In our live seminars, we talk a lot about the ways Web sites in general, and search engines in particular, are able to customize the informaiton you see based on numerous factors, including your location (as detected by you Internet conneciton), your IP (Internet Protocol) Address, previous web history, among others. One remedy we we suggest to minimize some of this customization is to start an Incognito or Private browsing session (different browsers refer to the process by different names) to hide some of that information from the sites you visit.
A German company, eBlocker, is showing an eponymous new product/service here at CES that blocks even more of that information to, "blocks all ads, stops all trackers, hide[s] your IP – and lets you surf truly anonymously – on ALL your devices." The company offers two versons of the service - eBlocker Pro and eBlocker Family. Despite their names, Pro is meant for individual users. Family offers support up to 10 simultaneous users. A company representative said that there are plans for an Enterprise version with enough multi-user support to satisfy larger firms.
The device itself is plug and play, requiring no software installation or configuration.
The company will just be launching its Kickstarter campaign on January 20. You can also pre-order the device now, at a 50% discount, on their Web site. The eBlocker Pro Pro is available for pre-order for $99 ($199 after launch) and Family is available for $129 ($249 after launch).
Once you purchase the device, the Pro version comes with one year of software updates included, with additional years available at $49.00. The Family version comes with lifetime updates - "either yours or ours," joked a company representative. On a more serious note, the representative noted that their software is often updated daily to keep up with the changes in ad tracking technology. Without the update subscription device owners can still download and install the updates manually for free...if they remember to do it.
For the more ambitious of you out there, the eBlocker software is currently available as a free download that runs on a Raspberry Pi or Banana Pi computer.
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