Ad Trackers Accounted for 10.22 Percent of Global Internet Traffic in 2025, Up from 7.84 Percent in 2024

[Sampei.Nihira]

With filter lists, you’ll never be able to block more than a certain percentage of trackers.

Let’s take the simplest example: when a new third-party tracker is created that hasn’t yet been added to the filter lists, it gets past your ad blocker for weeks.
However, since it’s a third-party tracker, it’s immediately blocked by dynamic filtering.

The same applies when a third-party tracker uses a randomized domain or endpoint rotation (same domain).
Filter lists will never be able to keep up with it because it might change every week.
And then, of course, there are first-party trackers that will never be blocked by extensions like PB, DNS, or uBoL/UBO without blocking first-party JavaScript, as Noscript does.

So if you want a conservative estimate using uBoL (Easy Mode)—even with the help of DNS—you’re looking at 75–90% (obviously depending on the websites you visit) of trackers blocked.

By adding Hard Mode, you reach 90–95%.

If you also block first-party JavaScript in a manner similar to Noscript’s “Deny” mode, you’ll reach 95–99%.

The final percentage isn’t important; you need to improve (if you wish) the initial percentage.
The final percentage will always reach a maximum of 99% of trackers blocked.

But it makes a big difference whether your starting percentage is 75% or 95%.

 

[Parkinsond]

If you also block first-party JavaScript in a manner similar to Noscript’s “Deny” mode, you’ll reach 95–99%.

Can lead to breaking some websites?

 

[Sorrento]

Libre Wolf is used here 90++ of the time with uBlock, that covers most of the bases for me at the moment I use AirVPN / their DNS filters too, I'm not going to get to the situation where I spend more time securing my system than using it, & in the past I have & its not for me helpful, I also use many other devices in my home that track me, I can now live with it

 

[Marko :)]

1. If Google had already removed the WebRequest API from Chrome, how would I use uBo in that browser?
   
2. uBo features native dynamic filtering.
   This feature allows you to limit third-party privacy violations almost independently of filter lists.

Google didn't remove the code completely, they restricted its use. MV2 is deeply integrated in the code itself and it's not 10 lines of code you remove and job done. They are probably stripping parts of it away more and more with each release. This is why you still have option in chrome://flags to temporary enable it. Now the question is will Google remove it entirely or their goal was to disable it for an average user, not advanced users.

Regardless, I didn't want to take any chances so I transitioned to Firefox. uBlock Origin always worked better in Firefox anyway.

10% trackers, 10% ADs, 10% bots, 10% search crawlers, ... are there actually any humans left?! Forums with 100k users and only a few dozens active. It is like ... Matrix.

Just 10% of each? There's not chance it's just 10%. More like 20%.

With filter lists, you’ll never be able to block more than a certain percentage of trackers.

Let’s take the simplest example: when a new third-party tracker is created that hasn’t yet been added to the filter lists, it gets past your ad blocker for weeks.
However, since it’s a third-party tracker, it’s immediately blocked by dynamic filtering.

Dynamic filtering is great but you constantly have to make exceptions because it breaks a lot of websites.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Can lead to breaking some websites?

That’s often the case, but that’s not the important part.
The important thing is that once you’ve set up your exceptions, you can be sure that 98% of the websites you don’t visit—or any third-party scripts that might track you on a particular website—are blocked.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Google didn't remove the code completely, they restricted its use. MV2 is deeply integrated in the code itself and it's not 10 lines of code you remove and job done. They are probably stripping parts of it away more and more with each release. This is why you still have option in chrome://flags to temporary enable it. Now the question is will Google remove it entirely or their goal was to disable it for an average user, not advanced users.

Regardless, I didn't want to take any chances so I transitioned to Firefox. uBlock Origin always worked better in Firefox anyway.

Just 10% of each? There's not chance it's just 10%. More like 20%.

Dynamic filtering is great but you constantly have to make exceptions because it breaks a lot of websites.

The exceptions in Chrome://flags have been removed, but the same has not been done for the Chromium Command Line Switches.

P.S.

With the use of a list of TLDs, this is no longer the case.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

The strategy you use within TLDs (both DNS and adblock) is very important.

Using an aggressive list (HaGeZi Multi Ultimate) + a complete DNS-level block of non-European language TLDs + certain TLDs at risk of abuse are part of this strategy.

Any legitimate websites that aren’t working can be added to the whitelist.
Any third-party trackers in Russian, North Korean, etc., are blocked by DNS by default.

Then the adblock strategy kicks in...

All of this helps limit third-party trackers without causing any issues that can’t be resolved quickly.



P.S.

My TLD list is very long, but once it's set up......

 

[Marko :)]

There's no benefits of blocking ccTLD, you only break websites that is all. I tried it, didn't like it and quickly stopped blocking them. On the other hand, blocking .website, .tech and similar TLDs does have an effect. However, a lot of piracy sites use these domains because they are cheap. If you visit them, you cannot block them as many websites will be broken.

Percentage of trackers coming from .ru domain is like 1% and they are only used on .ru sites which I rarely visit. Same goes for trackers from .cn domain; I never visit Chinese sites so don't see why I would block entire domain.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Do whatever you want—I use this approach and have no problem to add to the whitelist that might not work properly.
Others might have issues with it; I won’t deny that—we’re not all the same.
I’m perfectly capable of handling any problems that others might find insurmountable or just annoying.

Happy Easter.

 

[TairikuOkami]

I’m perfectly capable of handling any problems that others might find insurmountable or just annoying.

The problem is the price, it cost time. A single webpage uses multiple domains and unblocking each takes 5 min, overall you might end up wasting an hour to access it.

 

[Marko :)]

The problem is the price, it cost time. A single webpage uses multiple domains and unblocking each takes 5 min, overall you might end up wasting an hour to access it.

Exactly, and that's my problem with that kind of blocking. He blocked pretty much entire internet and when he stumbles upon a website not working, then he takes time to find out what is actually blocked that breaks website just so it can manually unblock it. Now... I don't care what one does on its computer, I just find this mind boggling. This is extreme level of paranoia.

Like... he blocked .kp domain of North Korea. Majority of websites on this domain are unavailable from outside of North Korea. That's pretty much the only domain that doesn't contain any trackers whatsoever. Some dude literally leaked entire .kp domain directory and there weren't a lot of them.

 

[cartaphilus]

10% trackers, 10% ADs, 10% bots, 10% search crawlers, ... are there actually any humans left?! Forums with 100k users and only a few dozens active. It is like ... Matrix.

With an advent of AI it's difficult to discern humans from bots. That's why I always look at impeccable grammar and spelling and never editing a post they posted. If all 3 collide yeap it's most likely a bot.

 

[Parkinsond]

With an advent of AI it's difficult to discern humans from bots

I can smell AI content pretending to be humanoid miles away

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

With an advent of AI it's difficult to discern humans from bots. That's why I always look at impeccable grammar and spelling and never editing a post they posted. If all 3 collide yeap it's most likely a bot.

I'm not sure that's a reliable method anymore. Everyday tools like autocorrect and translation apps automatically fix those mistakes for us. Perfect grammar and no edits usually just points to someone using the basic tools on their device, not necessarily a bot.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

The problem is the price, it cost time. A single webpage uses multiple domains and unblocking each takes 5 min, overall you might end up wasting an hour to access it.

You're overestimating the “problem.”
At least at the AG/uBo/uBoL level.
If, on the other hand, this is your timeline at the DNS level, I won't comment further.

 

[LinuxFan58]

I experimented with TLD whitelisting a lot using AdGuard extension only as TLD firewall. The TLD's I allowed were com, io, net, org, edu plus the extended EU-zone country codes and plus the 5 eyes countries.

I used AG because of its logging and as @TairikuOkami mentioned it can break some websites and it takes some time to correct (using the logs) and after a while as @Sampei.Nihira mentions all websites you visit work well.

In Cloudflare Zero Trust it is possible to block domains based on IP location, this is with the newly seen or registered domains block a very powerfull security enhancement with (until now no website breakage).

 

[TairikuOkami]

If, on the other hand, this is your timeline at the DNS level, I won't comment further.

You are right, I failed to realize that flushing DNS in Windows does not affect the browser, I have to flush DNS within the browser and that is it. Thanks for the kick.

edge://net-internals/#dns

 

[LinuxFan58]

You both (@TairikuOkami and @Sampei.Nihira ) inspired me to experiment with high level TLD blocking (or better said whitelisting to TLD origins I normally surf or browse).

Takes a bit of tweaking, but I rarely encounter FP (zero since I used Cloudflare's ZT IP origin country and IP origin continent feature).

 

[Sorrento]

Even more worrying is the amount of traffic by users searching for cat pictures now in my case my folders of 'Astounded Cats' these get sent to friends when they have accomplished some great feat, that does not always go well with them however as I am myself this just spurs me on. I was just looking & its thought back in 2015 699 million are at some point searching for cats and/or cat-related content every month

Unverified info: Research has suggested that viewing online cat media is related to positive emotions, and that it even may work as a form of digital therapy or stress relief for some users. Some elements of research also show that feelings of guilt when postponing tasks can be reduced by viewing cat content.