Adblock and piracy?

[Golfdriver97]

First off, reference links:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Adblock/comments/sfazf1/linus_tech_tips_think_adblocking_is_piracy/

YT video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jUxOnoWsFU

I know this is a bit on the older side, but I came across this and wondered what everyone here thought. It does make for an interesting debate, and while I can see the idea that an Adblock does start to toe the line of piracy, I don't exactly think it is the same. Especially, when you have a larger YT channel like LTT getting paid sponsors and make it part of the video.

Thoughts?

 

[belodion]

Piracy, I don’t know, but if the ads pay for what you’re looking at, then I guess you’re morally, if not legally, obliged to watch them. Whether you can bear to is a different matter. As long as they are not intrusive - sudden regular interruptions in a profound discussion about the nature of reality, for example - not boring, nor repetitive, nor too long, I don’t much object. Of course, that excludes almost all ads, but there doesn’t seem to be any obvious reason that advertising should not be done with taste and consideration.

 

[spARTacus]

I don't think it's piracy. The developer/deployer chooses what type of revenue stream model to use (paid, free, ads, etc...) and they should have an awareness of the pros/cons and likelihood of return from each.

 

[vimagreg]

Piracy, I don’t know, but if the ads pay for what you’re looking at, then I guess you’re morally, if not legally, obliged to watch them. Whether you can bear to is a different matter. As long as they are not intrusive - sudden regular interruptions in a profound discussion about the nature of reality, for example - not boring, nor repetitive, nor too long, I don’t much object. Of course, that excludes almost all ads, but there doesn’t seem to be any obvious reason that advertising should not be done with taste and consideration.

Very good point. I agree with you in one case, which I hope would be universal: if I have the right to pay to not watch ads. If I have this right, so I really think you’re right. If not, so the issue goes deeper and more complicated.

 

[Mooncatt]

To be honest, I don't remember his take and don't have time to re-watch it now, but here's of copyright attorney's take on it.

https://youtu.be/mtAmYBKbH6M

 

[me just saying]

imo, it is no different than throwing away the retailers inserts out of newspapers before reading the paper.

 

[spARTacus]

I think we should be paid for watching ads. We are after all paying for the data and the internet connection that is being used to deliver the ads.

 

[J Dubbs]

I think we should be paid for watching ads. We are after all paying for the data and the internet connection that is being used to deliver the ads.

Plus we ARE the data these sites make money off of, by tracking us for even more ads off site, plus the ridiculous amount of ads we're exposed to when on a site. These sites have lost all reasonableness when it comes to ads, and I block everything possible. If they were reasonable I would be okay with ads. But our lives are filled with advertising with phone calls, texts, emails, ads stuffed into every aspect of our online experience to the point that we need call screening, text screening, email screening, and adblocking for apps on our phones AND websites... not to mention carriers AND phone manufacturers stuffing our phones themselves full of ads.

I have NO sympathy whatsoever.

 

[mustang7757]

First off, reference links:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Adblock/comments/sfazf1/linus_tech_tips_think_adblocking_is_piracy/

YT video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jUxOnoWsFU

I know this is a bit on the older side, but I came across this and wondered what everyone here thought. It does make for an interesting debate, and while I can see the idea that an Adblock does start to toe the line of piracy, I don't exactly think it is the same. Especially, when you have a larger YT channel like LTT getting paid sponsors and make it part of the video.

Thoughts?

What I don't like about Ad blockers is they cause issues with apps that ive seen in the forums with other members when helping to figure the issue out and came down to it being the problem.

 

[Golfdriver97]

What I don't like about Ad blockers is they cause issues with apps that ive seen in the forums with other members when helping to figure the issue out and came down to it being the problem.

I mainly use an Adblock on my desktop browser. The times I am forced to turn it off (usually for a page load the depended on something on the screen blocked by the adblocker)....ugh.

 

[anon(50597)]

I’ve learned to pretty much ignore ads. They are intrusive but I’m not sure there’s much we can do. If an app has too many ads I just use something else.

Now call blocker? Absolutely!

 

[mustang7757]

I mainly use an Adblock on my desktop browser. The times I am forced to turn it off (usually for a page load the depended on something on the screen blocked by the adblocker)....ugh.

On a PC i dont think will cause much of issue besides what u just described.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I’ve learned to pretty much ignore ads. They are intrusive but I’m not sure there’s much we can do. If an app has too many ads I just use something else.

Now call blocker? Absolutely!

I use adblock for browser ads, especially the popup variety on desktop or mobile.

If I like an app, I'll pay for the version that doesn't have ads. If there isn't an ad-free version, then I'll find a better app.

 

[anon(50597)]

If I like an app, I'll pay for the version that doesn't have ads. If there isn't an ad-free version, then I'll find a better app.

Absolutely.

 

[methodman89]

I love ads

 

[anon(40376)]

Regardless of what he says, I DON'T CARE. I use an ad blocker on my PC, I fast forward my TV recordings to the point, except for sports, I record everything. If I'm a pirate, so be it. I've been called a lot worse in my life.

 

[J Dubbs]

Regardless of what he says, I DON'T CARE. I use an ad blocker on my PC, I fast forward my TV recordings to the point, except for sports, I record everything. If I'm a pirate, so be it. I've been called a lot worse in my life.

We completely quit watching live tv when the commercials started creeping past a third of the overall program. And cable tv wonders why it's dying lol. It's always the same, instead of keeping advertising reasonable so everyone wins, they have to push push push until they break their form of income, then complain about it.

I guess it's human nature... more than enough is never enough, so keep pushing till you lose it all lol.

 

[Golfdriver97]

We completely quit watching live tv when the commercials started creeping past a third of the overall program. And cable tv wonders why it's dying lol. It's always the same, instead of keeping advertising reasonable so everyone wins, they have to push push push until they break their form of income, then complain about it.

I guess it's human nature... more than enough is never enough, so keep pushing till you lose it all lol.

As I recall, cable used to have fewer commercials than normal broadcast.

 

[methodman89]

-If it were illegal, they'd sue every one of them.
- they (advertisers) all know about blockers, which is why product placement is more prominent now.

 

[EnthalpiousKitten]

If it were piracy, I think the RIAA would be suing everyone from the dev of UBlock Origin to Brave Software who put an adblock in their browser on all platforms. Never mind that on many non-YouTube sites, ads sometimes have malicious scripts even if the site itself is legitimate and otherwise safe. Ignoring the annoyance of ads, an ad blocker that prevents stuff like XSS attacks is borderline mandatory for personal cybersecurity in this day and age.