Ad blocker is a software that filters out or removes online advertisements. In recent years, the use of ad blockers has been on the rise. According to an article by Business Insider (2017), 30% of internet users will use an ad block by 2018. This is not very surprising considering the heaps of benefits that ad blocks give like improve your browsing experience by blocking countless ads online (Torres, 2017), increase protection from malvertising (Malwarebytes), and protect your privacy (Tapmydata, 2019).
Many would argue that the main reason people use ad blocks is to declutter their browsing from ads. In fact, according to an article by Huffpost (2017), there are way too many ads online that even experts and government agree. The main offenders are pop-up ads, redirects that send you to another site that you do not intend to visit, auto-playing video ads and misleading ads. It is not hard to imagine why so many people especially younger ones decide to use ad blocks to improve their browsing experience.
Another threat that ads possess is breaching our privacy. According to an article by Tapmydata, to make as much money as possible advertisers often collect your data about you so that they can target you with specific ads. They even track you from website to website, collecting data about your browsing habits, interests, and even location. Some people are fine with companies having their data but others are not and so they protect themselves by using ad blocker.
Besides blocking ads, ad blocker can also protect users from the rampaging threat called malvertising. According to Malwarebytes, malvertising, or malicious advertising is "the term for criminally controlled advertisements within Internet-connected programs, usually web browsers (there are exceptions), which intentionally harm people and businesses with all manner of malware, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), and assorted scams." That means, malvertising hides behind legitimate-looking online ads to spread malware or other threats with little to no interaction. The main issue is that you can stumble across malvertising even in trustworthy sites like YouTube. Malwarebytes also claims that malvertising intends to take your money by stealing your identification data, your financial data, and your contact data, among other things. Other than outright stealing data, they can also encrypt or delete information, alter or hijack core computer functions, and spy on your computer activity without your knowledge or permission. By using an ad blocker you're essentially burning off the bridge that connects you to them.
Finally, despite many arguments about the ethicalities of using ad block, there's no denying many benefits that ad block offers. Enhancing browsing experience, protecting personal data, and protection of malvertising are only the tip of the iceberg of countless good that ad blocks have. Though as usual, it is up to the user whether or not he or she wants to use an ad block.
References
30% of all Internet users will ad block by 2018. (2017). Retrieved November 23, 2019, from Business Insider website: https://www.businessinsider.com/30-of-all-internet-users-will-ad-block-by-2018-2017-3/?r=AU&IR=T
Elliott, C. (2017). Yes, There Are Too Many Ads Online. Yes, You Can Stop Them. Here's How. Retrieved November 23, 2019, from Huffpost website: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/yes-there-are-too-many-ads-online-yes-you-can-stop_b_589b888de4b02bbb1816c297
Malvertising. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2019, from Malwarebytes website: https://www.malwarebytes.com/malvertising/
Protect your privacy: How Ad Blockers can protect your privacy. (2019). Retrieved November 23, 2019, from Tapmydata website: https://tapmydata.com/protect-your-privacy-how-ad-blockers-can-protect-your-privacy/
Torres, G. (2017). What's an Ad Blocker (and Should You Get One)? Retrieved November 23, 2019, from AVG website: https://www.avg.com/en/signal/5-reasons-you-should-use-an-adblocker
