Techlore Talks Inside Ad Blocking: Interviews from the Ad Filtering Dev Summit
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Jan 6, 2026 Anton Lazarev, an engineer at Brave, discusses their innovative native ad-blocking technology and privacy-centric AI features. He dives into the differences between browser and system-level ad protection. Peter Lowe, the maintainer of a legendary block list since 1997, shares insights on the creepy nature of tracking and the philosophy behind his meticulous curation of domains. Together, they illuminate the evolving landscape of ad blocking, its impact on privacy, and future trends that consumers should keep an eye on.
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System-Wide URL Filtering Changes iOS Privacy
- Apple's new URL-filtering API enables system-wide blocking of full URLs while preserving user privacy.
- Andre (AdGuard) says this allows blocking trackers embedded on shared domains without seeing your visited URLs.
Expect Premium Tier For System Filtering
- Expect system-wide filtering to be offered as a premium feature due to backend resource costs.
- AdGuard plans to roll the feature out to paid users first and estimates a two-to-three month timeline.
Macs Get Comparable Filtering Options
- macOS will receive similar URL-filtering capabilities, but AdGuard's desktop apps already offer system-wide approaches.
- The free macOS app (Safari-only) will gain broader filtering like the premium app.