I do agree that "tracking" ads are undesirable. I also doubt whether they are really as effective as the ad mongers would have their customer's believe. It I se

I do agree that "tracking" ads are undesirable. I also doubt whether they are really as effective as the ad mongers would have their customer's believe. It I search for a topic it does not necessarily mean I want to buy something related to the topic. Not every effort to acquire information is motivated by consumerism. I think in a subscription model the echo chamber / mutually reinforcing world views effects would be even stronger. It is human nature that people sort into tribal camps. In general ads are effective when they appeal to basic aspects of human nature. That does not mean that the ads themselves are responsible for those aspects of human nature we don't always agree with.