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https://github.com/dgraham/Ka-Block

A Safari extension that blocks an artisanal selection of advertising domains.
https://github.com/dgraham/Ka-Block

artisanal-selection corporation safari-extension

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A Safari extension that blocks an artisanal selection of advertising domains.

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README 

        
# Ka-Block!



A Safari browser extension that blocks an artisanal selection of advertising

domains.



![Ka-Block!](/Shared%20(App)/Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/256x256.png)



## State of the art



The most popular ad blocking extensions take a no holds barred, nuke them from

orbit approach. The goal is not only to never see an ad on a web page, but to never

see the sad, empty space left behind by the ad that used to be.



While this is highly effective, there is a heavy price to pay. The list of rules

filtering out advertisements in these extensions weighs in at over 1 MB. It

includes partial domain matches, URL fragments, highly specific HTML element

identifiers that were found on at least one web page at some point in the last

decade. They may or may not exist on any page today, and there's no way to

verify their existence.



These filtering rules also contain a whitelist of *allowable* ads. If your

corporation pays their corporation enough money, the ad blocker allows your

ads through so the visitor may view them. Not only did you pay for the ad,

you paid a third-party for it to actually be viewed by a human.



That's a nice billboard you have there. It would be a shame if something

happened to it.



This list must be refreshed periodically in our browsers. The extension makes

a network connection, downloads the list again, and stores it in memory. Some

ad blocker extensions take this opportunity to store unique information about

us on their servers. Sites visited, links clicked, type of browser, and

operating system information can all be stored on their server to build a

profile of each user.



The irony of an extension designed to protect a person's privacy, violating

it within seconds of installing is delicious.



## There must be a better way



This extension's goals are modest.



- Block *most* ads and trackers.

- Never contact a server.

- Never slow down a page.



Some ads will get through this filter, and that's ok. We already have

extensions that block every ad that's ever appeared on the web with a

completionist zeal that must be admired. Provided we accept the tradeoffs

described above, those blockers work great.



This ad filtering code makes *zero* network connections. The only way for the

list of blocked domains to be updated is to release a new version of the

extension itself.



The filtering extension has no access to the pages or sites loaded by the

browser. No code from this extension even runs while browsing the web.

Ka-Block! provides the list of filtered domains to Safari and the browser

does the rest, maintaining your privacy.



## Installation



Ka-Block! can be installed from the [Mac App Store][macos] or the [App Store][ios] for iOS.



## Updating the domain list



If there's a pesky ad-serving domain that's getting through the filter, open

a pull request with the domain and a site or two on which its ads appear. We'll

add it to the [blocked domains list](/Shared%20(Extension)/blockerList.json)

and release a new version of the extension to include it.



## License



Ka-Block! is released under the terms of the MIT license. Check the LICENSE

file for details.



<3



[macos]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ka-block/id1335413823?mt=12

[ios]: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/app/ka-block!/id1037173557?mt=8