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Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#51

Post by TeMPOraL »

srameshc wrote: post #33
oldmanjay wrote: post #6

There is no ethical dilemma on the user side. No web user guarantees making any particular request, and no one is owed the viability of a business model. The ethics of defending the descent of the ad system into such destructive behavior is an interesting discussion, perhaps.

The very incentive of web advertising has incentivized creation of massive knowledge content and created platforms to do so, for example Stackoverflow. To totally disregard it will be a bad decision and it would eventually drive everyone to pay per view/create way.

I disagree. The will to push the programming industry forward is what created SO. Web advertising is what created all the sites that scrap and repackage content from SO.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#52

Post by mikestew »

Just because the Washington Post (who makes their money from...) says there is an ethical dilemma doesn't make it so. I once tried to make it an ethical argument, then the sites and advertisers decided they weren't going to take part in that argument ("'do not track'? Nah, we decided that's not going to work for us."). Works for me, I'll not have the argument, either.

So, thanks web sites and advertisers, I lose not a minute of sleep as a result of surfing the web ad-free.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#53

Post by oldmanjay »

srameshc wrote: post #41
hackuser wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it would eventually drive everyone to ... ... a new business model. I have no problem with that.

But I have a problem with that. I don't want to live in a walled garden.

Then you are free to subject yourself to ads. If I don't feel I owe these companies a successful business model, then I certainly don't feel I owe you successful companies using that model.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#54

Post by serge2k »

> Once you turn one on, chances are you won't see the kind of high-quality ads that might convince you to turn it off again

I don't understand this idea that we will see "high quality" ads and actually enjoy them.

The problem is it seems like advertisers are still trying to cram in more and more and more. Ads that block content, interstitials, ads all over the page to the point where clicking anywhere is a risk.

I agree that adapt or die isn't fair. Neither is cramming ads down your users throats.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#55

Post by chrisBob »

neves wrote: post #31

I really love to be called anti-ethical by advertisers. Last time I watched TV I saw ads that told me: to drink unhealthy sugar beverages, that my son would be ashamed if I have an old and cheap car, that I should use a financial service that would give a terrible return on investment, that happiness is the same than buying things, alcohol is to only way to have fun. Sure, I have no ethics because I want to control w…

I can't imagine feeling so entitled that I would argue that people owe me web and TV content. I think that your option if you don't like the advertising that is supporting a service is to not use that service. If you feel strongly about it you could even tell the station/site the reason you are no longer using their service.

I really don't understand the argument that "I don't like how they want me to pay for this service; therefore it is ok to steal it"

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#56

Post by icebraining »

chrisBob wrote: post #55
neves wrote: post #31

I really love to be called anti-ethical by advertisers. Last time I watched TV I saw ads that told me: to drink unhealthy sugar beverages, that my son would be ashamed if I have an old and cheap car, that I should use a financial service that would give a terrible return on investment, that happiness is the same than buying things, alcohol is to only way to have fun. Sure, I have no ethics because I want to control w…

I can't imagine feeling so entitled that I would argue that people owe me web and TV content. I think that your option if you don't like the advertising that is supporting a service is to not use that service. If you feel strongly about it you could even tell the station/site the reason you are no longer using their service. I really don't understand the argument that "I don't like how they want me to pay for this se…

I don't understand that argument either; but no one is making it. First, filtering ads is not stealing. Secondly, nobody says content is owed - those companies are free not to provide it.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#57

Post by icebraining »

berberous wrote: post #50
Splines wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to be that guy, but I cut the cord, and it's seriously like a breath of fresh air. It's like discovering ad-blockers in the era of incessant pop-ups and flash ads.

You know, I cut the cord years ago and felt the same way, but increasingly, every video on the internet has forced pre-roll ads I can't escape from (especially when watching YouTube on iOS), and it feels WAY worse than TV ads ever did. There is no free lunch...

If you used Android, you could run Firefox with uBlock Origin, which blocks those ads.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#58

Post by oldmanjay »

specialist wrote: post #46
oldmanjay wrote: post #6

There is no ethical dilemma on the user side. No web user guarantees making any particular request, and no one is owed the viability of a business model. The ethics of defending the descent of the ad system into such destructive behavior is an interesting discussion, perhaps.

This is an arms race, not a dilemma. "The Net treats censorship as a defect and routes around it." -- John Gilmore The advertisers will just inline the ads, changing content sites from redirectors to proxies. Rock, paper, scissors.

That in itself is a win, as it relieves the user from third party trackers. It also raises the barrier to integration, potentially causing ad-including web developers to pay a little more attention to the hell they are foisting on their users.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#59

Post by Nadya »

srameshc wrote: post #41
hackuser wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it would eventually drive everyone to ... ... a new business model. I have no problem with that.

But I have a problem with that. I don't want to live in a walled garden.

And I don't want to shop at {Insert Store Here}.

If other people's patronage is required to keep your favorite store open, that is none of their concern.

Re: Mozilla’s newest app perfectly captures the ethical dilemma of ad-blocking

#60

Post by icebraining »

mei0Iesh wrote: post #47
Splines wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to be that guy, but I cut the cord, and it's seriously like a breath of fresh air. It's like discovering ad-blockers in the era of incessant pop-ups and flash ads.

Netflix was TV ad-blocking for me. I hated TV and stopped watching it for many years. Then when Netflix came around, I discovered that TV production had greatly improved, and it's the ad interruptions that was poisoning the art, making me feel sick to watch it. Without the ads, I could binge watch a multiple-year series of a television show, and not feel sick.

Meh, today's cable doesn't feel that different; I just start watching the show a bit later and fast-forward the ads at 32x.
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