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Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk

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Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#41

Post by commmentator »

paulcole wrote: post #24

I don’t block ads. If I hate the ads more than I like the site, I stop going to that site. It’s not that hard of a choice for me. Personally, I don’t subscribe to the But-My-HTTP-Requests defense and understand that ads and tracking are the trade I make for reading/watching/enjoying content without getting my wallet out. I also personally enjoy learning about new products and buying things I might like. Why do I earn…

> Why do I earn money if not to buy things?

To create a safety net for yourself (and perhaps your family)? So that if you were to incur unexpected catastrophic expenses, or lose your job, you would still be able to sustain yourself?

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#42

Post by throwaway22032 »

I find the idea that anyone, a single person, could consider blocking ads to be wrong to be hilarious.

I've never met such a person. I can only imagine them to be barely human. What other bizarre opinions, internal or external, would they have? I don't think that I could trust them with literally anything.

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#43

Post by ziml77 »

float_laugh wrote: post #20

I have a degree in marketing, took a vow never to work in it, and use these words to describe advertisements - Motivated deception, manipulation, mind control, inauthentic, inorganic, insincere, a betrayal by your peers. They're using your own mind against you with psycological techniques you're blind to. Behind every advertisement is a group of real life people working hard to find new ways to control and manipulate…

I also like to call ads "mind control" because they are that manipulative, but it's hard to say that without sounding like a nutjob.

I don't think ads are inherently evil, but most ads are designed to exploit human psychology instead of just making you aware that a product exists.

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#44

Post by chii »

horsawlarway wrote: post #25
robertlagrant wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as blocking them as an ethical issue fundamentally commercial: you're accessing content paid for by adverts, but you aren't contributing to that payment. The quid pro quo of the site is you pay nothing to see this, but you look at the ads that pay for the site.

> The quid pro quo of the site is you pay nothing to see this, but you look at the ads that pay for the site. But this isn't the fucking model. The model is: We created compelling content that draws lots of views, and companies will pay us to plaster their name/products on it. There is literally zero contract with the person being shown the ads at all. They can do as they please. If companies don't like that... move…

> move to a different model - stop showing your stuff for free.

what if that model was a contract to the viewer, wherein the viewer agrees to see all adverts? Currently this contract is assumed, or implied, but not enforced. What if it changes in the future?

For example, youtube could require that you have a webcam, and run a trusted-computing-module DRM code which forces your webcam to be on and recording your face to view their videos?

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#45

Post by jefftk »

If enough of us used ad blockers, it could help force a systemic shift away from the attention economy altogether

It's worth putting serious thought into whether this would actually be a better web; I think it would likely be worse. Most sites today are supported by ads, and if that weren't an option we'd see some combination of paywalls, sponsored content, and sites shutting down.

(I used to work on ads)

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#46

Post by commmentator »

robertlagrant wrote: post #14
robertlagrant wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, just the idea that you can close your eyes will lead to it, because advertisers want you to look at ads for commercial reasons. Doesn't require an ethical argument.

Just as blocking them as an ethical issue fundamentally commercial: you're accessing content paid for by adverts, but you aren't contributing to that payment. The quid pro quo of the site is you pay nothing to see this, but you look at the ads that pay for the site.

> you're accessing content paid for by adverts, but you aren't contributing to that payment.

If the content is paid for by adverts, then of course I am not contributing to that payment. Because I am not an advertising company, so by your own logic I didn't pay for the content. What's the problem?

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#47

Post by chii »

IvanK_net wrote: post #39

It is okay because website creators tolerate it. Once all website owners stop tolerating it, everybody would have to watch ads. Just like if at the grocery store, you could choose to pay or not pay. It would be totally okay not to pay. But if the number of non-paying customers grew too much, the owners would make it mandatory to pay. This did not happen to the web yet.

> you could choose to pay or not pay. It would be totally okay not to pay

it was never OK to never pay at a grocery store. But some stores don't want the cost of enforcement, so accept some losses from stealing.

Whether this argument applies to web based ads is difficult to say. I don't agree - but there's valid viewpoints out there do agree.

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#48

Post by actionfromafar »

concinds wrote: post #36
actionfromafar wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Am I the only one who thinks FB would easily: a) "implement" COPPA by using the sign-up form b) don't care that the profiling of a user leads to showing ads that would fit a 10-year old c) don't care when other ads clash with the profile consistent of a 10-year old d) plausible deniability Q.E.D

FB said in SEC filings that many young people lie about their age when signing up; independent research I've found confirms that FB uses self-reported age for ad targeting ( https://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2021-006.pdf ). British authorities say more than 80% of children lie about their age ( https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jul/26/children-lie-a... ). More search shows that parents often encourage…

Employees seldom are evil cartoon characters. Banality of evil, and all that.

It's the system as setup which is the problem. When faced with such a hard problem, there are basically two outcomes:

- oh well, carry on then

- maybe we shouldn't be doing these things, and make a drastic change?

I know, the second option is almost laughably absurd.

Re: Why It’s OK to Block Ads (2015)

#50

Post by mojzu »

RajT88 wrote: post #34

As long as malvertising campaigns are a thing, you should block ads. The online ad industry AFAIK still has not got their shit together.

Agreed, in addition the amount of personal information advertising companies collect is staggering and incredibly creepy. I believe an exposed API link was posted to HN some time back that allowed you to query your data from one of the big ones, I like to think I take some care with who I give that data to, but they had almost every phone number, home/work address, email address, social media profile, etc. I'd used over the past 15 years.

Until the advertising industry cleans house and abides to some level of standards and ethics I have no qualms blocking every advert I possibly can

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