22 MACWORLD APRIL 2020
MACUSER REVIEW: 1BLOCKER 3extensions for flexible control. 1Blocker 3 is
an overhaul of the macOS app, intended
to provide a simpler interface for users
who don’t want to dig into rules and to
meet new extension requirements set by
Apple for the latest release of Safari.
The result is a tool that you can
essentially set and forget. However, in this
initial release, you can’t dig beneath the
surface to tweak further, as was possible in
the previous version. The company
promises more fine-grained control in
future updates, including a page-based
selector for marking items to block, such
as boxes that appear and hide content.
This feature appeared in earlier releases.
Content-blocking tools can be
contentious if their entire goal is to prevent
sites from receiving revenue from ads
shown to visitors. 1Blocker threads that
needle by offering switches and
customization that let users still see ads
they want or load everything at sites they
trust while blocking much that’s unneeded,
invasive of privacy, or actively risky.A NEW EXTENSIONS
APPROACH
Safari once had a wide-ranging architecture
for extensions, and it was an environment
where a number of privacy tools thrived.
Some of them focused on blocking ads,
while others had a broader interest in
preventing a range of behavior. But in
Apple’s ongoing
effort to limit the
surface in which
malware can
affect users, it
opted to shift
extensions
entirely to the
Mac App Store
and limit their
functionality.
(Some argue
Apple has other
motives, but the
company
continues to
invest in theThe standalone 1Blocker app lets you choose which categories of rules to
apply, but is more limited in choosing among rules in each category.