Concerning sMIUI in general:
I really like the concept of being able to cook your own streamlined ROM. However, I seem to have discovered one those "nothing ever comes for free" snags and I'd like the programmer to comment.
Although the latest adblock lists are incorporated into the hosts file each week, it looks as if there are two start-up scripts which are executed via init.d which circumvent ad-blocking and even add tracking. The scripts are
02sMIUI_allow_hosts
03sMIUI_block_hosts
and are copied to the root of your internal storage as sMIUI_allow_hosts and sMIUI_block_hosts.
I won't post the whole file contents here, but the header of sMIUI_allow_hosts says:
# Allow Specific Hosts through AdBlock
# See Configuration File for more Information ->>
# /sdcard/sMIUI_allow_hosts
As a test I'd like you to open "shareasale.com" in a browser. This is one of the pages that should normally be blocked when AdAway or the likes is installed. However, forum links through tapatalk seem even to be redirected through additional pages like that one. Please, other sMIUI users, confirm. My nagging suspicion is that this is the consequence of the sMIUI page having Gearbest as sponsor... Now, I haven't read a disclaimer about this anywhere. If there were a disclaimer in a prominent place, users could still decide if they want to take the good with the bad. If there is no such disclaimer, it would be a scandal akin to what the Adblock Plus programmers did with the introduction of selling whitelist entries.
So, go on, please test my assumptions and tell me if I'm crazy or not...