sites are now HTTPS by default and many browsers (Brave, Firefox, DuckDuckGo?) put in a warning screen before going to an HTTP address. This will solve most problems!

TIP #2: Use VPN if you have to, but keep in mind that most VPN providers can themselves track your browsing activity so only use providers you trust! Use Wirecutter to get a thorough comparison of VPN providers based on third-party security audits, privacy, security and terms of use.

TIP #3: As a general security practiice, it is advised to NOT install any “certificates” that a website may ask you to. It’s like handing over your master key to a stranger!

Let us know what you think and your suggestions in the comments below!

[And if you use BSNL, and want to talk about it to us in greater detail, use this form]

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A few additional inputs,

Regarding tip #1, you can opt to use an add-on such as HTTPS everywhere. HTTPS Everywhere | Electronic Frontier Foundation

For VPN you can opt to setup your instance of Wireguard/OpenVPN (GitHub - angristan/openvpn-install: Set up your own OpenVPN server on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS or Ar) if you can buy your own VPS (for 5$ or so). Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any trouble setting it up.

How can ads in apps be dealt with? For example, a well known anti-virus app displays a couple of ads before it shows the results of a scan!

Hello,
I am using NextDNS for a while now and it helps a lot from blocking unwanted stuff at the DNS level to analyze all the trackers from sites you have visited.
You can check it out: https://nextdns.io/

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Really cool! Thanks :slight_smile:

I would highly recommend using adblockers. But adblockers are malicious themselves by default! So be careful while installing them as extensions.

The ones which have been vetted by the cybersecurity community are these two -
Ghostery - https://www.ghostery.com/
Ublock Origin - https://ublockorigin.com/ (dont use UBlock! its a commercial version and not recommended)

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