How to skip ads, especially if you’ve watched that Black Mirror episode

Going to great lengths for an ad-free experience resonates deeply with many tech-savvy users. Arnav Gupta, a 31-year-old software engineer working with an MNC in London, has built a digital fortress to block ads from his screens. He uses a modified app called ReVanced for YouTube—“it skips not just ads, but even sponsored segments"—and a VPN called AdGuard on his phone that blocks ad servers across all websites he visits. “It’s easy to see how things could spiral the way Black Mirror shows," he says. “It’s already happened to so many digital services, like MyGate, which started as a simple visitor approval app for gated societies, and now runs ads."

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As advertising creeps deeper into digital life—through auto-playing videos, pop-ups, forced viewing before access and even subscription-based services running ads—technology geeks, privacy enthusiasts and digital rebels are quietly fighting back. With sophisticated but free-to-use ad blockers and VPN settings, they are shaping a parallel version of the internet—one where users’ attention isn’t for sale at every blink.

On platforms like Reddit, entire communities are devoted to trading hacks for an ad-free digital life. In these circles, “Vanced"—short for “advanced," but pointedly skipping the “ad"—is shorthand for cleaner, ad-free versions of popular apps. Browsing through these community notes offers a glimpse into the modern history of digital ad blocking: how YouTube Vanced, once a go-to tool for skipping ads, was forced to shut down in 2022 after reportedly receiving a “cease and desist letter" from Google. Its successor, ReVanced, quickly emerged to take its place, but the space remains locked in a constant cat-and-mouse battle against platform crackdowns.

Sahil Patel discovered an ad blocker called uBlock Origin through a Reddit community in 2019. “I installed it while in college and haven’t looked back since," says Patel, a Surat-based founding member of an AI-solutions startup, Build That Idea. He also uses SponsorBlock, an open-source, crowdsourced browser extension for skipping sponsored segments in YouTube videos. In the past, he has tried blocking Instagram ads either by using Instagram through a browser with an ad blocker or by using third-party or modified Instagram apps like InstaAero and Instander—but those methods don’t always work and risk getting your account flagged or banned, so he’s just given up. “Some ads on Instagram are useful, too, so I don’t mind them anymore," he adds.

“I miss the days when ads were creative and fun. Now it’s mostly irrelevant, repetitive noise that interrupts what I chose to watch," says Patel, 24. He prefers discovering new things through friends or online communities, rather than being nudged by targeted ads. He’s aware that the internet depends on advertising to stay afloat, but draws the line at how it’s done. “I don’t mind text-based ads in newsletters, which is why I’ve shifted to them for news. Podcast ads are tolerable, especially when the host claims to use the product," he adds. “Sites that respect your attention usually have better content. The more desperate they seem to monetise, the less I trust them."

For Rohini Lakshané, the problem with online ads runs deeper than mere annoyance — it’s about privacy and security. “Some of these ads come embedded with trackers that follow our activity across the internet, collecting personal data," says the technologist and interdisciplinary researcher from Mysuru in Karnataka. “Though users technically consent by clicking ‘I agree’ on terms of service, most don’t read them, and even if they do, legal ambiguity and dark patterns often make true consent impossible. Some ads also carry risks like malware (malvertising), scams, or deceptive content," she adds.

Lakshané uses browser extensions like Privacy Badger and Ghostery, in addition to uBlock Origin, to prevent ads and trackers from following her online activity. She argues that every internet user should follow digital hygiene, the way every person should follow physical hygiene. It is not only a thing for specialists like her.

Apurva Chaudhary, 36, a business development professional at a tech firm in Bengaluru, regularly checks her father’s phone to block the flood of push notification ads that brands now send directly. She adjusts his settings to prevent accidental taps that could lead to spam or regret. For her own devices, she relies on AdGuard VPN, which lets her block ad-serving domains and keep most of her digital space free from intrusive ads.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Cyprus, AdGuard has over 50 million paid as well as free individual users of its ad-blocking extensions, a company spokesperson tells Mint via email. “India currently ranks 15th overall in terms of AdGuard ad-blocking solutions users across all platforms, but it holds the 6th position specifically among Android users," the AdGuard spokesperson adds. “Given that Android holds around 95% of the smartphone market share in the country, it’s clear that Indian users are becoming more privacy-conscious and increasingly seeking tools to enhance their browsing experience by blocking intrusive ads and trackers."

As more people turn to these tech-savvy users for guidance, ad-blocking could move from the margins to the mainstream. If that happens, the future of the attention economy may no longer belong to platforms, but to individuals reclaiming control over what gets their time and mindspace.

For now, though, it seems we’re closer to living a Black Mirror episode than holding up a mirror to big tech.

The anti-ad arsenal

Browsers: Brave, Ghostery

Browser extensions: uBlock Origin, LocalCDN, Privacy Badger

VPN services: AdGuard

For YouTube: ReVanced, SponsorBlock

For Instagram: Instander, InstaAero

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