Allow importing and exporting if customs lists as well as list categories

[UnixPhonez]

No description provided.

[anismansuri63]

were you able to run the project?

[cyb3rspace]

Yes this would be so awesome! Any idea when this is coming?

[forrie]

Building a custom blocklist is time consuming; having the ability to export this list for backup and optional import into other Lockdown instances (ie: desktop and mobile) is a valuable feature that will enable both preservation and uniformity.

The backup/import could be facilitated in a number of different ways, including local or cloud storage; in formats such as JSON or otherwise that could optionally be placed into configuration management. Presently, there is no mechanism for any of this which risks data loss.

[Intenditore]

I personally can't live without this feature. That's HIGHLY NEEDED

[parthdshah9]

Absolutely, any feature through which a user can manage the multiple block domains in a user blocked domains list would be much appreciated.
Alternatively, if user domain list is getting synced between multiple devices then also it’s peace of mind.
But again, any minimal effort to make something work would be really really big feature of this application.

[forrie]

This code base hasn't been updated in some time. Given the new update in (at least) iOS, with a subscription model, it seems Lockdown has gone proprietary. This is not a surprise, as I got a call from their "Product Manager" to ask how I'm using the product -- this was pre-emptive to the subscription model.

But on the topic, the current application half-implements the export feature. There is a concept of "Lists" where you can export that list, but they half-baked this and didn't include some means to export the already configured blocklist (mine is extensive).

I'm going to guess in iOS these data are stored somewhere that is transferable from version to version -- in the portion of a backup that is user-accessible (a database format)? If someone in-the-know could comment here, I will just go export my own data. I'm not happy with half-baked solutions, though.

[Intenditore]

Sad. It seems we need an alternative now? What I'm concerned with is recently Lockdown frequently stops working without a notice and I only discover that when I start it! Very, very bad behaviour!
And also as I found with a proxy sniffer - it doesn't block almost all Apple tracking domains :(

What's on lists export which you want @forrie, I found they all are backed up through iTunes and probably you can retrieve it from there. I'm not an expert on how to do such things though

[parthdshah9]

This code base hasn't been updated in some time. Given the new update in (at least) iOS, with a subscription model, it seems Lockdown has gone proprietary. This is not a surprise, as I got a call from their "Product Manager" to ask how I'm using the product -- this was pre-emptive to the subscription model.

But on the topic, the current application half-implements the export feature. There is a concept of "Lists" where you can export that list, but they half-baked this and didn't include some means to export the already configured blocklist (mine is extensive).

I'm going to guess in iOS these data are stored somewhere that is transferable from version to version -- in the portion of a backup that is user-accessible (a database format)? If someone in-the-know could comment here, I will just go export my own data. I'm not happy with half-baked solutions, though.

Yeah, seems like it’s being taken care by a new company so you don’t know what can happen. But surely, they have started monetizing this with monthly and annual plan. Interesting move!

[forrie]

I see there are other tickets here on the same subject. I've been asking, pleading, for this reasonable overlooked feature for a long time. I've consistently been given the runaround (sounds like others have been to?). From current events, and my prior communications, it's clear the priorities are for the commercial leg. Fine. I don't know that anyone will fork this code and continue to improve.

I read through the code and I simply don't understand Swift. But in iOS there is data persistence, which I assume is there is something where these lists are stored to operate from version to version. I looked some time ago at the data from the backup data (I use iMazing for this) and I did not find any files with the content I'm looking for. It's not clear to me whether this persistent data is stored elsewhere that is not user-accessible (which would be a shame).

Their export feature simply spits out a filename.csv which appears to be JSON format. But that they didn't even bother to include an export for the primary blocklist just seems intentional, I can't make sense of it.

[forrie]

Is there a reddit group where I can take this issue - I'd like to sponsor a fork of this code, it's time. We'll need to discuss the project in detail.

[Intenditore]

I'd like too (if I could). Somebody really should take this into work

[parthdshah9]

The issue won’t be much about implementing exporting/importing feature. Who and how the app will then be distributed, that’s a question as someone need developer license and sign the app to publish it.

[forrie]

From a legal point of view, the code on Github is under the GPL. That will allow a new project fork, but it will need to be re-branded. Those are among the topics a new development group will need to discuss. Arranging for an Apple Developer account/key will be easy enough to do, after a team and project is put together.

[forrie]

I took out the Container data from Lockdown 2.0 and see a bit of what they're doing now. They have a file called blocklist.txt that is your private domains (good, now I can finally archive these). Looks like they cleaned up how they are referencing data (JSON, suffixes, prefixes), etc. One I get my older j-broken phone, I'll perform some more analysis. That may be a while.

Can you think of a relevant Reddit that I can propose a fork of this to, we need developers.

[forrie]

Lockdown 2.0 contains a huge internal whitelist of domains that include known tracker domains, that isn't presented (or mentioned) in the app UI.

"LockdownHasSeenWelcomePopup" = YES;
"kLatestKnowledgeIsFirewallEnabled" = YES;
LockdownWeekMetrics = 3777;
"whitelisted_domains" = {
"nianticlabs.com" = NO;
"att.com.edgesuite.net" = YES;
"api.twitter.com" = NO;
[ ... ]
"ymtracking.com" = YES;
"trackappsnow.com" = YES;
"12trackway.com" = YES;
"trackingfall.com" = YES;
"adstracking.io" = YES;
(hundreds more)

Not clear whether the code is preventing the blocking of these for its own purposes or otherwise, but if you click on "whitelist" on the VPN page, they will provide you a selected ability for an extra 3.99 per month.

Not sure what I think about this, other than it's obvious the code has been retooled from free to monetized, significantly, other items in the config/plist:

   homeScreenLastPaywallDisplayDate
   hasSeenUniversalPaywall
   LockdownHasSeenWelcomePopup

[Intenditore]

Oh, what a revelation! That might be the question why I can't block some apple hosts such as mesu.apple.com and many others.
May it be an enforced measure by Apple without which the app will be declined by AppStore? I highly doubt though, but...
Anyway, now there's a direct reason to fork it and make another app (at least to push developers back on right tracks)

[forrie]

A fork will happen, the code is archived. But the developers will be new and we'll need to set a roadmap and change naming, etc. Lots of planning.

[Intenditore]

Today a new update rolled onto my phone - pretty much EVERYTHING, even basic blocklists activation is prohibited if you don't subscribe. That's rude!
Especially if you first think of the problems unsolved, such as "leakage" of data to Apple tracking domains you try to block.
I could even could consider buying a plan with VPN, it's not that expensive, but... Fix it all please prior to that and provide basic functions as they have been! That's simply rude and indecent