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I’m just amazed Cory Doctorow of all people doesn’t use uBlock and got duped by this. I’ve always seen Google Ads as about as reliable as the fake download butt

I’m just amazed Cory Doctorow of all people doesn’t use uBlock and got duped by this. I’ve always seen Google Ads as about as reliable as the fake download buttons on crappy file websites. You tune them out or block them.

izacus 4y ago
I'm sure he personally does use it, but that doesn't stop him from highlighting these issues and talking about it. That's what he's been all about for years now.
- mooncakes_ooohh 4y ago
  Also it could have been a friend or family member finding it first. I use browser based adblockers on all my devices. My partner doesn't always. Luckily I have Pi-hole setup to at least block these links on my home network.
- dxuh 4y ago
  The thread states that he ordered there by accident. I don't think you do that to highlight something.
_nalply 4y ago
We shouldn't need to use uBlock. It is easy to assign blame to victims. This has happened to bycicle owners. If you don't lock your bike it's your fault your bike gets stolen. But theft is illegal. Theft is if someone wants to take something that doesn't belong to him and then executes the taking. Locks don't change this fact. It just makes the execution of the crime more difficult. I have a vision of an utopia where people can leave all things unlocked. If they get stolen, the thief gets identified immediately and he has to give the things back. No punishment at all or only a token punishment. This should work because sanctions are not neccessary if no harm was done. Today we punish caught thieves somewhat harshly because we need to deter people from becoming thieves. If we can stop thefts just after the fact, token punishment will suffice. If someone repeatedly tries to steal things in that utopia we could offer therapy or try to find out the underlying cause of the attempted thefts. That's utopia: everything works out perfectly for everybody (shrugs). Today we lock our browsing experience using uBlock just because we have to. We also have to lock our bikes, because we have to. Sorry for the tangent.
- MichaelZuo 4y ago
  To catch all bicycle thieves, everywhere, at all times, would require 24/7 worldwide surveillance of every square meter on Earth. Do you really desire this?
  - _nalply 4y ago
    This is an utopia and the definition of utopia is that this is not a problem. This might be because this surveillance is benevolent. Another way could be that everybody has the tools to do this surveillance themselves in a beneficial way for everybody. That's utopia for you (shrugs).
    - MichaelZuo 4y ago
      > This is an utopia and the definition of utopia is that this is not a problem. What? It's difficult to tell online whether a statement is facetious or not. But I can't see how this makes any sense otherwise.
      - _nalply 4y ago
        I gave some examples why this would not be a problem. One advantage of visions of utopias: they give ideas for a better world and also it shows what-if perspectives: what if we really could catch thieves in a beneficial way and help them? what if there is a business opportunity because there's a need to be fulfilled?
- pellucidar 4y ago
  I think the point isn’t that you (or Cory Doctorow) has to use ublock to prevent fraud, only that one would expect such users to block ads qua ads and accidentally benefit from the fraud protection.
tcmb 4y ago
Plot twist: Cory Doctorow gets paid by the restaurant to promote them. He then made the fake website and bought the Google ads in order to concoct this outrage story to go viral. I mean, if this is a "great Thai restaurant in my neighborhood", how likely is it he ordered there yesterday for the first time?
- boomboomsubban 4y ago
  Do you have perfect recall of every restaurant's website? Even if you do, surely one of them changed their site at some point. You're probably joking, but even if you do order from a place a couple times a year it can be hard to tell which site is theirs. A local restaurant for me at one point had two different websites, each featured different indoor pictures of the location and their food. I never knew if I should use the new one or the old one, with the problem being solved when they retired and the new owners renamed the place.
  - tcmb 4y ago
    Yes, I was joking, should have made that more obvious.
Tozen 4y ago
But uBlock doesn't absolve Google of their responsibility. Google is allowing the fake ads on their platforms, which are doing harm. Furthermore, Google is often picking and choosing who is "allowed", relative to the money, and their opaque internal filtering and policies. These "bad ads" are partially making it through, because Google is getting paid, so they can share some of the accountability for widespread fraud and damage.
reportgunner 4y ago
I dont know who Cory Doctorow is but his credibility went way down in my eyes.
chadlavi 4y ago
I don't think Cory uses Google as his search engine either. I think he did this to make a point.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

izacus 4y ago

I'm sure he personally does use it, but that doesn't stop him from highlighting these issues and talking about it. That's what he's been all about for years now.

mooncakes_ooohh 4y ago
Also it could have been a friend or family member finding it first. I use browser based adblockers on all my devices. My partner doesn't always. Luckily I have Pi-hole setup to at least block these links on my home network.
dxuh 4y ago
The thread states that he ordered there by accident. I don't think you do that to highlight something.

_nalply 4y ago

We shouldn't need to use uBlock. It is easy to assign blame to victims. This has happened to bycicle owners. If you don't lock your bike it's your fault your bike gets stolen. But theft is illegal. Theft is if someone wants to take something that doesn't belong to him and then executes the taking. Locks don't change this fact. It just makes the execution of the crime more difficult. I have a vision of an utopia where people can leave all things unlocked. If they get stolen, the thief gets identified immediately and he has to give the things back. No punishment at all or only a token punishment. This should work because sanctions are not neccessary if no harm was done. Today we punish caught thieves somewhat harshly because we need to deter people from becoming thieves. If we can stop thefts just after the fact, token punishment will suffice. If someone repeatedly tries to steal things in that utopia we could offer therapy or try to find out the underlying cause of the attempted thefts. That's utopia: everything works out perfectly for everybody (shrugs). Today we lock our browsing experience using uBlock just because we have to. We also have to lock our bikes, because we have to. Sorry for the tangent.

MichaelZuo 4y ago
To catch all bicycle thieves, everywhere, at all times, would require 24/7 worldwide surveillance of every square meter on Earth. Do you really desire this?
- _nalply 4y ago
  This is an utopia and the definition of utopia is that this is not a problem. This might be because this surveillance is benevolent. Another way could be that everybody has the tools to do this surveillance themselves in a beneficial way for everybody. That's utopia for you (shrugs).
  - MichaelZuo 4y ago
    > This is an utopia and the definition of utopia is that this is not a problem. What? It's difficult to tell online whether a statement is facetious or not. But I can't see how this makes any sense otherwise.
    - _nalply 4y ago
      I gave some examples why this would not be a problem. One advantage of visions of utopias: they give ideas for a better world and also it shows what-if perspectives: what if we really could catch thieves in a beneficial way and help them? what if there is a business opportunity because there's a need to be fulfilled?
pellucidar 4y ago
I think the point isn’t that you (or Cory Doctorow) has to use ublock to prevent fraud, only that one would expect such users to block ads qua ads and accidentally benefit from the fraud protection.

tcmb 4y ago

Plot twist: Cory Doctorow gets paid by the restaurant to promote them. He then made the fake website and bought the Google ads in order to concoct this outrage story to go viral. I mean, if this is a "great Thai restaurant in my neighborhood", how likely is it he ordered there yesterday for the first time?

boomboomsubban 4y ago
Do you have perfect recall of every restaurant's website? Even if you do, surely one of them changed their site at some point. You're probably joking, but even if you do order from a place a couple times a year it can be hard to tell which site is theirs. A local restaurant for me at one point had two different websites, each featured different indoor pictures of the location and their food. I never knew if I should use the new one or the old one, with the problem being solved when they retired and the new owners renamed the place.
- tcmb 4y ago
  Yes, I was joking, should have made that more obvious.

Tozen 4y ago

But uBlock doesn't absolve Google of their responsibility. Google is allowing the fake ads on their platforms, which are doing harm. Furthermore, Google is often picking and choosing who is "allowed", relative to the money, and their opaque internal filtering and policies. These "bad ads" are partially making it through, because Google is getting paid, so they can share some of the accountability for widespread fraud and damage.

reportgunner 4y ago

I dont know who Cory Doctorow is but his credibility went way down in my eyes.

chadlavi 4y ago

I don't think Cory uses Google as his search engine either. I think he did this to make a point.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]