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> Data poisoning, which involves contributing meaningless or harmful data. AdNauseam, for example, is a browser extension that clicks on every single ad served

> Data poisoning, which involves contributing meaningless or harmful data. AdNauseam, for example, is a browser extension that clicks on every single ad served to you, thus confusing Google’s ad-targeting algorithms. Wait a minute, if every ad is clicked on won't that give an enormous amount of money to the companies that created the problem in the first place?

chickenpotpie 6y ago
Maybe the ideas is that advertisers would see a horrible conversation rate on google and stop advertising to you?
FalconSensei 6y ago
Yes. But there are a couple advantages: 1 - the goal is so google doesn't know which ads are interesting for you, so it helps you with that. 2 - in the short term, you are making google earn more, but if more people do it, ads are going to start being way less effective, as the companies pay google per click, but they don't actually get any signups (or whatever their goal is). Maybe that could make google ads less relevant
nickvincent 6y ago
The "Why" section of the AdNauseam FAQ has some good thoughts on this: https://github.com/dhowe/AdNauseam/wiki/FAQ#does-the-project-oppose-all-advertising-or-only-advertising-you-believe-is-abusive-eg-tracking https://github.com/dhowe/AdNauseam/wiki/FAQ#does-the-project... e.g. "We believe obfuscation is an important form of resistance to data tyranny. It can frustrate surveillance, help users to express their discontent, and act as a communal, rather than merely individual, practice." I believe the general idea is that by contesting targeted ad technology in general, the eventual goal is move away from that model (which arguably, Google is doing with their big ad "reframing", although I realize this is contentious)
jjk166 6y ago
In the short term yes, but in the long term most of their customers won't pay for expensive ad space with very low conversion rates.

chickenpotpie 6y ago

Maybe the ideas is that advertisers would see a horrible conversation rate on google and stop advertising to you?

FalconSensei 6y ago

Yes. But there are a couple advantages: 1 - the goal is so google doesn't know which ads are interesting for you, so it helps you with that. 2 - in the short term, you are making google earn more, but if more people do it, ads are going to start being way less effective, as the companies pay google per click, but they don't actually get any signups (or whatever their goal is). Maybe that could make google ads less relevant

nickvincent 6y ago

The "Why" section of the AdNauseam FAQ has some good thoughts on this: https://github.com/dhowe/AdNauseam/wiki/FAQ#does-the-project-oppose-all-advertising-or-only-advertising-you-believe-is-abusive-eg-tracking https://github.com/dhowe/AdNauseam/wiki/FAQ#does-the-project... e.g. "We believe obfuscation is an important form of resistance to data tyranny. It can frustrate surveillance, help users to express their discontent, and act as a communal, rather than merely individual, practice." I believe the general idea is that by contesting targeted ad technology in general, the eventual goal is move away from that model (which arguably, Google is doing with their big ad "reframing", although I realize this is contentious)

jjk166 6y ago

In the short term yes, but in the long term most of their customers won't pay for expensive ad space with very low conversion rates.