Forums
New posts
Articles
Product Reviews
Policies
FAQ
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
General Discussions
Security Awareness
Adblock sold to "unknown buyer"
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="vansmith" data-source="post: 1679566" data-attributes="member: 71075"><p>There's a different dimension to this ethical debate that has largely been glossed over: the means by which ads are generated and served to users. The quantity and presence of ads aside, what is equally distressing is the means through which the content of the ads themselves are generated. Given that more and more ads are generated through context and/or through tracking, I think an argument in favour of the end user can and should be made about blocking this type of content. In this regard, I think the ethics of letting ads survive user efforts to block them fails to adequately critique the means through which those very ads are generated. Do I care that ads exist? No - I get the economic argument for their existence. Do I care <em>how</em> they are determined and delivered? Absolutely.</p><p></p><p>Think of it this way - I was with someone the other day who was looking at shoes online. Moments later, an ad was visible on her Facebook account for the very store and product that she was just looking at. This, in my eyes, is deserving of thoroughly ruthless blocking. This type of advertising is not only invasive but increasingly pervasive. While this might not justify ad blockers themselves, it does validate (in my eyes at least) other tools which serve to block the means through which ads learn what to show the end user. Until I can be assured that ads are delivered "neutrally" (in that they are no longer generated based on guesses themselves generated through observations of my browsing), I will continue to take the "nuclear option."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="vansmith, post: 1679566, member: 71075"] There's a different dimension to this ethical debate that has largely been glossed over: the means by which ads are generated and served to users. The quantity and presence of ads aside, what is equally distressing is the means through which the content of the ads themselves are generated. Given that more and more ads are generated through context and/or through tracking, I think an argument in favour of the end user can and should be made about blocking this type of content. In this regard, I think the ethics of letting ads survive user efforts to block them fails to adequately critique the means through which those very ads are generated. Do I care that ads exist? No - I get the economic argument for their existence. Do I care [I]how[/I] they are determined and delivered? Absolutely. Think of it this way - I was with someone the other day who was looking at shoes online. Moments later, an ad was visible on her Facebook account for the very store and product that she was just looking at. This, in my eyes, is deserving of thoroughly ruthless blocking. This type of advertising is not only invasive but increasingly pervasive. While this might not justify ad blockers themselves, it does validate (in my eyes at least) other tools which serve to block the means through which ads learn what to show the end user. Until I can be assured that ads are delivered "neutrally" (in that they are no longer generated based on guesses themselves generated through observations of my browsing), I will continue to take the "nuclear option." [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General Discussions
Security Awareness
Adblock sold to "unknown buyer"
Top