From xcancel:
The team behind uAssets, the filter lists used by uBlock Origin, says it will stop fixing ad-blocking issues on Facebook. They say Facebook keeps finding ways around new fixes, making the work increasingly difficult to sustain.
This won’t affect AdGuard’s Facebook filters. We maintain our own rules and will continue updating them.
There’s nothing to celebrate here. It shows how hard it is for small, often volunteer-run teams to keep up with tech giants — and how important their work is for everyone who wants more control over what they see online
uBlock Origin offers some AdGuard rule sets, so I don’t know exactly what this means for existing uBO users.
That’s very good wording from them. I was worried they were going to try and throw ublock under the bus, when really ublock has had a boot on it’s neck from these big tech giants.
I’m very mixed. It’s a small team, they do great work and keep the internet functional for a huge chunk of us, and they’re burned out. It’s a defeat. However no one who uses adblock should be using Facebook either, it’s a garbage platform that is literally 97% ads. (I think I saw someone flipping through posts and only got to a “friend” post after going through like 30+ other garbage)
Sad and frustrating news.
It’s a small team, they do great work and keep the internet functional for a huge chunk of us, and they’re burned out. It’s a defeat.
Putting work into blocking any ads is phenomenal, and tackling Facebook as long as they did is heroic, full stop. I’m a little bummed that there seems to be no way to donate to the uAssets team.
However no one who uses adblock should be using Facebook either, it’s a garbage platform that is literally 97% ads.
I hate Facebook with a burning passion, but I believe it’s important to keep blocking ads on it because
- Philosophically, ad blockers aren’t just for niche websites, they are supposed to be general-purpose content blockers for literally everybody, which is part of the purpose of web browsers: to be a user agent. (I saw a lot of people use this point back when Google was contemplating implementing Manifest V3, which ultimately prevented as users from using a browser the way they chose)
- I bet a lot of people who use content blockers are not nearly as invested in privacy technology as us, which is perfectly fine, especially if it provides a gateway into being more aware.
- The more normalized content blocking is (e.g. if it’s even for Facebook boomers who don’t care about privacy), the harder it is for it to be written off as some niche activity.
However no one who uses adblock should be using Facebook either
If you ask me for help with your computer, whether you’re my mother, mother in law, or uncle, if I had to open your browser at some point then I’m gonna install uBlock Origin. It’s unfortunately the price you have to pay for my help.
What I’m getting at is I’ve installed it on many people’s computers even if they are regular Facebook users.
I somehow managed to install ublock on my work computer.
Fair, I do the same
I mean, if nowadays you’re still on Facebook, you deserve whatever you get
honestly no excuse to be on it. I remember years and years ago when I left FB people kept saying “how will you stay in touch with your parents? family? etc” and i’m like “uh I have this device called a phone. ya see I input 10 numbers into it and it allows me to talk to my parents and family whenever I want. there’s also this new fangled thing called email.”
Plus my Mom is the only person I know that still uses it. My Dad was never into it and I have easier time rolling into the IRC chat rooms he frequents to get in touch than anything else. which usually means logging into a Slackware IRC room or the TechTV room he made hoping other former TechTV viewers will show up. but that’s a story for another time.
Unfortunately it’s literally the only place my local bike shop posts their group ride information.
Is there a way around this? Local events near me only post there. Drives me insane and I refuse to get a Facebook account just so I know where the writers group wants to grab coffee.
An archive work around, some crawler, anything I’m not aware of?
None that I’ve found so far.
Let me recommend phice, a lightweight privacy-friendly alternative front-end for Facebook.
yeah it’s probably a lotta work for a platform that is, i’d imagine, fairly unpopular for the crowd that actually uses ublock.
Facebook users are the parents, aunts, uncles, and technologically illiterate friends of uBO users :)
You can block Facebook ads by blocking the Facebook domains. This is what I do, anyway.
Even if you get through the ads, there’s nothing of value there. At best, you’re maintaining superficial relationships while wading through AI slop and ragebait. If you haven’t actually talked to the person in years, consider whether there’s even a real connection there or if you’re just inflating each other’s egos by pressing a like button every couple weeks.
I think some of us remember MySpace days, when you reconnected with old friends and quickly remembered why you’re no longer friends. For my cohort, Facebook solved a solved problem. Once I got anything other than from friends, I bounced. Haven’t talked to a few since, but if that’s their bag, more power to them.
I barely even use Shitbook anymore so i won’t hold it against them if they abandon it entirely.
Everyone still on Crapbook deserve all the shit they are serving on that brainrot platform.
I wish all my friends would delete their accounts en mass.
