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DNS-based tracker blocking vs local app-based tracker blocking, (kerala.party)
submitted 1 year ago by Albin9326@kerala.party to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
35 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://kerala.party/post/347631

which is more effective, useful, and efficient?

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[-] miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml 45 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Ideally you'd use both. Something like a pihole to serve as a first wall of defense for the entire network, and then additional things like uBlock Origin for any device with a browser that supports it, for some more granular control.

I'm the kind of person who also uses the hosts file from DivestOS on my PC, because why not. Always fun to see how the pihole doesn't have to block anything on that device because of this.

On that note, Safings' Portmaster is a nice app if you want to have a graphical overview of what's going on on a device.

[-] FrostyTrichs@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Ideally you'd use both. Something like a pihole to serve as a first wall of defense for the entire network, and then additional things like uBlock Origin for any device with a browser that supports it, for some more granular control.

This is how I keep my home setup.

The pihole has a fairly loose blocking setup because some people in the house need access to things that would normally get blocked and I'm not spending weeks unblocking specific things until everyone is happy.

Behind the pihole everyone has their own suite of browser extensions and software to block what they would like at a much more personal level.

[-] stifle867@programming.dev 8 points 1 year ago

Funny (to me) story when I ran pi-hole in a house with housemates (all friends): I bought an rpi zero and installed pi-hole on it. I notified all housemates that I would be installing an adblocker on the network so if anyone has any problems with sites not working to just let me know.

Years go by and finally the rpi zero dies which makes the internet inaccessible as the router was pointing to it. I reconfigure the network back to default in the meantime. I didn't have time to update everyone before one of my housemates made a funny comment.

He mentions that the internet is working again! And something else, he's now able to click on Google search result ads!

Because I don't use Google search I never realised Google ads links were being blocked, and even if I did I wouldn't have realised how common it is for people to rely on the ads!

After some discussion with this housemate he confessed he actually likes seeing ads as it could show him stuff he wants to buy. Needless to say I didn't bother putting pi-hole back on the network.

[-] miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

I'm not too annoyed by whitelisting certain things, doesn't happen all too often for our household. So my pihole is fairly strict already, with over one million domains blocked.

Because honestly, I love my familiy, but I can't trust them to block the right things, and I want them to be as safe and unbothered by ads as possible.

[-] A10@kerala.party 16 points 1 year ago

Well DNS based blocking has its problems mainly devices bypassing your network defined DNS with some encrypted DNS(DoT,DoH) or using hardcoded custom DNS servers.

[-] kylian0087@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

You are able to force devices to use a specified DNS. even when they have hard coded DNS in them. Your router/firewall must be able to support redirection of network traffic though.

[-] bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 1 year ago

This probably won't work if the hard coded DNS is DNS over HTTPS

[-] Turun@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago

Or just a hardcoded IP, lol

[-] abieNathanTheyThem@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A. Device part of a business infrastructure:
Just don't change anything; those policy are there for a reason!

B. Consumer device:
1/ If we're talking about proprietary hardware/software forcing your network to use a specific DNS, then you need to provide more details because you should be able to change it.

2/ There is also the case for a malware:
A fresh start is preferable.
Disinfect the system while offline, then back up the needed files.
Reinstall the system on a new/old formatted drive.
With the exception of taking your privacy/security seriously this time.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 year ago

Sounds like you shouldn't use those devices. I go for custom software personally so I can control the device itself

[-] A10@kerala.party 7 points 1 year ago

What is local app based tracker blocking ? Like ublock origin?

[-] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago

On Android, DuckDuckGo provide an app called App Tracking Protection which blocks everything trying to track you/phone home via the apps you've got installed. Drawbacks are you that you can't run a VPN client at the same time.

[-] A10@kerala.party 4 points 1 year ago

Internally these types of apps are using DNS based blocking similar to this app https://f-droid.org/packages/dnsfilter.android/

[-] yoz@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Install nextdns on your router and unlock origin on your browser.

[-] corey389@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Firefox with Ublock Origin, Router forwarded DNS over TLS to NextDNS. Plus firewall rules to forward all DNS from LAN to the router, on mobile same browser and using Android native DNS over TLS forward to NextDNS

[-] Rooki@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

NextDNS is in the cloud, the cloud is just someone elses computer. You have to trust it really hard.

[-] zwekihoyy@lemmy.ml -2 points 1 year ago

this doesn't mean as much as you think it does.

[-] Rooki@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It means they can snoop ur dns queries. ( and they will do or how they pay their bills? ) It means a lot. Tbh i dont understand people like you. "It doesnt mean as much..." inderect saying "I dont have to hide something" Oh can i watch you on the toilet? Because you dont have anything to hide :)

[-] zwekihoyy@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I said nothing about not having anything to hide. I said it doesn't mean much. dns resolvers were intended to be cloud based. the only difference between nextdns and standard dns resolvers is the control over function nextdns hands the user.

using cloud services also allows home devices to stay secured via keeping ports closed. the whole "the cloud is someone else's computer" is just another way of saying "I don't know how to practice good opsec".

your isp/vpn provider also can log all your data, or are you going to suggest running everything over tor now?

a dns query does not send that much info since all the contained data from site to user is encrypted and takes network routes separate from the DNS query.

[-] Rooki@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

using cloud services to keep ports closed. U know what the dns server needs to go through ports.

I never told u that i am not overly dramatic over privacy but nextdns is just a bad choice.

VPNs are just honeypots change my mind

[-] zwekihoyy@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

you're a moron change mine.

[-] Rooki@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

You are just an apple fanboy change your address

[-] zwekihoyy@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

I don't own an apple product lmao what. actually that's a lie, I use an old iPhone X as a remote for my chromecast.

[-] MinekPo1@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 1 year ago

Honestly I use both on my phone via RethinkDNS, which also can act as a firewall.

[-] Zana@startrek.website 3 points 1 year ago

How does it compare to NextDNS? i've never heard of it but it looks good!

[-] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago

For me its a moot point - my ISP doesn't allow altering DNS on my router so I just installed Mullvad on all my devices and use their DNS.

[-] CatsGoMOW@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

There shouldn’t be any reason you can’t change the DNS setting on your devices though, right? You’re not required to use your router for DNS.

[-] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 year ago

Correct - hence my comment about using Mullvads.

[-] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 year ago

You don't need to use Mullvad to change your local machine's DNS, and as long as you can do that, you can set up a pihole on your network to handle DNSad blocking still.

[-] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago

No I know in don't need to use Mullvad to change my local machines DNS, but I'm using it anyway so may as well.

But I am curious about I could get other networked devices to use DNS on my local machine. Do you mean set up a hotspot and point everything to that?

[-] mea_rah@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I think they might be talking about manual configuration. Some systems let you configure DNS separately from IP configuration. (So you could set up custom DNS while using DHCP) With some you'd have to set static IP as well, which might not be convenient but also possible.

[-] Blizzard@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm trying to find the article but it looks like just a question?

Local lets you customize what you want to block, which lists to subscribe to and quickly change settings or disable blocking which is useful for troubleshooting when something doesn't load. However local apps (I'm talking smartphone apps) can be blocked or routing https traffic through those apps can be refused by the apps you are filtering.

DNS filtering will let you filter all your devices at once but I don't think you have much control over what's exactly being blocked and it's less convenient to pause filtering (switch DNS).

If you're talking about tracker blocking on PC rather than mobile then it's a no brainer - use uBlock Origin addon your browser and you're golden.

[-] PuppyOSAndCoffee@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

open source proxy / DNS blocker don't (or shouldn't) have commercial agendas & obligations that commercial OS & Browsers may impose.

[-] Carter@feddit.uk 0 points 1 year ago

DNS based blocking never works for me.

this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2023
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