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If you can afford it, I'd suggest switching to AdNauseam (https://adnauseam.io https://adnauseam.io). They're using the same uBlock Origin engine, but ads are d

by mbirth 6y ago

If you can afford it, I'd suggest switching to AdNauseam (https://adnauseam.io https://adnauseam.io). They're using the same uBlock Origin engine, but ads are downloaded and clicked on in the background. This way you still generate revenue for site owners. But since this extension is banned from the Chrome Web Store, you'll have to install it manually there. On Firefox it's available from their add-on store.

highstep 6y ago
This seems very hostile to small businesses who pay for those ads.
- mbirth 6y ago
  Well, you can decide. Do you care more about the sites you visit frequently or the businesses that use Google Ads?
- pjc50 6y ago
  What percentage of google ads are from small businesses? What percentage of google ads targeted to me are from small businesses? (I've no way of guessing as I just block all of them)
- greenshackle2 6y ago
  Yeah they didn't mention the stated purpose of AdNauseam, which is explicitly hostile to ad networks and advertisers. EDIT: From their paper: "The second goal is to provide a means of proactive engagement, allowing users an avenue for expression of their dissatisfaction with current advertising mechanisms to those in control of such systems. In the case of AdNauseam, this expression has an interventional aspect, as the software actively attempts to disrupt the economic model that drives advertising surveillance" http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1873/IWPE17_paper_23.pdf http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1873/IWPE17_paper_23.pdf
JustFinishedBSG 6y ago
Nearly all Ad Networks do not use Click-Through as their payment metric anymore
- mbirth 6y ago
  It's still mentioned in e.g. Google's AdSense Help: https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/32725?hl=en https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/32725?hl=en
throwawayadtech 6y ago
This seemed really interesting, so I clicked through to their FAQ. > Does AdNauseam's automatic Ad-clicking create billable events for advertisers? > It depends on the advertising business model and the degree of effort they are willing to put into filtering. Some might, others would not. So it seems like the extension only "generates revenue for site owners" if it's either - small enough for ad selling companies to not know it exists (and sophisticated enough to defeat their baseline filtering measures) or - large enough for ad selling companies to notice it exists and sophisticated enough to defeat active attempts to filter clicks from AdNauseam specifically I don't know how this arms race usually turns out, but it seems like there could be a chance that this is just a uBlock Origin that consumes more bandwidth.
ffpip 6y ago
I specifically choose not to use this. Do not use forks of uBlock Origin. They might sell anytime. It has happened before, it will happen again. Plus I do not like ad fraud. I get lots of captchas. I also don't wanna give money to Google and Facebook. If uBO sells out (I don't think gorhill will, but I don't know him) it'll be the top link on HN https://www.lowyat.net/2020/224264/chromium-versions-nano-adblocker-malware/ https://www.lowyat.net/2020/224264/chromium-versions-nano-ad... https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/popular-chromium-ad-blockers-caught-stealing-user-data-and-accessing-accounts/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/popul...
wolco2 6y ago
This is based on a misunderstanding of how ads work and does harm. If this silently clicks ads in the background the click rate goes up but the goal action (buying, signing up) remains at 0 which smartprices the ads and tanks the value of the ads for the real clickthroughs. If you must block ads just use uBlock Origin so you are treated like your visit doesn't exist. A deeper question is it moral to consume content and block the ads. Wouldn't that be the same as pirating a movie? (not that there is anything wrong with pirating). Are there people who would block ads and complain about people pirating, or even stealing from a store if you can get away with it.
- jeofken 6y ago
  Morally, blocking ads is equivalent of having your butler cut the ads out of the newspaper before handing it to you.
  - mbirth 6y ago
    Free newspaper I want to add. Nobody is forcing companies to publish their content freely accessible. I don’t know how many of you people remember the Internet around 2000. People actually paid to be able to publish their stuff on the Internet. Because they wanted to. Without any intent on getting revenue. Unthinkable, I know!
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - wolco2 6y ago
    After stealing the newspaper?
    - BlewisJS 6y ago
      Is it amoral to turn the volume down during radio ads?
      - wolco2 6y ago

by mbirth 6y ago

highstep 6y ago

This seems very hostile to small businesses who pay for those ads.

mbirth 6y ago
Well, you can decide. Do you care more about the sites you visit frequently or the businesses that use Google Ads?
pjc50 6y ago
What percentage of google ads are from small businesses? What percentage of google ads targeted to me are from small businesses? (I've no way of guessing as I just block all of them)
greenshackle2 6y ago
Yeah they didn't mention the stated purpose of AdNauseam, which is explicitly hostile to ad networks and advertisers. EDIT: From their paper: "The second goal is to provide a means of proactive engagement, allowing users an avenue for expression of their dissatisfaction with current advertising mechanisms to those in control of such systems. In the case of AdNauseam, this expression has an interventional aspect, as the software actively attempts to disrupt the economic model that drives advertising surveillance" http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1873/IWPE17_paper_23.pdf http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1873/IWPE17_paper_23.pdf

JustFinishedBSG 6y ago

Nearly all Ad Networks do not use Click-Through as their payment metric anymore

mbirth 6y ago
It's still mentioned in e.g. Google's AdSense Help: https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/32725?hl=en https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/32725?hl=en

throwawayadtech 6y ago

This seemed really interesting, so I clicked through to their FAQ. > Does AdNauseam's automatic Ad-clicking create billable events for advertisers? > It depends on the advertising business model and the degree of effort they are willing to put into filtering. Some might, others would not. So it seems like the extension only "generates revenue for site owners" if it's either - small enough for ad selling companies to not know it exists (and sophisticated enough to defeat their baseline filtering measures) or - large enough for ad selling companies to notice it exists and sophisticated enough to defeat active attempts to filter clicks from AdNauseam specifically I don't know how this arms race usually turns out, but it seems like there could be a chance that this is just a uBlock Origin that consumes more bandwidth.

ffpip 6y ago

I specifically choose not to use this. Do not use forks of uBlock Origin. They might sell anytime. It has happened before, it will happen again. Plus I do not like ad fraud. I get lots of captchas. I also don't wanna give money to Google and Facebook. If uBO sells out (I don't think gorhill will, but I don't know him) it'll be the top link on HN https://www.lowyat.net/2020/224264/chromium-versions-nano-adblocker-malware/ https://www.lowyat.net/2020/224264/chromium-versions-nano-ad... https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/popular-chromium-ad-blockers-caught-stealing-user-data-and-accessing-accounts/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/popul...

wolco2 6y ago

This is based on a misunderstanding of how ads work and does harm. If this silently clicks ads in the background the click rate goes up but the goal action (buying, signing up) remains at 0 which smartprices the ads and tanks the value of the ads for the real clickthroughs. If you must block ads just use uBlock Origin so you are treated like your visit doesn't exist. A deeper question is it moral to consume content and block the ads. Wouldn't that be the same as pirating a movie? (not that there is anything wrong with pirating). Are there people who would block ads and complain about people pirating, or even stealing from a store if you can get away with it.

jeofken 6y ago
Morally, blocking ads is equivalent of having your butler cut the ads out of the newspaper before handing it to you.
- mbirth 6y ago
  Free newspaper I want to add. Nobody is forcing companies to publish their content freely accessible. I don’t know how many of you people remember the Internet around 2000. People actually paid to be able to publish their stuff on the Internet. Because they wanted to. Without any intent on getting revenue. Unthinkable, I know!
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- wolco2 6y ago
  After stealing the newspaper?
  - BlewisJS 6y ago
    Is it amoral to turn the volume down during radio ads?
    - wolco2 6y ago