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After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

blog.ericgoldman.org

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Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#141

Post by GJim »

akoboldfrying wrote: post #60

> I never saw most of the offending ads because of my adblocker Using ad blockers is unethical. No one who uses one (probably 99% of people on HN) wants to hear this, but the conclusion is inescapable really. You may commence your downvoting. ETA: Why do I claim it's unethical? Every ad-supported page is an implicit contract: If you want the good stuff on this page, you need to pay for that by giving some of your att…

Oh, I'm happy to tolerate decent and fair advertising.

But since the ad-tech industry (worth billions) is now dedicated to invading my privacy, using underhand tactics to avoid the GDPR and is busy sniffing my underwear to work out what I had for breakfast, then they can all follow the advice given to them by Bill Hicks.

And I will run an add blocker.

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#142

Post by amadeuspagel »

GJim wrote: post #129
odo1242 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you name a YouTube channel that experienced a drop in viewership, subscribers, any metric whatsoever, after a sponsorship read turned out to be a scam?

Heh In the 1990's and for us GenX'ers, selling out was the worst thing you could do; to take the man's money instead of keeping your integrity. Calling people and bands 'sell outs' (sometimes without justification!) was to insult them. Now with the rise of 'influencers' selling out is the norm, and people are praised for doing so. This is a massive shift in the cultural landscape and is perhaps something many born af…

Can you name a "zine" or whatever people had in the 90s that experienced a drop in subscribers after it sold out?

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#143

Post by bluefirebrand »

akoboldfrying wrote: post #115
bluefirebrand wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If everyone used 100% effective ad blockers, Alphabet (minus GCP) and Meta would not exist Sounds incredible. How do we make this paradise happen?

Remember the part about all the free-as-in-beer stuff on the internet that people find really useful, and that wouldn't exist if not for ads? That stuff doesn't depend on Alphabet and Meta specifically. It depends on ads . No ads = no that stuff. Are you happy for it to all disappear?

I wout be absolutely delighted for it to all disappear and for the internet to go back to being only for enthusiasts again

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#144

Post by einsteinx2 »

akoboldfrying wrote: post #115
bluefirebrand wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If everyone used 100% effective ad blockers, Alphabet (minus GCP) and Meta would not exist Sounds incredible. How do we make this paradise happen?

Remember the part about all the free-as-in-beer stuff on the internet that people find really useful, and that wouldn't exist if not for ads? That stuff doesn't depend on Alphabet and Meta specifically. It depends on ads . No ads = no that stuff. Are you happy for it to all disappear?

Mostly because I don’t believe anything of value would actually be lost (note you provided no examples and I’m not sure any exist), that also sounds incredible. So again, how do we make this no-ads paradise happen?

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#145

Post by bookofjoe »

shiroiuma wrote: post #126
akoboldfrying wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember the part about all the free-as-in-beer stuff on the internet that people find really useful, and that wouldn't exist if not for ads? That stuff doesn't depend on Alphabet and Meta specifically. It depends on ads . No ads = no that stuff. Are you happy for it to all disappear?

For Meta specifically, what exactly would be so bad about all their stuff disappearing? I can't think of much. Messenger is the only thing of theirs that has any value as far as I can see, and there's many alternatives now.

Demur. RayBan Meta and Oakley Meta glasses are fantastic devices.

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#146

Post by bookofjoe »

sanswork wrote: post #32
princevegeta89 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I think either way, Internet ads are dead for the most part. They have been dead for many years now. They started exactly the same way and went through the same flow. There were all kinds of ads: ads to install junk, ads that were totally misleading, ads that were very sexual in nature just to tempt users into clicking them, and ads that were totally irrelevant to the topic of the website or the user's interest…

ads definitely aren't dead. Though ads on random networks like adsense probably are because the quality of traffic is horrendous. Basically every beginner adwords guide will have you disable network traffic(turn off adsense). Advertising direct on sites is still very valuable.

>Google posts $82.3 billion of ad revenue, YouTube's advertising business hit $11.4 billion in Q4 2025

https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/google-posts-82-3-b...

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#147

Post by etc-hosts »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #111
etc-hosts wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Saikat is just willing to spend more of his personal huge fortune on ads than most people usually are. https://missionlocal.org/2026/04/saikat-chakrabarti-sf-campa... I also get bombarded by anti-Saikat ads, most from "Abundant Future", which appears to be a PAC funded by Garry Tan and the Ripple guy. the ads loudly proclaim that AOC tweeted once that one of Saikat's tweets is divisive, and that Saikat is a m…

Is that the guy who kept running those quixotic campaigns against Nancy Pelosi?

No, you are thinking of Shahid Buttar. definitely not an early Stripe employee.

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#148

Post by sunaookami »

akoboldfrying wrote: post #115
bluefirebrand wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If everyone used 100% effective ad blockers, Alphabet (minus GCP) and Meta would not exist Sounds incredible. How do we make this paradise happen?

Remember the part about all the free-as-in-beer stuff on the internet that people find really useful, and that wouldn't exist if not for ads? That stuff doesn't depend on Alphabet and Meta specifically. It depends on ads . No ads = no that stuff. Are you happy for it to all disappear?

The internet worked before everything was plastered with ads.

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#149

Post by greyface- »

mcherm wrote: post #134
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not free, we pay for it with our attention. I'd rather pay with money.

How does my attention, the time I spend reading news.ycombinator.com, pay for the site? I DON'T run an ad blocker, but I am not watching any ads here.

HN regularly runs ads for YC companies. https://news.ycombinator.com/jobguide.html

Re: After 20 years I turned off Google Adsense for my websites (2025)

#150

Post by Larrikin »

bookofjoe wrote: post #145
shiroiuma wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For Meta specifically, what exactly would be so bad about all their stuff disappearing? I can't think of much. Messenger is the only thing of theirs that has any value as far as I can see, and there's many alternatives now.

Demur. RayBan Meta and Oakley Meta glasses are fantastic devices.

I'd rather have five or ten smaller competing companies getting various deals from the glasses manufacturers than a couple huge companies getting them all.
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