Censor Services

CommonCensor was born from a simple desire to avoid ads, viruses and porn on the Internet, and maintain privacy in the process.

Sure, there are other solutions out there, most of them providing questionable and often ineffective software for you to install on your computer, then you get to enter passwords every three minutes to allow access to "acceptable" websites. They don't simply block sites they know are bad; instead they block everything and you get to sort it out. Myself, I'm pretty sure that there are tons of domains out there with a single purpose: soliciting you for things you don't want. I've personally added tens of thousands of such sites to a filter list of my own, and it's so simple to use that it's really only a matter of turning it on (no software required) and you're up and running.

So what does it do, anyway?

It filters every domain I'm aware of that is used either solely or primarily for advertising, and every domain used as a primary distribution point for viruses, spam or porn. Recently, much of the blocking process is automatic - if a new domain is submitted or discovered (usually through spam) that fits the profile, it is added and every user is automatically protected from the site.

So? Who cares? I can just add domains to my browser filter!

Sure. And I encourage you to do so, for sites that don't fit the requirements to be added to Common Censor. However, as of this moment there are hundreds of thousands of sites and sources censored via this service. That number goes up continually as new sources are discovered. People around the world submit sites to CommonCensor for censorship. When that happens everyone benefits, since it adds to all of their filters simultaneously.

Another benefit is that use of CommonCensor provides you with visual cues of censored sites, ads and data. They don't just return a rather annoying 'file not found' error. Further, it replaces the many thousands of ads that would be pushed down your internet connection with very very small graphics (less than 1k) that will quite effectively speed up your internet connection. The logic is simple: if you're not downloading the 20kb and 30kb graphics and flash files several times per page, you've got significantly more bandwidth available for other use - like downloading the actual content for the pages you're trying to view.

Okay - so it effectively accelerates my internet connection - maybe I've got broadband or I've got the patience of Job. What else have you got?

In addition to the performance boost you'll experience from not having to download the many advertisements you see every day, you also gain the anonymity provided only to those that don't have to worry about their tracks being recorded by every single advertising conglomerate, and the inevitable information sharing practices they will persue. If your computer cannot contact their site, not only are they completely incapable of tracking your Internet usage, but, as far as they are concerned, you don't even exist. The return to anonymity is a wonderful thing.

It's not the only thing, though. Censoring virus distribution sites enables you to browse the 'net securely.

Are you ready to sign up, or would you like to see what other people have to say about Common Censor?