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Rise of Ad-Blocking Software Threatens Online Revenue (NY Times)
NY Times ^ | MAY 30, 2016 | By MARK SCOTT

Posted on 05/30/2016 8:17:17 PM PDT by dennisw

Many of the world’s largest Internet companies, like Google and Facebook, rely heavily on advertising to finance their online empires.

But that business model is increasingly coming under threat, with one in five smartphone users, or almost 420 million people worldwide, blocking advertising when browsing the web on cellphones. That represents a 90 percent annual increase, according to a new report from PageFair, a start-up that helps to recoup some of this lost advertising revenue, and Priori Data, a company that tracks smartphone applications.

The use of ad-blocking software has divided the online world. Supporters say it allows people to get better access to content without having to suffer through abrasive ads. Opponents, particularly companies that rely on advertising, say blocking ads violates the implicit contract that people agree to when viewing online material, much of which is paid for by digital advertising.

Mobile ad blockers, though, have become particularly widespread in emerging markets, where people are more reliant on their smartphones to use the Internet.

Already, 36 percent of the smartphone users in the Asia-Pacific region have so-called ad-blocking browsers on their mobile devices, allowing them to remove online ads when they use the Internet. In India and Indonesia — two of the world’s fastest-growing Internet markets — that figure is almost two-thirds of smartphone users, according to the report.

“We found the results surprising because in the West we don’t often consider what’s going on in developing countries,” said Sean Blanchfield, chief executive of PageFair. “It’s only a matter of time until mobile ad blocking comes to the West.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Miscellaneous; Music/Entertainment; Society
KEYWORDS: adblocker; addblocker; adobe; flash; scc; trash
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To: dennisw

Ghostery, U Bock Origin, FlashBlock is a good list. I also use an application called HostMan to update the windows host file to block many sites before they even reach your PC.

http://www.abelhadigital.com/hostsman


61 posted on 05/31/2016 5:08:43 AM PDT by McGruff (What about #NeverHillary?)
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To: dennisw

Ping for later read


62 posted on 05/31/2016 5:13:34 AM PDT by The Louiswu (Yes, I am voting for Donald Trump.)
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To: dennisw

I’ve noticed some sites now won’t let you read content unless you disable adblockers.


63 posted on 05/31/2016 5:15:54 AM PDT by IamConservative (There is no greater threat to our freedoms than Bipartisanship.)
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To: aimhigh

I agree. How much is to much? Any site that I can’t read because of ads I never visit again.


64 posted on 05/31/2016 5:20:56 AM PDT by 4yearlurker (We have leaped off the cliff toward madness and we are still falling...)
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To: dennisw

If the ads weren’t so obnoxious I wouldn’t be so set on blocking them. They overplayed their hand, what do they expect.


65 posted on 05/31/2016 5:35:20 AM PDT by T. P. Pole
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To: dennisw

I used to just block scripts, and allow static ads, but after the majors started serving up ads loaded with ransomware, I got more aggressive in my blocking.

I understand the need for ads, but until the big companies start behaving ethically, I’m not going to put myself at risk.


66 posted on 05/31/2016 6:08:47 AM PDT by PAR35
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To: catnipman
indeed. but i found ghostery and flashblock broke too many websites, so i use adblock plus and set the flash plugin to always ask to be activated. i almost never have to activate flash except occasionally to view a vid clip. Even that does break a few websites that were stupid enough to be programmed almost entirely in flash. nonetheless,setting flash for manual activation made a gigantic improvement in firefox performance.

I am going to give your way a try on firefox  (adblock plus and set the flash plugin to always ask to be activated)

67 posted on 05/31/2016 6:24:14 AM PDT by dennisw (The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong)
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To: gunsequalfreedom

It is irritating. I don’t see how anyone would want to click on one of those ads under those circumstances.


68 posted on 05/31/2016 6:35:20 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: a fool in paradise

That’s right. My son pays Google for that.


69 posted on 05/31/2016 6:37:14 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: dennisw

Does anyone anywhere actually buy anything from an unsolicited online ad? I never have.


70 posted on 05/31/2016 10:19:44 AM PDT by JimRed (Is it 1776 yet? TERM LIMITS, now and forever! Build the Wall, NOW!)
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To: JimRed
Does anyone anywhere actually buy anything from an unsolicited online ad? I never have

I have once or twice from Amazon placing its targeted adds all over sites I go to based on what I have previously looked at, at Amazon. Amazon has effective brainwashing.

71 posted on 05/31/2016 10:34:10 AM PDT by dennisw (The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong)
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To: dennisw

Since I never looked at Amazon I guess they leave me alone. Mrs. JimRed’s another story...


72 posted on 05/31/2016 10:55:10 AM PDT by JimRed (Is it 1776 yet? TERM LIMITS, now and forever! Build the Wall, NOW!)
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To: dennisw
I appreciate those ad blockers and such you posted for Firefox. I had been noticing for a long time my computer was running sluggish and I figured it was because of all the ads and video ad on’s on so many of these sites.

Right after I added these on the Firefox browser I could see immediately that things ran so much better. Thanks again.

73 posted on 05/31/2016 1:03:59 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
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To: Captain Peter Blood

Glad to help! I learned from other freepers
Ghostery
U Block Origin
FlashBlock
Ad Block Plus
______

I have been using Ghostery but at the moment I am using
U Block Origin
FlashBlock
Ad Block Plus

Which is overkill. Flashblock is solid but really I could just use one of the other two.
_________

Windows task manager tells you how the computer is functioning. You can get there by pressing>>
control
shift
escape
at the same time then pin it to task bar for easy quick access


74 posted on 05/31/2016 3:47:04 PM PDT by dennisw (The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong)
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To: Captain Peter Blood

If you use Chrome sometimes there are chrome versions of these blockers


75 posted on 05/31/2016 3:48:14 PM PDT by dennisw (The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong)
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To: dfwgator
But who will be laughing when you’ll have to start paying Google to search?

There were search engines before Google, there will be search engines after google. Honestly, I think that many of the search engines before Google were better. It seems like Google is always trying to steer me to alibaba or some such thing.

76 posted on 05/31/2016 5:18:38 PM PDT by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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To: publius911
This may come as an incredible revelation for the greedy, but the worst offenders are sites (all over the place) listing the "20 top (name a topic) that you can't believe! I don't think anybody at any time goes beyond "2" Are those folks brain dead? or just stoopid?

I don't know about all that but if you just click here I'll show you this weird trick, discovered by a mom that eliminates advertisements forever!

77 posted on 05/31/2016 5:38:41 PM PDT by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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To: publius911

“”20 top (name a topic) that you can’t believe! “


I saw one once that was a slideshow of beautiful celebs who had ugly spouses.

Who on earth would bother with that????

.


78 posted on 05/31/2016 5:41:36 PM PDT by Mears
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