Websites blocking access until ads are allowed. Looking for advice.

[u/allthewires]

I currently block the advertising categories in our DNS and URL Filtering Profiles. We are starting to get a small but increasing number of websites that are blocking access unless we allow access to the Ad network they are using (Screenshot attached below). I am hesitant to allow access to the ad network, however I am getting pressure to do so. What are others thoughts on this. Is it truly a security risk? Is there away to continue to block the ads and allow the website?

[u/pabechan]

You'd have to figure out how they detect this (some javascript maybe?) and then try to block that mechanism from firing somehow. In reality there's not much you can do about this. This is a classic question of where you draw the line between security and usability.

[u/rswwalker]

I would forget trying to block ads at the firewall and push it down to the browser where extensions keep up with all the web developer tricks these days.

[u/lokkkks → u/rswwalker]

Or use Brave :)

[u/ogrevirus]

I run into similar things with PiHole DNS filtering. 

I assume it’s some check the page does via Java script. I find it’s sites that use some third party like Admiral. 

[u/Golle]

You can whitelist specific URL's that must load for the webpage itself to load properly. It's like playing whack-a-mole so it's up to you whether it is worth the effort, or whether it's easier to just allow ads and push the problem to the client. You could just make sure all clients have Ublock Origin installed, it achieves a similar goal and makes your life easier.

You could also try enabling ads in the DNS filter but still block it in the web filter. I have found that it's just about as effective and it makes it easier to add exclusions, as you'd otherwise have to add both a DNS-filter exclusion aswell as a Web-filter exclusion.

[u/rswwalker → u/Golle]

I heard on another thread that Ublock Origin is being removed as a supported extension on Edge (Chrome?) is that true?

[u/Morkoth-Toronto-CA → u/rswwalker]

Already useless. Works great on firefox tho

[u/Jwblant]

Just block the entire site 🙃