How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers • Hacker News Board

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#31

Post by dannyr » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:02 AM UTC

FussyZeus wrote: post #17

dannyr wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dislike Facebook but using it means you should agree with how they monetize their business.

The network effects of sites like Facebook, YouTube, Google, and Twitter oftentimes mean taking the ethical stance and "not being part of it" can create serious harm to your business/career/vocation. There's a reason Instagram Influencer and YouTuber are, despite the sniggering of many people, real jobs that earn tons of money for those skilled in plying the craft.

True.

I'm currently in the Philippines and a lot of businesses don't have their own web sites and just have Facebook and Instagram pages.

I just browse Facebook without logging in but it has a huge dialog asking me to log in.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule but most people are not IG Influencers and Youtubers so opting out of these social media services are not as painful.

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#32

Post by dannyr » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:04 AM UTC

dannyr wrote: post #29

baroffoos wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Users are allowed to control how they view content on their own computer. Facebook has chosen to give the content out for free and users may choose to render the content however they wish. Facebook is free to charge for the service.

"Facebook has chosen to give the content out for free". No, it's not free. Facebook makes money off data from its users.

Let me paraphrase your statement then

""Facebook has chosen to give the content out for free BY SERVING ADS".

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#33

Post by steve19 » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:07 AM UTC

jameshilliard wrote: post #13

It's actually pretty simple to block with a recursive filtering algorithm like this: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/compare/master...jameshill... or https://github.com/tiratatp/facebook_adblock/blob/master/src... which was roughly based off of my rejected uBlock implementation. Funny enough I haven't even used facebook in years for the most part, I wrote one of those just to try and make them lose money as I belie…

Can you explain what the rules to block that actually look like from a user perspective? Or does it require custom js?

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#34

Post by jameshilliard » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:09 AM UTC

steve19 wrote: post #33

jameshilliard wrote: post #13

It's actually pretty simple to block with a recursive filtering algorithm like this: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/compare/master...jameshill... or https://github.com/tiratatp/facebook_adblock/blob/master/src... which was roughly based off of my rejected uBlock implementation. Funny enough I haven't even used facebook in years for the most part, I wrote one of those just to try and make them lose money as I belie…

Can you explain what the rules to block that actually look like from a user perspective? Or does it require custom js?

Well with the uBlock filter I wrote it looked something like this at the time.

  facebook.com,facebookcorewwwi.onion##div[id^="hyperfeed_story_id_"]:has(div[id^="feed_sub_title_"]:has-visible-text(Sponsored))

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#35

Post by rabidrat » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:23 AM UTC

notafraudster wrote: post #28

crakenzak wrote: post #2

Interesting article. I don't blame Facebook for doing whatever they can to properly show ads tho, they provide a "free" service and in exchange serve ads. It's not free to support a company their size and its expected they do everything they can to monetize the site properly. What do you guys think?

"do everything they can to monetize" Except, evidently, allow users to pay money to not be subjected to ads.

This is a really good observation. What if we required all ad-based services to make available an equivalent premium offering that showed no ads? I think 99% of people would be stunned at the necessary price and would not pay it anyway, but at least it would be quantified.

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#36

Post by baroffoos » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:32 AM UTC

dannyr wrote: post #32

dannyr wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Facebook has chosen to give the content out for free". No, it's not free. Facebook makes money off data from its users.

Let me paraphrase your statement then ""Facebook has chosen to give the content out for free BY SERVING ADS".

And the user is in no way obligated to look at the ads. If I start a business giving away things for free expecting the users to pay me back later but in no way requiring them to and it doesn't work out then thats just a bad business model.

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#37

Post by stiray » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:36 AM UTC

How I am avoiding Facebook. Took their ASN, scraped ripe (https://stat.ripe.net/widget/routing-history#w.resource=AS32...) and dynamically updating firewall rules to block them for my whole network. And I am so sorry google is having cloud "hosting" (AS15562) as I would love to do the same for them.

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#38

Post by psykus » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:40 AM UTC

Don't they host their own ads? Something I wish more websites would do instead of letting ad networks stomp all over the page with whatever Javascript/Flash/viruses they want.

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#39

Post by grogenaut » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:41 AM UTC

rabidrat wrote: post #35

notafraudster wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"do everything they can to monetize" Except, evidently, allow users to pay money to not be subjected to ads.

This is a really good observation. What if we required all ad-based services to make available an equivalent premium offering that showed no ads? I think 99% of people would be stunned at the necessary price and would not pay it anyway, but at least it would be quantified.

not sure this is true. Twitch has Ad Free Turbo, it's about $15/month. Youtube had Red, similar price. Both have customers. The real issue is that with google or FB I don't know that I'm not still being sold all over the place. I only know with Twitch because I work there. Also Youtube has been ratcheting up the ads like crazy lately, and I'm very sure red isn't worth it for me personally.

Re: How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

#40

Post by grogenaut » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 5:42 AM UTC

FussyZeus wrote: post #17

dannyr wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dislike Facebook but using it means you should agree with how they monetize their business.

The network effects of sites like Facebook, YouTube, Google, and Twitter oftentimes mean taking the ethical stance and "not being part of it" can create serious harm to your business/career/vocation. There's a reason Instagram Influencer and YouTuber are, despite the sniggering of many people, real jobs that earn tons of money for those skilled in plying the craft.

You can pretty easily use any of these sites in a professional only capacity.