Ad-blockers

[ewx]

Ad-blocking in web browsers has been going on for years, but it’s generating more press lately because Apple have started doing it. (Possibly also it’s reached sufficient levels that it’s starting to hurt). I have very little sympathy for the organizations impacted by this for a number of reasons, but in particular:

1. Online adverts represent a

Comments

[venta]

I've been watching the while ad blocker conversation with interest, but your point (2) is something I have neither thought of nor heard anyone else raise.

[sion_a]

As someone on the other side of the fence (ie I'm someone who would be impacted if the online advertising business collapsed), I think, possibly with the benefit of hindsight, that the ad industry has made two big mistakes. One has been to engage in an arms race with ad blockers. The other has been to make ads excessively annoying (autoplay video). If they could accept that some people are going to block them, and annoyingness is balancing attention-grabbing with offputtingness, and one reason for blocking, then the ad-delivery technology could be kept simple, more secure, and fewer people would install add-blockers.

[pjc50]

Also the use of tracking and surveillance. There were at least two big opportunities to reach a ceasefire here - "Do Not Track" and the EU cookie directive - and neither was taken.

Another factor is that when people are on mobile the ads cut into very limited data allowances, or actually cost people money to receive.

[pseudomonas]

Yes. For me the third-party tracking is the decisive factor. I'd like to allow ads, but not ones that try and achieve maximum privacy-violation, which as far as I can tell is just about all of them :(