Tracker list

Vacuum checks every lookup against two lists, both built into the app and the on-device VPN:

• Vacuum's own list of about 55 advertising, analytics and Apple telemetry companies, written by Acific Labs, with what each kind of company typically collects.
• A larger list of 134,658 tracking and advertising hosts, and 38,210 domains blocked with everything under them. These show in the app as "Other trackers".

There is also an optional security list of 53,979 known malware, phishing and scam sites, off unless you turn on Malware and scams. Lists like this can be wrong, so you can always allow an address again.

Apple's own services are never on the larger list; Apple telemetry has its own switch, off unless you turn it on. On big platforms, banks and payment services, only hosts whose names plainly say ads, analytics, metrics, telemetry or tracking are included, so logins, feeds, payments and notifications keep working. No list is complete, and you can always allow a company again in the app.

• ShadowWhisperer's BlockLists (Tracking and Ads), released into the public domain under the Unlicense.
• The AdAway default hosts file, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.

Thank you to both projects. The combined list was built with our script, which applies the safeguards above.

• blocklist.txt: exact hosts, one per line.
• blocklist-wild.txt: domains blocked together with everything under them.
• blocklist-adult.txt and blocklist-gambling.txt: the optional content filter lists (from ShadowWhisperer's Adult and Gambling lists).
• blocklist-security.txt: the optional malware and scam list (from ShadowWhisperer's Malware and Scam lists).

The combined list is licensed under CC BY 3.0: you may share and adapt it, with credit to Acific Labs, ShadowWhisperer and AdAway. Think something is blocked that shouldn't be? Write to [email protected] or use Send feedback in the app.