Consumer Rights Wiki

Ad block: Difference between revisions

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In the age of data collection where controls and safeguards on your data is not a given, ad-blocking software protects you in many ways. The information contained within this article will help you reduce the amount of information that you unwittingly share as well as reduce network traffic by preventing advertisements from being displayed.
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'''Ad blocking''' is the practice of blocking advertisements, typically through automated means. Typical goals for doing this are reducing distractions, lowering the extent of data collection, decreasing resource usage (battery, network traffic, memory) and avoiding security threats that leverage advertising networks<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kan |first=Michael |date=2022-12-22 |title=FBI Recommends Installing An Ad Blocker To Dodge Scammers |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/fbi-recommends-installing-an-ad-blocker-to-dodge-scammers |url-status=live}}</ref>.


==Consumer impact summary==
Ad blocking is the crux of one of the most prominent conflicts around [[Right to own|right of ownership]], where users feel justified in deciding what their devices do or don't, while platforms that rely on advertising, especially those that offer free services to users, argue that advertisements sustain the platform and must remain untouched. Some platforms [[Ad block#Ad block Countermeasures|even actively detect ad blocking]] in order to display a relevant notice or to degrade functions of a service. This has turned into an arms race between advertisers and consumers.
Advertisements are increasingly showing up in devices (e.g., [[Samsung ads in refrigerators|refrigerators]], [[Stellantis in-car advertisements|cars]], televisions) built right into their system software, making ad blocking difficult.
There are efforts to use copyright law (e.g., DMCA/spotify/revanced, and German court case) to force consumers to play ads or run other programs on devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Claburn |first=Thomas |date=2025-08-15 |title=No more Blocktoberfest? German court throws book at ad blockers |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/15/german_court_ruling_ad_blocking/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260113010801/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/15/german_court_ruling_ad_blocking/ |archive-date=13 Jan 2026|website=The Register}}</ref>
==Ad Blocker Examples==
Some of the add-ons / extensions / plug-ins below are not necessarily ad-blocking software but do contribute to blocking advertisements or reduce or eliminate the amount of data you share online.
Some of the add-ons / extensions / plug-ins below are not necessarily ad-blocking software but do contribute to blocking advertisements or reduce or eliminate the amount of data you share online.


==<big>Internet Browsers</big>==
===<big>Internet Browsers</big>===
A for Android, i for iOS, L for Linux, W for Windows
A for Android, i for iOS, L for Linux, W for Windows


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![https://privacybadger.org/ Privacy Badger]
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![https://ublockorigin.com/ uBlock Origin]
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|'''[https://brave.com/ Brave]'''
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|'''[https://www.firefox.com/an/channel/desktop/developer/ Firefox Developer Edition]'''
|'''[https://www.firefox.com/an/channel/desktop/developer/ Firefox Developer Edition]'''
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==Ad block Countermeasures==
===Dishonest countermeasures===
====1. Purposefully taking longer to load/not loading CSS portions of a website to shift the blame onto the ad blocker====
====2. Utilizing pop-ups & overlays to deter ad block usage====
Owners & developers of domains & websites can detect ad blockers & make it significantly harder to access content by putting in countermeasures such as Pop-Ups & Overlays. Sometimes they go as far as using techniques that somewhat resemble the [[Consent-or-pay]] method in order to encourage others to disable their ad filtering tool. 
[[File:3840px-Ad blocker warning example.svg.png|thumb|Example of an anti ad block pop up resembling the "Consent-or-pay" tactic]]
==See also==
*[[Bloatware]]
==Further Reading==
*[[Advertising overload]]
*[[wikipedia:Ad_blocking|Ad blocking]] on Wikipedia
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Common terms]]
Retrieved from "https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/w/Ad_block"