rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) header
rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) profile picture

rethinkdns

@rethinkdns

🎁 Open source firewall for Android with multi-party WireGuard. 💙 kt, js, go, rs. 🇮🇳 India.

 300+ locations
rethinkdns.com
Joined July 2020
  • Tweets2.3K
  • Following2.9K
  • Followers1.9K
189Media
Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)Photo by rethinkdns (@rethinkdns)
v057 is here! RPN screens sport cute Dolphins 🐬 chilling about... Speaking of RPN, we're winding down the offer on monthly plans ($2.5/mo -> $3/mo) in the coming days. Not 'cause we want more $$$ (which we do); but 'cause we can't afford it any longer. rethinkdns.com/download
rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) profile picturerethinkdns@rethinkdnsSep 20
v057... tomorrow. 🤞
Rethink DNS + Firewall version v057 showing homescreen with most block apps from the last 24h laid out in a histogram.

ALT Rethink DNS + Firewall version v057 showing homescreen with most block apps from the last 24h laid out in a histogram.

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v056 (which launched on 9 Aug 2026) was a big step up for stability. Current "Crash-free users" is at 99.51%. Up from 84.49% 2 months ago.
"Crash-free users" now at 99.51%, which has seen drastic improvement from a dire 84.49% prior to 8 Aug 2026 (a day before v056 shipped).

ALT "Crash-free users" now at 99.51%, which has seen drastic improvement from a dire 84.49% prior to 8 Aug 2026 (a day before v056 shipped).

rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) profile picturerethinkdns@rethinkdnsOct 15
fr the app has improved on every metrics (crash rates below) but the ratings are down! (we're at 3.6 stars 28-day rolling average, as of today)
Rethink DNS + Firewall crash rate, as reported by Android Vitals, in the past 190 days. The significant trend downwards (lesser crashes) is since release v056.

ALT Rethink DNS + Firewall crash rate, as reported by Android Vitals, in the past 190 days. The significant trend downwards (lesser crashes) is since release v056.

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Going to introduce a new setting to let users allow top domains (as in the Tranco List) & block all others (allowed only w/ explicit overrides). That setting along with "Block when DNS is bypassed" should stop most C2 (command & control) of malware over ad networks.
AGTP (@AGTPinsights) profile pictureAGTP
@AGTPinsightsOct 16
Replying to @rethinkdns
Domain blocking helps, but we actually went deeper on how ad networks became the real attack vector here: teapaw.org/AGTPinsights/status/21…
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RAM usage: The previous prod version on Play Store (v055e) and the one that followed it (v056). Perhaps still a bit too high (we should get p50 to 100mb and p99 down to 150mb).
Rethink DNS + Firewall Android Vital metrics for 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th and 99th percentile RAM usage, comparing versions v055e and v056.

ALT Rethink DNS + Firewall Android Vital metrics for 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th and 99th percentile RAM usage, comparing versions v055e and v056.

rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) profile picturerethinkdns@rethinkdnsOct 15
fr the app has improved on every metrics (crash rates below) but the ratings are down! (we're at 3.6 stars 28-day rolling average, as of today)
Rethink DNS + Firewall crash rate, as reported by Android Vitals, in the past 190 days. The significant trend downwards (lesser crashes) is since release v056.

ALT Rethink DNS + Firewall crash rate, as reported by Android Vitals, in the past 190 days. The significant trend downwards (lesser crashes) is since release v056.

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fr the app has improved on every metrics (crash rates below) but the ratings are down! (we're at 3.6 stars 28-day rolling average, as of today)
Rethink DNS + Firewall crash rate, as reported by Android Vitals, in the past 190 days. The significant trend downwards (lesser crashes) is since release v056.

ALT Rethink DNS + Firewall crash rate, as reported by Android Vitals, in the past 190 days. The significant trend downwards (lesser crashes) is since release v056.

rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) profile picturerethinkdns@rethinkdnsOct 15
Russian-language "bots" have been rating us 1 star for months on Play Store to cumulatively tank or 4.3 rating down to 3.8. We've now opted out of certain geo locations to prevent this. Unsure if it is a targeted op. Rethink has been quite popular for a while in those parts.
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Russian-language "bots" have been rating us 1 star for months on Play Store to cumulatively tank or 4.3 rating down to 3.8. We've now opted out of certain geo locations to prevent this. Unsure if it is a targeted op. Rethink has been quite popular for a while in those parts.
Privacy International (@privacyint) profile picturePrivacy International@privacyintOct 15
Around the world, tech is increasingly being used to stifle dissent, assert control and diminish human rights. Our new Global Report on the Authoritarian Use of Technology documents how states are deploying surveillance technologies. privacyinternational.org/rep…
Privacy International's Media Service

Privacy International's Media Service

Privacy International Peertube instance. We fight for a world where technology will empower and enable us, not exploit our data for profit and power.

media.privacyinternational.org
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3 billion Android users. We got you.
John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) profile pictureJohn Scott-Railton
@jsrailtonOct 15
Replying to @jsrailton @NATO @UN @Stortinget @Forsvarsmakten @duolingo @Grindr @nytimes @BBC @FoxNews
14/ To NETWORK DEFENDERS & INSTITUTIONS: There is no consistently safe way to let ads into your network in 2026. The best practices write themselves. ✅Block ads at the gateway. ✅Block ads on edge devices ✅Move your users towards browsers with less tracking ✅Look at your network traffic for malicious ads
Image from John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton)
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Good thing blocking (uncloaked) domains is still possible!
profdeibert (@RonDeibert) profile pictureprofdeibert@RonDeibertOct 15
NEW @citizenlab report We uncovered an Israeli firm using online ads to run vast spy operation This is the first-ever public confirmation of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered via targeted ads. 45 devices at @AJEnglish confirmed infected citizenlab.ca/research/how-d…
Exposing AdFection: How Discover-Tech Turned Targeted Ads Into a Pipeline for Zero-Click Mercenary...

Exposing AdFection: How Discover-Tech Turned Targeted Ads Into a Pipeline for Zero-Click Mercenary...

This is the first-ever public confirmation of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered via targeted ads. We call the technique AdFection, and show how it was used to infect devices at Al Jazeera with...

citizenlab.ca
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v058 adds much needed improvements and bug fixes over v057. It also adds Tasker / Macrodroid integration to automate WireGuard (that is, automate starting / stopping, pausing / resuming multiple WireGuard sessions) . Try it out! rethinkdns.com/download
rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) profile picturerethinkdns@rethinkdnsSep 21
v057 is here! RPN screens sport cute Dolphins 🐬 chilling about... Speaking of RPN, we're winding down the offer on monthly plans ($2.5/mo -> $3/mo) in the coming days. Not 'cause we want more $$$ (which we do); but 'cause we can't afford it any longer. rethinkdns.com/download
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Reddit: reddit.com/r/rethinkdns/comm… GitHub: github.com/celzero/rethink-a…
From the rethinkdns community on Reddit: v058: Step up

From the rethinkdns community on Reddit: v058: Step up

Explore this post and more from the rethinkdns community

reddit.com
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👀
PiX (@pixincreate) profile picturePiX@pixincreateSep 26
Replying to @rethinkdns
@rethinkdns you beauty
Image from PiX (@pixincreate)
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GitHub: github.com/celzero/rethink-a… Reddit: reddit.com/r/rethinkdns/comm…
Release v0.5.7 · celzero/rethink-app

Release v0.5.7 · celzero/rethink-app

🌍 Lok 2 UI: A new, re-designed homescreen. UI: Re-designed all RPN screens, in...

github.com
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You probably use privacy tools without thinking about who keeps them running. Rethink DNS + Firewall is a good example. Its maintainer shares what it took to build and keep the project alive, from an Android MVP (Minimum Viable Product, a first working version with the core features) built in just 14 days, to handling around 40,000 DNS requests per second and 400 TB of monthly bandwidth. FOSS may be free to use. But it definitely isn't free to maintain. Worth remembering the people behind the tools we rely on to take back control of our data. fossunited.org/blog/maintain… #Privacy #FOSS #OpenSource
Image from Smartphones sans Google (GAFAM) (@Sans_Google)
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v057... tomorrow. 🤞
Rethink DNS + Firewall version v057 showing homescreen with most block apps from the last 24h laid out in a histogram.

ALT Rethink DNS + Firewall version v057 showing homescreen with most block apps from the last 24h laid out in a histogram.

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rethinkdns retweeted
Kazani (@kazani351) profile picture
Kazani@kazani351Sep 17
Been using @rethinkdns with Hagezi Pro Plus + TIF for about a month now, and honestly... this combo is 🔥 Ads, trackers, scam/malicious domains, annoying junk, it handles so much quietly in the background.
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I ditched Android's built-in ad blocking for this open source alternative bit.ly/4h7ZFHY
I ditched Android's built-in ad blocking for this open source alternative

ALT I ditched Android's built-in ad blocking for this open source alternative

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🤞🙂
However, sometimes the websites and apps are just too important to ignore. In such situations, Android's built-in Private DNS toggle can come in handy, as it can help you block many ads on your phone. This isn't the only option. I recently tried an open source alternative called RethinkDNS and was blown away by how good it was, so much so that I ditched Android's built-in ad-blocking tech for it. Here is why I made the switch. https://www.androidpolice.com/i-ditched-androids-built-in-ad-blocking-for-this-open-source-alternative/

ALT However, sometimes the websites and apps are just too important to ignore. In such situations, Android's built-in Private DNS toggle can come in handy, as it can help you block many ads on your phone. This isn't the only option. I recently tried an open source alternative called RethinkDNS and was blown away by how good it was, so much so that I ditched Android's built-in ad-blocking tech for it. Here is why I made the switch. https://www.androidpolice.com/i-ditched-androids-built-in-ad-blocking-for-this-open-source-alternative/

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Periodic reminder: We're building the anti-Onavo. A security tool to protect, not exploit.
rethinkdns (@rethinkdns) profile picturerethinkdns@rethinkdns1 Apr 2024
Onavo is our evil twin. Exact same capabilities, but fully built to exploit its own users. Onavo: Worth £200m! Rethink: ~£0m 😂
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A new way to monitor the network coming in the next version, v057. Built from feedback we got in 2021. Slowly working our way through the backlog. At this rate, we'll be done by ... 2040 ;)
Rethink DNS + Firewall version v057 showing allowed & blocks domains and IPs grouped by app name from a 10 minute timeslot within the last 24 hours.

ALT Rethink DNS + Firewall version v057 showing allowed & blocks domains and IPs grouped by app name from a 10 minute timeslot within the last 24 hours.

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RPN UI revamp in v057. Reminder that RPN can: 🌏️ Connect 5 location at once 🐇 Multi-hop ♾️ Unrestricted bandwidth & (Android) devices 🛡️ Ad block 🐬 Protect you from sharks? 🧺 Do laundry?
Rethink DNS+ Firewall Android app showing the new revamped "RPN" UI in the upcoming version, v057. In the screenshot, RPN is connected to 3 locations, Boston, Singapore, & Toronto, at once. It is running in multi-hop mode. The footer sports it's playful mascot, a Dolphin. The header shows a real-time heatmap of past 24h connections (grouped by 10m per slot in the heatmap) that went through RPN servers.

ALT Rethink DNS+ Firewall Android app showing the new revamped "RPN" UI in the upcoming version, v057. In the screenshot, RPN is connected to 3 locations, Boston, Singapore, & Toronto, at once. It is running in multi-hop mode. The footer sports it's playful mascot, a Dolphin. The header shows a real-time heatmap of past 24h connections (grouped by 10m per slot in the heatmap) that went through RPN servers.

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