4 ms·

Does this mean that adblockers will be seen as piracy tools in the near future?

by xattt 4y ago

pjc50 4y ago
People have been making the "adblocking is piracy because it interferes with monetization" argument for years. As with all these questions, the detail of "be seen as X by whom exactly" matters.
- tarotuser 4y ago
  I make a point not to argue with stupid people. And instead, everybody I help with their computer, I show them adblockers, paywall bypassers, anti-trackers, and other user-enabling tech. Computers act against the intentions of most people because they're not aware of their choices. So I help show them what is available and to use them. The anti-adblocker crowd is just plain stupid. And from being a system engineer for many years, you can't fix stupid.
hermannj314 4y ago
Of course! The ad blocker is creating an uninspired derivative of a copyrightable work. Piracy!
izzydata 4y ago
I don't see how that can even be possible to argue for. If I close my eyes and put earplugs in when an ad is playing is that piracy? It's no different than blanking out an ad that my own personal computer is receiving when I don't feel like viewing or listening to something on it. By the same logic if I don't feel like having my own computer send someone else's computer some metadata about my viewing experience then there is nothing they can do about it. My computer, my rules.
- folio 4y ago
  > If I close my eyes and put earplugs in when an ad is playing is that piracy? See: https://www.iflscience.com/eyetracking-moviepass-app-will-pause-ads-if-you-look-away-62635 https://www.iflscience.com/eyetracking-moviepass-app-will-pa...
  - GoblinSlayer 4y ago
    Then wear this: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u1WvdSZHL._AC_UY1000_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u1WvdSZHL._AC_UY1000_....
- tpmoney 4y ago
  > If I close my eyes and put earplugs in when an ad is playing is that piracy? There’s certainly a not unreasonable argument that it is if you agreed to watch ads in exchange for getting something. If you do a project for me and I agree to pay you after I receive your invoice and then stop accepting mail, refuse all emails, ignore all phone calls, run away from you when I see you in person and otherwise do everything possible to prevent myself from receiving your invoice, wouldn’t you consider that theft of services? That isn’t to say I think all ad blocking is theft of services, nor to say that something like broadcasting with ads constitutes an agreement or even that abuse of ads in such an agreement wouldn’t justify blocking ads. Just that the argument is not unreasonable
  - mikestew 4y ago
    There’s certainly a not unreasonable argument that it is if you agreed to watch ads in exchange for getting something. It is unfortunate for some that this does not apply to online content. Because though vendors of online content might like to pretend that such an agreement is in place, that agreement is at best implicit. No one asked me, and I agreed to no such thing, no matter the fantasies of of the ad suppliers. So, no; the argument is entirely unreasonable, and falls down at its core premise.
  - hysan 4y ago
    From a different angle, does this mean that when you visit a website, you should not see any ads (or content) until you’ve agreed to the TOS? And preloading ads and their scripts shouldn’t be allowed because those on metered connections would effectively be forced to pay for ads before agreeing?
  - deckard1 4y ago
    > you agreed to watch ads How many ads did I agree to? How long? Did I agree for them to harvest and sell my info to 3rd parties? And which ones? Did I agree to Equifax selling out my private info (including salary history) via The Work Number? These corporations have been stealing from me forever using their lawyer thugs and endless microscopic print while having no option but to say "yes" to everything. Are you going to live without a cellular phone plan in 2023? Or internet? Or a car that is now a SaaS that tracks you via GPS and sells it to god-knows-who. Farmers can't even own their tractors today if John Deere gets their way. The rent-seeking is all a bit too much.
- garyfirestorm 4y ago
  That makes my pi-hole……..a bank?

Does this mean that adblockers will be seen as piracy tools in the near future?

by xattt 4y ago

Does this mean that adblockers will be seen as piracy tools in the near future?

People have been making the "adblocking is piracy because it interferes with monetization" argument for years. As with all these questions, the detail of "be seen as X by whom exactly" matters.

tarotuser 4y ago
I make a point not to argue with stupid people. And instead, everybody I help with their computer, I show them adblockers, paywall bypassers, anti-trackers, and other user-enabling tech. Computers act against the intentions of most people because they're not aware of their choices. So I help show them what is available and to use them. The anti-adblocker crowd is just plain stupid. And from being a system engineer for many years, you can't fix stupid.

hermannj314 4y ago

Of course! The ad blocker is creating an uninspired derivative of a copyrightable work. Piracy!

izzydata 4y ago

I don't see how that can even be possible to argue for. If I close my eyes and put earplugs in when an ad is playing is that piracy? It's no different than blanking out an ad that my own personal computer is receiving when I don't feel like viewing or listening to something on it. By the same logic if I don't feel like having my own computer send someone else's computer some metadata about my viewing experience then there is nothing they can do about it. My computer, my rules.

folio 4y ago
> If I close my eyes and put earplugs in when an ad is playing is that piracy? See: https://www.iflscience.com/eyetracking-moviepass-app-will-pause-ads-if-you-look-away-62635 https://www.iflscience.com/eyetracking-moviepass-app-will-pa...
- GoblinSlayer 4y ago
  Then wear this: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u1WvdSZHL._AC_UY1000_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u1WvdSZHL._AC_UY1000_....
tpmoney 4y ago
> If I close my eyes and put earplugs in when an ad is playing is that piracy? There’s certainly a not unreasonable argument that it is if you agreed to watch ads in exchange for getting something. If you do a project for me and I agree to pay you after I receive your invoice and then stop accepting mail, refuse all emails, ignore all phone calls, run away from you when I see you in person and otherwise do everything possible to prevent myself from receiving your invoice, wouldn’t you consider that theft of services? That isn’t to say I think all ad blocking is theft of services, nor to say that something like broadcasting with ads constitutes an agreement or even that abuse of ads in such an agreement wouldn’t justify blocking ads. Just that the argument is not unreasonable
- mikestew 4y ago
  There’s certainly a not unreasonable argument that it is if you agreed to watch ads in exchange for getting something. It is unfortunate for some that this does not apply to online content. Because though vendors of online content might like to pretend that such an agreement is in place, that agreement is at best implicit. No one asked me, and I agreed to no such thing, no matter the fantasies of of the ad suppliers. So, no; the argument is entirely unreasonable, and falls down at its core premise.
- hysan 4y ago
  From a different angle, does this mean that when you visit a website, you should not see any ads (or content) until you’ve agreed to the TOS? And preloading ads and their scripts shouldn’t be allowed because those on metered connections would effectively be forced to pay for ads before agreeing?
- deckard1 4y ago
  > you agreed to watch ads How many ads did I agree to? How long? Did I agree for them to harvest and sell my info to 3rd parties? And which ones? Did I agree to Equifax selling out my private info (including salary history) via The Work Number? These corporations have been stealing from me forever using their lawyer thugs and endless microscopic print while having no option but to say "yes" to everything. Are you going to live without a cellular phone plan in 2023? Or internet? Or a car that is now a SaaS that tracks you via GPS and sells it to god-knows-who. Farmers can't even own their tractors today if John Deere gets their way. The rent-seeking is all a bit too much.
garyfirestorm 4y ago
That makes my pi-hole……..a bank?