Via the CleanBrowsing platform, a user can proactively block predefined categories like Ads / Tracking. As the name implies, it’s designed to block domains that have been used, and flagged, for some form of data collection and / or advertisements.
The problem, however, comes in the way that websites implement these trackers. In many instances, they are integrated into the sites load process, or buried in the authentication process. While blocking them should be benign, that is not always the case. There are instances where the domain used for tracking / ads is also used for other unrelated activity. In these instance, the impact could result in the page loading with errors, or in the worst case, not loading at all.
In these situations, it’s best to locate and whitelist the domains the site expects.
Identifying the Domains A Site Expects
Here is a great example using rabobank.com, where they load:
- tags.tiqcdn.com
- www.google-analytics.com
- www.googletagmanager.com
By design, this shouldn’t have a material effect on the experience on the site. In this case, however, it does when the main tags.tiqcdn.com is blocked (the result is degraded performance).
After enabling Ads / Tracking you will notice that the script no longer loads.
From the outside the appearance is fine, but the users experience is materially effected when navigating the site. You can also see that none of the previous trackers load anymore.
If this is something you’ve experienced, you will want to do either of the following options:
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Option 1 | Disable Ads / Tracking filter via your dashboard. |
| Option 2 | Whitelist the domains being used using the Custom Allow feature. |
You can locate the domains the site depends on by using the browser dev tools (found in most modern browsers). Run the test on and off the network, that will give you a good picture of what the site is looking for and what needs to be whitelisted.
Alternatively, you can click on the Blocked Requests section in your CleanBrowsing dashboard and quickly see what trackers are being blocked.
If you have any questions, just let us know.