IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

List of domains censored by German ISPs

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Streisand Effect: Users Ironically Bookmark the Piracy List

Many treat the censored domains—mostly streaming/piracy sites—as a helpful recommendation.
"So it is a collection of the best pirate sites?" - sccxy
"It is to me, faved." - pelagicAustral
"Let me write those down, to be sure no to go there by mistake." - EbNar
"I’m actually screenshotting it to take a look tomorrow at the links." - aucisson_masque

2. Ease of Bypassing via Custom DNS

Blocks are DNS-only, easily evaded with alternatives like NextDNS, ControlD, or self-hosted resolvers.
"For those wondering: it's DNS blocks, so only affecting those using ISP DNS." - Semaphor
"Worth mentioning NextDNS and ControlD under this!" - wrboyce
"I just run my own dns inside the network (unbound on a little openbsd sbc)." - cyberpunk

3. Technical Limits of Blocks and Future ECH

Debate on DNS vs. SNI/IP blocking, with ECH poised to hinder inspection.
"maxloh: I am curious why SNI-based block isn't used." / "trinix912: Shhh, don’t give them ideas"
"It won't be relevant in a couple years when 90% of sites will be using ECH." - ronsor
UK uses IP blackholing: "The ISP's blackhole the IP for some blocked domains." - lategloriousgnu

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

DNS Block Buster Extension

Summary

  • Browser extension that detects DNS blocks in real-time by trying multiple public DoH resolvers (e.g., Cloudflare, Quad9) and automatically reroutes blocked domains.
  • Core value: Effortless per-domain bypass without changing system DNS, preserving ISP speed for non-blocked sites.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Everyday users and tech enthusiasts facing ISP DNS censorship (e.g., Germans bypassing CUII lists)
Core Feature Auto-detect blocks via parallel DoH queries; one-click enable proxy for site; whitelist/blacklist editor
Tech Stack Chrome/Firefox extension API + WebExtension Polyfill; DoH via native APIs or fetch
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium (basic free, pro with custom resolvers $2/mo)

Notes

  • Addresses "screenshotting it to take a look tomorrow" (aucisson_masque) and "easiest way to use my own DNS entirely in user mode" (password4321).
  • HN would love the irony-reversing utility and privacy boost over ISP DNS ("progbits: I don't recommend anyone to use ISP DNS servers").

Censorship List Tracker

Summary

  • Web service aggregating blocked domain lists from countries/ISPs (Germany CUII, UK, Lithuania, etc.), with API, mirrors for gems like Anna's Archive/Sci-Hub, and change alerts.
  • Core value: Centralized, searchable database turns "handy list" into a dynamic resource with bypass instructions.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Privacy advocates, researchers, and piracy enthusiasts tracking censorship
Core Feature Scrape/parse lists (e.g., cuii.info); mirror finder integration; RSS/email alerts for new blocks
Tech Stack Node.js/Scrapy for scraping; PostgreSQL + Elasticsearch; Vercel/Netlify hosting
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: API tiers ($5/mo unlimited queries)

Notes

  • Directly solves "Let me write those down" (EbNar) and "faved" (pelagicAustral); quotes "a collection of the best pirate sites" (sccxy).
  • High discussion potential on evasion tactics, ECH/SNI debates.

Easy-Unbound Deployer

Summary

  • Docker-based kit for one-command self-hosted DNS resolver (Unbound + oisd.nl/official lists), with web UI for editing blocks and auto-updates, no cron needed.
  • Core value: PiHole alternative focused on censorship bypass, easier than manual SBC setup.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Home network admins ditching ISP DNS (e.g., cyberpunk's unbound cronjob users)
Core Feature YAML config generator; auto-pull/update blocklists; simple dashboard for allowlisting censored sites
Tech Stack Docker Compose + Unbound; Nginx/Vue.js UI; GitHub Actions for list sync
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Fixes "why ControlD over NextDNS... don't want to run my own piHole" (silisili) and "run my own dns... cronjob that pipes oisd.nl" (cyberpunk).
  • Practical for HN: "running your own is easy" (progbits), sparks self-hosting threads.

Read Later