Adblock Plus and (a little) more

Get notified! Do you want notifications when sites track you for Facebook? · 2018-06-08 14:58 by Tom Woolford

At Adblock Plus, we’re all about user choice, and we’re more than happy to see other companies champion this cause. Apple’s recent announcement at WWDC 2018 that they are taking a hard line on social media tracking is great news for users, and a slap in the face for unscrupulous companies that value data above all else.

If you’re not an Apple customer, or if you can’t wait until September to block social tracking, you can always use Adblock Plus. To block social tracking, click here, then click “open this dialogue.” You can also click here, then click “Subscribe: Fanboy’s Social Blocking List.” Here is a browser-specific guide for installation if you’re still having trouble…

So what’s the big issue with social media tracking, and why are Apple and Adblock Plus so gung-ho about blocking it? Well, like buttons, share buttons and comment fields placed on websites allow social media companies to track you whether you click on them or not, and even if you are not logged into a social network.

In an unprecedented move, not only will Apple block this shady practice, but they will also notify users when a site is offering up your data to Facebook. This will hopefully highlight the scale of the problem to users, but could prove controversial if users get peppered with notifications.

How do you feel about a new privacy feature?

Would you like to see Adblock Plus notify you when a site is trying to track you? Blocking Facebook and other social media companies is a special feature that you have to activate (see above). Even if you know about this feature, millions of your peers do not. Should we look into building this feature? Let your voice be heard here.

Tags: adblock plus

Comment [6]

1. dave · 2018-06-08 17:34 · #

   I love to see this feature added to Adblock as long as you include a white for sites that I happy with to track and a black list to record those sites I NEVER want to track me.

   Reply from Tom Woolford:

   Thanks for the feedback Dave! We’ll take what you say into account :D

2. Karen Ashley · 2018-06-08 22:21 · #

   Facebook has dating sites peppered with shills to derive personal information for money

3. Roy · 2018-06-09 03:53 · #

   Predatory big capitalist brother tracks us then spam us with toys we do not need.

4. Johny Malik · 2018-06-13 16:10 · #

   AdBlock Plus is my all time favourite app for blocking ads in every device of mine. Whether it’s windows or Android, AdBlock Plus is my only choice.
   No doubt that it is featured on many best ad blockers articles.

5. xElGabix · 2018-06-16 04:10 · #

   Me encantaría que se agregara sistema de notificaciones :D

   Reply from Tom Woolford:

   Hola,

   Gracias por el comentario!

   Tom

6. kevin · 2018-06-23 07:15 · #

   of course I would like to see Adblock Plus notify me when a site is trying to track. Adblock plus is all time favorite for me. thanks for sharing this info with us.
   regards
   technews

   Reply from Tom Woolford:

   Hey Kevin,

   Thank you for the feedback! Stay tuned for more developments with this feature.

   Tom

Commenting is closed for this article.