What is the MACE function of PIA?
Your one-stop shop for ad removal and fighting malware.
Private Internet Access, although it hasn't ranked among the top five VPNs in recent evaluations, is still considered one of the standout providers for those who value their privacy. In a market where there is fierce competition among VPNs focused on protecting personal data, PIA's combination of proven privacy policies and exceptional security tools allows it to stay ahead of other services. Today, we focus on one of its advanced features: its integrated ad blocker known as MACE.
MACE is capable of stopping ads, trackers, and malware through a DNS-level blocklist. This may lead you to wonder why an ad blocker like MACE is necessary, given that browser-based blockers exist. The answer is that MACE provides an additional layer of protection while simultaneously reducing the load on your device and bandwidth usage, making it an ideal complement to any personal security setup.
The functionality of MACE lies in the fact that it operates at the DNS level, meaning it identifies and blocks requests to known malicious URLs. This ensures that unwanted content is stopped before it can reach your device. In addition to blocking visual ads like banners and pop-ups, MACE also prevents the tracking that these ads perform on your behavior across different websites and blocks sites known for distributing malware.
The MACE functionality is available in most PIA client applications, except on Android devices. This is due to Google's policies, which prohibit certain apps from interfering with others on the device. However, PIA offers a version of its Android app on its website, which includes MACE enabled, although it requires manual installation of the APK.
MACE redirects all DNS requests through PIA's private and encrypted DNS servers, which utilize a regularly updated blocklist. If a URL matches an entry on the blocklist, MACE returns an unrouteable IP address, preventing requests from reaching the domain in question. This is effective in keeping ad networks at bay, although it has limitations if ads are served from the same domain as the rest of the page's content, as is the case with YouTube.
Despite some limitations, such as the fact that MACE is not a comprehensive malware solution and may not detect newly created domains, its use comes with multiple benefits. It allows for experiencing fewer ads and faster processing of web page requests by reducing the browser's workload. Additionally, by using private DNS servers, it enhances privacy by preventing internet service providers from logging browsing habits.
To enable MACE, the process is straightforward: first, install the PIA app on your device, then access the settings and enable the MACE option in the privacy section. After reconnecting your VPN, MACE will operate in the background, effectively blocking ads and malware.
