Tracking filter proposal

rick752 · Post by **rick752** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 5:23 pm

I may remove the 'tracking' filter strings from my easylist and just making another smaller filter with only those filters in it.

Besides my strings, I could just add any of the few other ones you would probably have in your own lists ... I could simply just call it the "Tracking Filter" and give credit to the ABP Filter Community. It would only need to update about once a month (as it probably won't change that much).

This would free up our regular filters to only do what there were originally made for ... to block ads. It will also stop the complaining from people who DON'T want these as a default in our main lists. More recently, Linuxworld is complaining about the easylist blocking their Hitbox stats. I've had about 10 different complaints on these filters, not so much that they are there, but because they are there by default! ... these NEED to be optional.

What do you think?

hello5959us · Post by **hello5959us** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 5:33 pm

It should most definitely be a list, but perhaps it should be separate. But PLEASE make the list

IceDogg · Post by **IceDogg** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 7:47 pm

Sounds good to me Rick, if you need help let me know. No filterlist guru but I can do grunt work

rick752 · Post by **rick752** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 7:58 pm

IceDogg wrote:Sounds good to me Rick, if you need help let me know. No filterlist guru but I can do grunt work

There really shouldn't be much grunt work, Dogg. It's as simple as removing them from one filter and just putting them in a separate one. But thanks for offering

This is a good time to do this seeing that the forums are unusually quiet for the easylist at this time. So it seemed like a good idea now.

ps: I already know that Wladimir would prefer an "opt-in" for tracking-blocks, too.

rick752 · Post by **rick752** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:09 pm

hello5959us wrote:It should most definitely be a list, but perhaps it should be separate. But PLEASE make the list

Don't worry, hello. I will not remove those strings until there is an alternative available.

rick752 · Post by **rick752** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:39 pm

I have just now removed the tracking filters from the EasyList and added the "ABP Tracking Filter" as a separate subscription. The list is very small, so if other filter makers would like to add a few to it to be done with them from your own list, PM them to me. It feels good to be rid of those from my main list.

The filter install link is at:
http://easylist.adblockplus.org

It is credited to the "ABP Filter Community"
(not EasyTrack!

)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:03 pm

Please don't, I hate being tracked!

IceDogg · Post by **IceDogg** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:29 pm

Guest, you can still block tracing sites you just have to add another filterset, which won't change much. It will just give people the choice.

Wladimir Palant · Post by **Wladimir Palant** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:44 pm

I don't understand. I wrote a proposal for an interface to configure options for a subscription - something that would allow you to subscribe to some parts of the filter list while leaving out others. But I can't find the forum thread on this, did I forget to post it?

rick752 · Post by **rick752** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:02 pm

@Wladimir:

You talked about it here:
http://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=926

Wladimir Palant · Post by **Wladimir Palant** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:15 pm

Ah, right, http://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7907#7907 is the proposal. Didn't get much feedback on this one - does anybody care?

rick752 · Post by **rick752** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:10 pm

Actually, if the others want to get rid of the tracking filters from their lists like chewey and I have already, it would already be "pre-packaged" and ready to go as a 'community' filter ... the only one needed.

It shouldn't take much to put a tracking filter together once everyone adds their tracking filters to this list instead. So after a little testing, it would be ready for whatever you would like to do with it.

An opt-in in ABP would be fine ... or it could just be listed on your 'subscriptions' web page.

chewey · Post by **chewey** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:34 pm

rick752 wrote:Actually, if the others want to get rid of the tracking filters from their lists like chewey and I have already

In fact, I haven't (yet) - but I will do it some time this week after a little
advertising (:lol:) to my focus group.

rick752 wrote:An opt-in in ABP would be fine ... or it could just be listed on your 'subscriptions' web page.

I think adding a checkbox to the recommendet subscriptions popup for
new installations and to the subscription dialogue itself would do it.
Something like

Code: Select all

[X] block known webbugs and trackers

I even think we shouldn't burden the casual user with how this would
work internally (community created subscription etc.).
Maybe offer a link to a more in-depth explanation?

Adblock Plus

Tracking filter proposal

Tracking filter proposal

I agree

Re: I agree