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Editor-in-Chief of the Next Web: Adblockers Are Immoral
lemur3 writes: Hot on the heels of the recent implementation of Canvas Ads (allowing advertisers to use the full page) Martin Bryant, the Editor-in-Chief of The Next Web, wrote a piece that, ostensibly, calls out mobile carriers in Europe for offering ad blocking as a service. He writes: "Display ads are still an important bread-and-butter income stream. Taking delight in denying publishers that revenue shows either sociopathic tendencies or ignorance of economic realities." While referring to those using ad blocking as sociopathic is likely not to win many fans, this mindset seems to be prevalent in certain circles, as discussed previously on Slashdot. Martin closes his piece with a warning: "For all their sins, ads fuel much of the Web. Cut them out and you're strangling the diversity of online voices and publishers – and I don't think consumers really want that."
Doesn't work. Most ads these days use HTML 5 (thanks Apple). And since browsers always have vulnerabilities (none has ever survived Pwn2own) you're left with blocking ads entirely if you want to remain safe.
It is the same bait and switch used by cable tv. In the beginning there were no ads on cable only tv stations, it was a selling point. Not at all like that now, is it? I should not have to pay to see your ads, you should have to pay me to watch them.