[General Questions and Answers] Thalinor:
I have checked several of the major Host ad blocking files available on the web and none reference Medialets & Zestadz Ad Server locations. Lookouts "Ad Network Detector" app found several apps using these companies to host ads and I want to block them via the host file.

I was using AdFree until I found AdAway, which has far more options, including using several host file update locations and manually entering ad servers to block. AdAway uses the same host file source, as well as several others but none of these reference Medialets & Zestadz. Apparently Medialets is now the worst of the bunch, with ads that can collect anything and everything on your phone.

This article in PC Magazine references the Medialet bstards but they don't list the ad server location like they do with several other ad services.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383261,00.asp

AdMob which seems to be the most common is just as bad, though their servers are at least known and are included in my host blocking.

"Veracode then drilled down to see what type of data each network was collecting. AdMob accessed GPS location, application package name, and application version information, and "there were variable references within the ad library that appear to transmit the user's birthday, gender, and postal code information," Veracode said." ​

Unfortunately, as I stated above Medialet's servers don't seem to be known to the public and were not listed in the article. A Google search comes back with nothing.

"Medialets library accesses the device's GPS location, bearing, altitude, android_id, connection status, network information, device brand, model, release revision, and current IP address."​

Zestadz is also an unknown. I can't seem to find any info on their ad servers, and they are not referenced in any of the major host files so I can only assume they are not being blocked.

Spyware in PAID Apps!

The obnoxious thing is that Weather Bug Elite uses Medialet even though the app is the paid version. They say that its disabled in the paid "elite" version and is only active in Weather Bug Free, but I don't trust those Medialet a-holes and want to block them at the host level.

Zestadz are used in Flight View Elite, another paid app I own. Same situation above applies. I also found AdMob, AdWhirl and Millennial also embedded in the paid app.

Unfortunately, I can't just go DroidWall these apps as they both need network access so host blocking the ad servers is the only other way I know to prevent them from spying. Anyone know the ad servers for these two companies?

UPDATE: I contacted the parent company who owns WeatherBug and just started entering extensions until I got someone on the phone. I told them I wanted to speak to their legal department regarding a potential lawsuit, and they immediately forwarded me to someone who after some hold time told me "Medialet is NOT suppose to be part of the paid WeatherBug [IE: WeatherBug Elite], and if its showing up then our engineers need to remove it from the application." He said he would be getting back to me on the matter. Does anyone here actually believe this was a legitimate oversight? I am so tired of this privacy invasion crap. Companies think they can do whatever they want until they get caught and just play dumb when it happens.

On to whoever makes FlightView. Going to raise some hell them next. Will update. Still trying to figure out Medialets & Zestadz ad server info. If I can pry it out of these two companies I will post the information as well.

UPDATE 2: The "Office Manager" of Flightview is out of the office until Monday and the tech support department is in a meeting. I will try back later (or Monday) but even though I was [or at least started off] extremely polite, the rep I talked to was a total *itch and tried to dodge my questions on in-app spyware every way possible. Will update when I have more info.