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# How Ad Blockers Work, Why They Break, and the Future of Private Search (JP Schmetz Interview)
- URL: https://techlore.tech/how-ad-blockers-work-why-they-break-and-the-future-of-private-search-jp-schmetz-interview/
- Published: 2026-02-28T17:00:44.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-09T19:20:44.000Z
- Description: Techlore Talks brings you in-depth conversations with the experts at the forefront of digital rights, privacy and security.
- Author: Tori
- Tags: Techlore Talks

Most ad blockers start by blocking everything—then you become tech support for friends & family when pages break. Henry interviewed JP Schmetz, founder of Brave Search and CEO of Ghostery, about making trackers visible, why there are only 3 search indexes in the world, reinventing the open web with AI, and how to avoid becoming "the family CTO."

🔐

Listen to the podcast on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/techlore-talks/id1652151010), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1qjWVCYgRcZFL9c8FsLLo0), or any [podcast app](https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/665039d6f749480012b06ac1). You can also watch Techlore Talks on [YouTube](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3KeV6Ui%5F4CZRb5Z4qZjsIGZrUWbDc3Mn) or [Techlore.TV](https://techlore.tv/w/p/iZqf9xe1fE7Ss4pebDKd42)

#### Episode Timestamps

00:00:00 INTRO  
00:01:32 ORIGINS WITH GHOSTERY  
00:03:15 SEARCH ENGINES + BROWSERS  
00:06:32 GHOSTERY'S BROWSER EXTENSION  
00:09:09 THE PRIVACY DISCONNECT  
00:13:02 REAL WORLD IMPACTS  
00:16:03 PRIVACY VARIES BY LOCATION  
00:16:47 PAGE BLOCKING + BREAKING  
00:24:06 ADAPTATION + TRUST  
00:28:48 ROLES AT GHOSTERY + BRAVE  
00:29:22 OPEN SOURCE  
00:30:38 BRAVE SHIELDS OR GHOSTERY?  
00:32:36 SUGGESTED CONFIGURATIONS  
00:40:13 WHOTRACKS.ME  
00:44:30 WHAT IS A TRACKER?  
00:47:39 WHAT ARE THE INCENTIVES?  
00:50:31 DOES BLOCKING = NO DATA SHARING?  
00:53:50 THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS  
00:57:27 PRIVATE SEARCH  
01:00:11 META SEARCH VS. INDEPENDENT INDEX  
01:02:30 CONTEXTUAL VS. TARGETED ADVERTISING  
01:06:28 BRAVE SEARCH ADS  
01:08:16 INDEXES  
01:10:53 AI + SEARCH  
01:19:43 WHAT'S NEXT?  
01:22:22 PUBLISHING + INCENTIVES + THE FUTURE  
01:25:30 HOW TO FOLLOW

#### Episode Sources

• Ghostery: https://www.ghostery.com/  
• Who Tracks Me Database: https://whotracks.me/  
• Ghostery Private Search: https://www.ghostery.com/private-search  
• Brave Search: https://search.brave.com/