New 'Lockdown' Firewall App Lets You Block Any Connection to Any Domain for Privacy Protection

Lockdown, a new app launching today, is designed to be an open source firewall, letting users block any connection to any domain, including those that use ad tracking services and analytics platforms to monitor device usage.

Lockdown is free to download and use, and because it operates on device, it collects no user data. Lockdown uses Apple's VPN setup to function, though it is not a VPN and will not obscure your own IP address.

Using Lockdown, you can block any domain, including those from companies like Facebook, and the app comes with a pre-set list of recommended domains to block to prevent tracking. Facebook tracking and other analytics tracking options from companies like Google, Mixpanel, and more are automatically blocked upon installing the app, and you can add your own custom lists too.

In addition to preventing unwanted tracking, the Lockdown app promises faster browsing speeds because unwanted connections are blocked, saving loading time.

Lockdown comes from the team behind Duet Display, and in the future, the app will offer a paid option that includes VPN functionality. Lockdown's developers are hoping that the launch of the app will incentivize developers to use more privacy-focused analytics frameworks and app discovery methods that rely less on trackers from major companies like Google and Facebook.

Lockdown can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

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rahulda1

17 weeks ago

I blocked The Facebook beta and Email Opens and now both appear as being Blocked and Unblocked!

Will fix this in the next version! Sorry about that, always a couple bugs on launch day :)

Rating: 16 Votes

Rigby

17 weeks ago

I use Firefox Focus to block trackers.

Not the same thing. Firefox cannot block analytics and tracking SDKs that are embedded in many apps. This can.

Rating: 11 Votes

Jimmy James

17 weeks ago

This is probably the most important news I’ll read today.

Rating: 8 Votes

rahulda1

17 weeks ago

If I chose to use this app without the paid VPN service, does this mean my internet traffic (my information) won't be monitored at all by the developer?

I mean we all know we trade in our privacy when we pass our connection through a VPN and the private company can monitor our connection. I'd like to know if my connection (and the data packages of each app) is going to be monitored by any means, like they are when passing through a VPN, or the firewall works totally on device.

Thank you.

We will never monitor or sell your Internet traffic (Lockdown is an on-device firewall, so the data never leaves your device). Since the free version has no server cost or marginal cost per user, we believe that part of the product should be free.

Rating: 8 Votes

thisisnotmyname

17 weeks ago

Can you run it in tandem with another VPN app?

Rating: 6 Votes

Pafoofnik

17 weeks ago

Will fix this in the next version! Sorry about that, always a couple bugs on launch day :)

I write code. My career has been sustained by fixing the very bugs I myself created. Thanks for the quick reply; at least someone is listening!

Rating: 5 Votes

rahulda1

17 weeks ago

I'm just looking for the big ones, like google ads etc.
Doesn't appear to be an easy way to import lists into this app.
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Just FYI:
1. There's no way to disable metrics once they're enabled. :(
2. There's no easy way to import big lists of domains to block

Those 2 features would be killer!

Both of these coming!

Rating: 5 Votes

Rigby

17 weeks ago

If I chose to use this app without the paid VPN service, does this mean my internet traffic (my information) won't be monitored at all by the developer?

I mean we all know we trade in our privacy when we pass our connection through a VPN and the private company can monitor our connection. I'd like to know if my connection (and the data packages of each app) is going to be monitored in some way like they are when passing through a VPN, or the firewall works totally on device.

According to the privacy policy ('https://lockdownhq.com/privacy') everything currently stays on the device. If you are a programmer you could theoretically check the source code ('https://github.com/confirmedcode/Lockdown-iOS') to verify this. The reason for using a VPN profile is that this is currently the only way for apps to influence the network traffic for the entire device.

Rating: 4 Votes

JessWinter

17 weeks ago

If the developer is trustworthy and absolutely NO data leaves the device, this is amazing.

Rating: 4 Votes

gazzrenn

17 weeks ago

You guys want to hear something scary? I was at a store last week, looking at men’s fragrances. Cue the jokes, but I’m perpetually 15 years old and love the scent of Curve. It just smells nice and I’ve always received compliments.

Well anyway, I had my phone LOCKED, screen off, in one hand, while I picked up and looked at the packaging and price with the other. I never mentioned or said out loud the name of the fragrance. What I DID say was “Oh, I can find this cheaper at Walmart.” (out loud to myself)

I never googled. I never typed Curve into any browser. I never said the name of the fragrance. Just that one line while my phone was locked.

4 hours later, browsing in the iOS Facebook app I came across this advertisement:

https://i.postimg.cc/s2644LSp/3-E60-B26-B-AABD-40-B2-902-F-079-AC96-B7-BAF.jpg

Scary stuff. It means the device accessed both the camera and the microphone without permission.

It’s hard to talk about these instances without people thinking you’re crazy.

My friend had a similar experience with a Google Home.

Spent the evening with friends and were chatting about something they’d never spoken about before. It was something random like gaming PC keyboards. (He’s not a gamer). The next day he’s getting adverts for gaming keyboards on his Android phone.

It’s one of those stories that people just don’t believe!

Rating: 4 Votes

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