b-con / mute

Mute is an AdBlock filter for hiding user comments. Surf without the noise.

Mute - An AdBlock Plus Filter

Who hasn't innocently started to read comments on a newspaper article, blog post, or YouTube video only to deeply regret it? And haven't we all gotten into a pointless debate simply because we accidentally noticed that someone on the Internet was wrong? We make a mental vow to never read comments again, but alas, we fail.

Mute is an AdBlock Plus filter for user comments. It transparently hides user-generated comments so you can browse the Internet with less stupidity clawing at your eyeballs.

Mute removes comments from web pages where the comments aren't the primary focus, such as YouTube, blogs, and newspapers, but it leaves comments that are the focus, such as user reviews on Amazon and comments on Facebook, reddit, or forums. User generated content that is the central focus should remain untouched. In short, the goal is to filter out the noise.

Installation

Mute is an AdBlock Plus add-on filter, so you must first have the AdBlock Plus extension installed in your web browser.

Add the Mute filter to AdBlock using these steps, summarized here:

1. Click AdBlock and select "Filter Preferences".
2. Under the "Filter subscriptions" tab click "Add filter subscription" then "add different subscription".
3. At the bottom, choose a subscription title like "Mute Comments" and enter the following into the filter list location: http://mute.bradconte.com/mute.txt

What if I want to view blocked comments?

Disabling AdBlock will disable this filter as well. You can disable AdBlock Plus through the normal means, such as on a specific page or an entire site.

Contribute

Bugs are tracked through this project's GitHub issue tracker. Create an issue there if:

• something is blocked when it shouldn't be
• something isn't blocked when it should be

When submitting an issue, include the URL (not the site name, not the domain, the full URL) and the browser you were using.

Pull requests are welcome. If you want to help, please see the document Guidelines.md.

License

The contents of this project are under the MIT License; a very non-restrictive license. See LICENSE.md.

mute's Issues

some msn.com article comments are still not blocked

Sample urls:

http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=816514
http://money.msn.com/debt-management/article.aspx?post=a521ff4c-afc0-49c2-80de-19a18f813a40

False positive: Arch Linux Bugtracker

Example: https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/36958

Imgur comments section

Imgur comments section seems to be unblocked as of 20160906. This filter seems to be able to block it:

imgur.com###comments-container

nbcnews comments appearing

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/11/21866023-no-charges-against-george-zimmerman-after-girlfriend-withdraws-threat-allegations

celebuzz comments appearing

http://www.celebuzz.com/2013-12-11/fast-furious-7-is-being-rewritten/

Imgur albums do not show load entire album link

With the mute filter on any imgur album that shows "View the entire album, 30 images total (20 remaining)." won't load the rest of the album or show that text.
Example album: http://imgur.com/gallery/Dbspv
disabling the filter will allow you to see the link to load the rest of the album.

Yahoo! article comments are not blocked

First off, I just wanted to thank you for this filter. It really is great, and I just wanted to report this issue to contribute to the cause. I noticed that article comments on Yahoo! are not blocked. Here's an example:

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/kate-middleton-due-date-mystery-210100247.html

This filter really is awesome though. Please keep up the great work.

hollywoodlife.com comments appearing

http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/12/11/meadow-walker-paul-walker-remembered-forever/

the-toast.net not blocked

Comments on articles on the-toast.net are not blocked. Sample URL:

http://the-toast.net/2013/07/05/a-day-in-the-life-of-dr-oz/

fool.com article comments not blocked

Sample url:

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/07/04/apples-iwatch-conundrum.aspx

cbsnews.com article comments not blocked

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize I had posted this issue already. My fault.

Sample url:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57596731/fda-wants-warnings-on-acetaminophen-over-rare-risk-for-serious-skin-reactions/

Comments on theguardian.com not blocked

As it says, on the Guardian they're alive and well.

abc15.com comments appearing

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/entertainment/movies/protesters-appear-outside-abc-affiliates-nationwide-in-response-to-jimmy-kimmel-skit

lavanguardia.com

Comments not blocked on this page:

http://www.lavanguardia.com/sucesos/20130528/54374467728/detenida-presidenta-ong-desviar-restaurante-alimentos-donados.html

The page structure doesn't seem to have anything good to select, other than the generic ".comments" class.

dailyfinance.com article comments not blocked

Sample URL:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/07/28/wall-street-week-ahead-Caesars-NVIDIA-LeapFrog-Viacom/

reuters.com article comments not blocked

Sample URL:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/15/us-sec-contractors-idUSBRE96E0ST20130715

eonline article comments not blocked

It looks like eonline article comments are not blocked. Sample url:

http://www.eonline.com/news/435677/edward-furlong-cuts-a-deal-sentenced-to-treatment-probation-for-assaulting-girlfriend

techradar comments appearing

http://www.techradar.com/us/news/gaming/consoles/ps4-vs-xbox-720-which-is-better-1127315

div.comments not blocked

Sample page: http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2013/05/composites.html

Only useful wrapper here is "div.comments".

msnbc comments appearing (on righthand side)

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/big-brother-truly-watching-you

Comments on user reviews are blocked on thesandtrap.com

Users can comment on user reviews on thesandtrap.com. Those comments are erroneously blocked.

Sample URL: http://thesandtrap.com/products/orange-whip-training-aid/reviews/4590

This is because the site is using the very common (Wordpress derivative?) #comment-list ID.

fool.com comments still appearing

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/07/04/apples-iwatch-conundrum.aspx

cracked.com article comments not blocked

Sample URL:

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/4-reasons-3d-tv-movement-already-dead/

bleacherreport.com article comments not blocked

Sample url:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1715833-aaron-hernandezs-honorary-all-american-brick-removed-by-florida-gators?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=cnn-us-bin&hpt=us_bn12&hpt=hp_bn1

cbsnews.com article comments not blocked

Sample url:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57595288/royal-baby-name-revealed-george-alexander-louis/

sfgate comments appearing

http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/A-Silly-Joke-On-Jimmy-Kimmel-s-Show-Has-Turned-4978026.php

msn.com article comments are not blocked

I also just noticed that article comments at msn.com are not blocked. Sample url:

http://now.msn.com/barry-rountree-incoming-winston-salem-nc-police-chief-shoots-at-a-dog-hits-owner-and-is-placed-on-administrative-duty

msnbc.com article comments not blocked

Sample url:

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/12/ktvu-reports-fake-racist-names-of-asiana-airlines-214-pilots/

idolator.com shows comments

Sample URL: http://www.idolator.com/7485224/katy-perry-dark-horse-solo-version

Block Hacker News comments

news.ycombinator.com##table.comment-tree

New filters

Add please
##[class~=content-wrap_comments]
##[class~=comment-box]

TPL request

This isn't a bug, but more of a feature request. I was wondering if you (or somebody) would be able to convert this filter into a tracking protection list for internet explorer. That would be awesome.

cultofmac.com article comments not blocked

Sample url:

http://www.cultofmac.com/241032/ashton-kutcher-hits-back-at-steve-wozniaks-bashing-of-jobs-video/

techdirt comments appearing

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131106/18325525157/is-twitter-worried-about-losing-control-over-word-tweet.shtml

Symantec Community solution is hidden

A solution at the Symantec Community, http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/reference-external-javascript-library-jquery-web-forms-project, was hidden by the filter. I would assume that these kind of comments should not be blocked.

Comments on orielly.com not blocked

Example URL: http://news.oreilly.com/2008/07/linux-torvalds-on-linux-distri.html

thehollywoodgossip comments appearing

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/11/jimmy-kimmel-china-skit-sparks-backlash-petition-demanding-his-f/

mtv.com article comments not blocked

Sample URL:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1711537/lindsay-lohan-rehab-release.jhtml

nbcnews.com articles not blocked

Sample url:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/22/19618495-zimmerman-emerges-to-help-family-escape-overturned-car-in-sanford-fla

tmz article comments not blocked

I honestly don't read tmz normally, but i went to a link there and noticed that article comments aren't blocked by the mute filter. Example URL:

http://www.tmz.com/2013/07/01/wade-robson-michael-jackson-child-sex-alarm/

deviantart.com comments not blocked

I'm not sure if this was intentional, but deviantart comments are not blocked.

Sample URL:

http://alessandrodd.deviantart.com/gallery/