Did you know that the average Internet user sees about 7,000 advertisements per day? With advanced digital technologies, marketers have acquired new powerful tools. They discovered many options for promoting products or services. Software developers and webmasters also introduced advertising as a way to monetize shareware applications and services. Of course, this approach affected the final quality of virtual products negatively. It is not easy to wade through the jungle of banners and video inserts to the much-desired content. We understand it better than others, so we analyzed tools for blocking annoying spam and identified a favorite. We will talk about it at the end of the article.
Digital security experts are here. Today, we will tell you how to effectively deal with ads on various devices, why analytic trackers are dangerous, and how to protect yourself from identity theft.
Internet security: a user is an open book
Have you noticed that after viewing any product content, for example, the characteristics of a smartphone or the range of goods in a jewelry store, most banners in apps and on websites are changed, offering similar items at an attractive price? It is called targeting. Special services customize ads so that they are displayed only to a segmented audience.
How do they know where to address promotions and great offers exactly? It is very simple. Analytical resources collect information about user actions everywhere: online stores, apps, and even some games. By analyzing this data, marketers determine the interests of the target audience and personalize advertising.
Based on the tracking results, the following is determined:
- How much time do users spend on the page?
- What positions arouse their maximum interest?
- Where do the users come from?
- What elements on the website do they interact with?
In fact, trackers check our actions both on Internet resources and in applications. They provide this information to marketers who build a content plan and creatives on its basis. They encourage us to take a targeted action: redirection, purchase, or registration.
Okay, you learned how your data is obtained. It’s time to tell you how to protect yourself from surveillance and turn off annoying ads.
Adblocker app in everyday life: pros, cons, nuances
We have tested dozens of ad blocking tools. Some work well but ignore certain distribution channels. Others are costly or monetized by the same method as regular apps (banners, affiliate networks, and ads in general). To select viable programs, we built an audit plan and a list of requirements for the basic functionality.
In our opinion, an effective blocker:
- Filters traffic by cutting off spam, banners, and advertising videos.
- Works in the background without system overloading.
- Saves megabytes in the tariff package.
- Prevents trackers from monitoring user activities.
- Rejects any requests to show location, confidential data, and browser/app logs.
- Has a clear and simple interface and easy registration.
- Is connected to the channel of communication with developers and technical support.
- Is inexpensive and has multiple subscription options.
Among all the tested apps, only a few came up to our requirements. Moreover, only one of them fully meets user needs and even offers additional benefits. AWAX ad blocker app stands out from its competitors.Â
Its main advantage is a local VPN connection, which redirects all incoming traffic to filter. It blocks ads automatically and rejects requests for access to confidential data from tracking services and malicious resources. The application does not require a constant connection to external servers, saving traffic and not overloading the system. Databases are updated once a day, mainly via a Wi-Fi connection.
Nuances and cons of the ad blocker app
The program works using a local VPN connection, so it is impossible to connect to external servers while using the blocker. It is a disadvantage of Android and IOS rather than the software. Another peculiarity of this solution is a small functionality on Apple devices, where the filter is active only in the Safari browser. But it is a nuance of this OS again.
Based on this information, we concluded: products with a local VPN connection and an active filter are more efficient in dealing with undesirable content on websites and apps. Also, classic monetization discourages developers from leaking user information for rewards. Our advice: use trusted software and enjoy a clean and secure internet.
