Blocking ads and tracking cookies in web browser

[khemmis]

Are you guys using adblockers in your browsers (like AdBlock, uBlock) and tracking blockers (like Ghostery, Disconnect) or do you consider it as unwholesome karmic action?

[Bristollad]

Why would using an advert blocker be unethical or unwholesome? Not watching adverts is quite wholesome I find!

[ClearblueSky]

Why would using an advert blocker be unethical or unwholesome? Not watching adverts is quite wholesome I find!

I suppose technically it's a VERY minor type of "stealing", in a similar way that downloading something illegally is (someone has paid money to get their ad there). But I certainly don't worry about it. And using tracking blockers is just smart, not unethical.

[Bristollad]

I don't see anyway in which using an ad blocker could be seen as stealing, however minor. Next you'll be saying we shouldn't change channels on the TV, make a cup of tea or go to toilet during an ad break, after all companies have paid for those slots too

Downloading something illegally and not wanting to see adverts are two very different scenarios. Personally I feel companies should pay me for my time if they want me to watch their adverts! (I still wouldn't...too boring)

[Kim O'Hara]

I don't see anyway in which using an ad blocker could be seen as stealing, however minor. Next you'll be saying we shouldn't change channels on the TV, make a cup of tea or go to toilet during an ad break, after all companies have paid for those slots too

I agree. Ads have always ben avoidable and advertisers have always known it.

Downloading something illegally and not wanting to see adverts are two very different scenarios. Personally I feel companies should pay me for my time if they want me to watch their adverts! (I still wouldn't...too boring)

If they paid me enough, of course I would consider it ... but accepting money for watching ads with no intention whatsoever of buying the products is some sort of 'bad faith' too.

There are far more important ethical issues to worry about.


Kim

[ClearblueSky]

I don't see anyway in which using an ad blocker could be seen as stealing, however minor. Next you'll be saying we shouldn't change channels on the TV, make a cup of tea or go to toilet during an ad break, after all companies have paid for those slots too

Downloading something illegally and not wanting to see adverts are two very different scenarios. Personally I feel companies should pay me for my time if they want me to watch their adverts! (I still wouldn't...too boring)

I'm not saying it's bad, but your comparison is not accurate. Just as with tv, you could switch to another tab on your browser, or get up and not watch the ads at the beginning of youtube videos. On the advertisers end, they spend money to make the ad, then to get it before the video, with the assumption (well, more like the hope) that no one will build software that disables what they paid for. And in their perspective they are "paying you" to watch their ads... with the content, hence why the more free content is, the more ads per time. But it's all par for the course with the industry: They advertise more, we find a way around/move on to something better, they change to compete with that, etc etc

[Bristollad]

Nope, still don't understand your point of view. Are you a media student or advertisement executive or something? The only people I've known who wanted to watch adverts, who thought you have to watch adverts (not change channel etc.) were media students many years ago Oh, and by the way, Adblock doesn't block the adverts at the start of youtube videos - I wish it would!

Maybe because I'm Bristish, I grew up with some TV channels without any adverts - and that is my preference. The glory of the PVR for me is not that I can record material I would have missed but that I can fast forward and avoid the adverts! I've been known to delay watching the start of a programme for half an hour just so I can fast forward through the adverts.

My actions of avoiding adverts do not steal anything. Next you'll be telling me I have to watch party political broadcasts too

[Mkoll]

Oh, and by the way, Adblock doesn't block the adverts at the start of youtube videos - I wish it would!

Try uBlock Origin—works for me.

Also, fully agree with your reasoning here.

[seeker242]

No, protecting your computer from being infected with malware is not unethical.

[Kim O'Hara]

Maybe because I'm Bristish, I grew up with some TV channels without any adverts - and that is my preference.

Mine too - our ABC and SBS are public broadcasters like the Beeb and I don't watch any other channel except under duress.
Ditto listening to radio, BTW - it's the ABC or nothing in this house, unless there's a cyclone or something and we're desperately looking for any local news we can find.


Kim

[ClearblueSky]

The only people I've known who wanted to watch adverts, who thought you have to watch adverts (not change channel etc.) were media students many years ago Oh, and by the way, Adblock doesn't block the adverts at the start of youtube videos - I wish it would!

Several adblockers used to, and youtube found a way around it (Facebook recently has a well), hence the sort of consumer vs producer spacerace I was referring to. And I never said I wanted to watch adverts, thought you have to watch adverts, or not change channels. Nonetheless, the original question was actually quite valid.

As Kim said, there are far more important ethical issues to worry about.

[Karma_Yeshe]

Are you guys using adblockers in your browsers (like AdBlock, uBlock) and tracking blockers (like Ghostery, Disconnect) or do you consider it as unwholesome karmic action?

I use Ghostery, NoScript and AdBlock.

In Germany we have an institution called "Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort - VG Wort" which counts the clicks of articles on the websites of german newspapers and distributes money to the authors. So I allowed their tracker on Ghostery. For the rest: I would rather consider the way advertisement is working unethical than blocking it.