Enough is Enough: Why I Block Ads and You Should Too

Blocking online ads is one of the easiest things you can do to protect your privacy and improve your web experience. By blocking ads, you escape the annoyance of intrusive ads and also limit how much of your personal data is gathered by ad networks and third parties. You reduce targeted advertising and decrease threats from malware and scams that frequently spread through ads. Ultimately, you take control of your online privacy back from ad companies profiting off your information.

For most casual web users, the choice is clear – you should block online ads. The minor inconvenience of potentially supporting some websites and services with ad revenue is dwarfed by the privacy benefits of ad blocking. Your data and web experience will be better for it.

Mmm… Cookies

Have you ever wondered how ad networks seem to know so much about you to target ads? It’s not magic – it’s through precise tracking of your online activity, including using “cookies” to assign you a unique ID to link your data. According to a report from Clearcode, ad networks place cookies on nearly every website you visit to gather details about you like your location, browsing history, device info, and more. All to build an extensive “ad profile” of you.

This type of invasive data profiling and targeted advertising threatens your privacy. In a recent study, researchers found people’s real names, addresses and other sensitive info could easily be inferred from their ad profiles. It’s alarming, and a key reason why ad blocking is essential to protecting your privacy online.

By blocking ads, you cut off the data supply chain that fuels privacy invasion. Ad networks lose access to your information and can no longer easily build a profile of you. While ad revenue supports some websites and services, increasingly aggressive data gathering by ad companies far outweighs this downside for privacy-conscious users.

You may not realize how much of your personal data ad networks currently hold about you or how vulnerable that data is. But with one simple step, enabling an ad blocker, you can opt out of this non-consensual data grab. Blocking ads not only avoids annoying pop-ups but prevents companies from monitoring your activity and amassing details about you.

Overall, ad blocking gives you a choice in an online world where your privacy and agency often seem out of your control. If you’re tired of intrusive ads and uncomfortable with how easily your information is exploited, download an ad blocker today.

The Threat of Malvertising

Ad networks have also been used to spread malware and malicious software through a technique called “malvertising.” In these attacks, hackers disguise malware as legitimate ads to infect users undetected. Some alarming examples:

• In 2015, a major malvertising campaign infected millions of users with malware disguised as ads for popular websites like Google, Facebook, and YouTube. The malware was able to steal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, from infected computers.
• In 2016, a malvertising campaign targeted users of Hulu. The ads appeared to be legitimate Hulu ads but installed malware to steal users’ personal information and track their browsing.
• In 2017, Twitter users fell victim to a malvertising scheme infecting computers with info-stealing malware camouflaged as Twitter ads.

Malvertising highlights how insecure the vast, automated ad networks have become. Billions of ads are now served each day, and hackers have found ways to disguise malware to evade detection. By blocking ads, you significantly reduce the risks from malvertising – cutting off the channel of attack. While ad companies work to improve security, users are left vulnerable and often without a choice as these malicious ads spread through trusted platforms and services.

Ad blocking provides a much-needed defense that users have control over. You get to choose what code executes on your devices and which sources you trust. Rather than waiting as a sitting duck for the next major malvertising attack, you can proactively block ads and better protect yourself from these types of privacy threats. For anyone concerned about security and control over their data, ad blocking is a prudent safeguard against the rise of malvertising and other malicious targeting of ads.

More than just annoying

According to a 2022 study focusing on the effects of disruptive ads, web ads can be disruptive to our online experience and productivity. Pop-up ads, flashing banners, and auto-playing video ads abruptly interrupt our cognitive processes and drag our attention away from the main content we are trying to consume. The study found that these forced interruptions elicit negative emotions like frustration and anger in users. During ad interruptions, the study found that users experience higher cognitive load as measured by eye movements, have more unstable eye movements, and show higher levels of irritation as measured by facial expression analysis. The disruptive nature of web ads likely stems from the tension between marketers’ desire to grab users’ attention and the users’ desire for an uninterrupted experience. Though ads provide value by delivering information, they can come at the cost of reducing focus and wasting our limited time and attention online. However, according to the study, marketers may be able to lessen the irritating effects of interruptive ads by employing more emotionally compelling and intense negative content that can more effectively redirect users’ attention. Ultimately, balancing the goals of advertisers and users will require approaches that minimize disruption while maximizing value and relevance.

Ad-blocking arms race

Ad blockers are not a cure-all solution and have their weaknesses. Some ads may evade detection, particularly native ads and sponsored content that blend in with regular content. Additionally, companies like Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu have developed methods to circumvent ad blockers. Using a technique called server-side ad insertion (SSAI), these platforms insert ads directly into the video stream itself. Since the ads originate from the same server as the content, ad blockers have a harder time distinguishing and blocking them. While ad blockers provide benefits to users like reducing interruptions, companies are actively working to find ways around them to continue generating revenue from ads. The ad blocking arms race continues.

For those looking to block ads at a deeper level, DNS-based ad blockers are an option. Tools like Pi-Hole, NextDNS, and AdGuard Home act as a DNS sinkhole for ad domains. Rather than blocking ads after a webpage has loaded, these services prevent your devices from even connecting to ad servers in the first place. By blacklisting ad domains at the DNS level, not only do these blockers stop ads in browsers but they can also block ads in mobile apps and smart TV interfaces. However, DNS ad blocking also has its limits. If an ad is served from the same domain as the content itself, DNS filtering alone may not be able to block it. For the most comprehensive ad blocking, using a multi-pronged approach of browser plugins, DNS blocking, and other tools is the most effective approach.

Conclusion

While ads provide value to content creators and fund many free services, they come with significant costs to users’ privacy, security, and experience. Ad networks amass huge amounts of personal data and leave users vulnerable to threats like malvertising by distributing billions of ads each day with little oversight. As more aspects of our lives move online, the data collected about us becomes ever more sensitive and vulnerable. Ad blocking gives users a choice to opt out of this imbalance and protect themselves.

For most casual web users seeking to guard their privacy and improve their online experience, enabling an ad blocker is one of the simplest and most effective steps you can take. You escape annoying and distracting ads, block invasive tracking of your activity, reduce malware risks, and prevent advertisers from exploiting your data. Despite content companies actively working to circumvent blockers, a multi-pronged approach using browser extensions, DNS filters and other tools can block most ads and neutering ad networks’ ability to profile you.

While ad blocking may inconvenience some websites and services reliant on ad revenue, for privacy-conscious users the benefits are clear. Ad blocking allows you to browse the web freely without always feeling like you’re being watched and your information co-opted for profit. You take back control of your data and reclaim your agency online. For these reasons, ad blocking provides an essential safeguard that everyone should consider enabling. The choice is ultimately up to you, but you deserve to know the substantial costs of leaving your data and devices undefended. You have the power to block ads – and the many threats they introduce – with just a few clicks. Why not start today?