# Is it immoral to block advertisements? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234 "2013-06-05T19:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/221 "2013-06-16T05:35:53Z")
I specifically allow sites like the SDMB, Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish, and a couple other sites that I think deserve the clicks. Other than that, it’s Adblocker for them. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/222 "2013-06-16T12:57:39Z")
> [@Isaacedwardleibowitz](#): > > I don’t appreciate Eliahna referring to anti-adblock people as “stupid” and “liars,” by the way. Not even close to what she said. Re-read her post. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/223 "2013-06-16T13:58:14Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > [Mainstream websites more likely to harbor malware](http://news.yahoo.com/mainstream-websites-more-likely-harbor-malware-201142450.html). > > Surfing the net without ad blocking is as moronic as not having virus protection installed. The type of Windows users who say “I’ve been on the internet for years without a virus scanner and I’ve never had a virus” are either stupid or liars or both. I count the anti ad block people among their ranks. > [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Not even close to what she said. Re-read her post. Sure looks like it to me. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/224 "2013-06-16T14:42:36Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > [Mainstream websites more likely to harbor malware](http://news.yahoo.com/mainstream-websites-more-likely-harbor-malware-201142450.html). > > Surfing the net without ad blocking is as moronic as not having virus protection installed. The type of Windows users who say “I’ve been on the internet for years without a virus scanner and I’ve never had a virus” are either stupid or liars or both. I count the anti ad block people among their ranks. > [@Isaacedwardleibowitz](#): > > … > I don’t appreciate Eliahna referring to anti-adblock people as “stupid” and “liars,” by the way… > [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Not even close to what she said. Re-read her post. I did, and I’m having a hard time interpreting it any other way. Care to explain how it isn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/225 "2013-06-16T22:49:36Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > [Mainstream websites more likely to harbor malware](http://news.yahoo.com/mainstream-websites-more-likely-harbor-malware-201142450.html). > > Surfing the net without ad blocking is as moronic as not having virus protection installed. The type of Windows users who say “I’ve been on the internet for years without a virus scanner and I’ve never had a virus” are either stupid or liars or both. I count the anti ad block people among their ranks. I enabled ads on a few sites once, during a fit of social contraction or whatever it is, and I got at least two toolbar infestations and a fake virus scanner. This was maybe three sites. I block all ads now. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/226 "2013-06-16T23:43:41Z")
I said people **who say their computers have never been infected** due to not running anti virus or ad blocking are stupid or lying. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/227 "2013-06-16T23:53:37Z")
> [@Isaacedwardleibowitz](#): > > The only source in that article is a study conducted by Cisco, a networking company that [sells security software](http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/secursw/ps5057/index.html) - pretty shoddy reporting. Forgive me for not accepting its conclusion as definitive. It’s a discontinued product that never even uses the phrase “ad block” in its description. Cisco’s marketing department needs a kick up the arse if this story was planted to give sales a boost. And now I’m going to point and laugh at you for refusing to accept Cisco as a source for computer security issues. ---
**Author:** ![Isaacedwardleibowitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecb155/32.png) [@Isaacedwardleibowitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isaacedwardleibowitz)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/228 "2013-06-17T00:55:15Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I said people **who say their computers have never been infected** due to not running anti virus or ad blocking are stupid or lying. You very pointedly and intentionally made it clear that anti-adblock people were among the stupid and the liars. What else would the last sentence mean? > [@Eliahna](#): > > The type of Windows users who say “I’ve been on the internet for years without a virus scanner and I’ve never had a virus” are either stupid or liars or both. I count the anti ad block people among their ranks. In fact, Cisco currently offers several network and computer security products which are likely to be purchased by people and businesses worried about ads giving them malware. You can view them [here](http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/vpndevc/index.html) (the page includes a link to the security report from your article, by the way). The fact they don’t have adblock in their name doesn’t mean anything. The company would still benefit hugely from increased paranoia about malware, especially from businesses suddenly worried about their employees viewing legitimate sites. I’m not denying that some ads give people malware, but it’s not a horrible burdensome problem and it doesn’t justify a blanket adblock of the entire internet. There are other solutions, such as getting a more sophisticated browser or virus protection program. Using Chrome on my Mac laptop, and Firefox on a Windows PC at work, I haven’t had any problems with malware from ads in several years. You can browse the internet safely and support the websites you use at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/229 "2013-06-17T02:26:16Z")
When I wrote that people **who say they are unaffected by virus or malware infections despite not using virus or ad blocking protection** are idiots, liars, or both, I was talking about my personal experience and opinion. You may identify as part of that group, but it does not change my opinion or my experience. You say we can’t trust Cisco because they have a vested interest in making people afraid of malware, but you expect us to respect your opinion, and you have a vested interest in promoting the safety of online advertising. If Cisco can’t be trusted because of perceived bias, then how can you? The difference I see in credibility is that Cisco describe an internet experience I’m familiar with. You don’t. Black is white, up is down, and malware only affects you if visit sleazy underground illegal sites. ---
**Author:** ![Isaacedwardleibowitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecb155/32.png) [@Isaacedwardleibowitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isaacedwardleibowitz)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/230 "2013-06-17T02:45:44Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > When I wrote that people **who say they are unaffected by virus or malware infections despite not using virus or ad blocking protection** are idiots, liars, or both, I was talking about my personal experience and opinion. You may identify as part of that group, but it does not change my opinion or my experience. You are not describing what you wrote above. You called those people idiots, and then you said you included anti-adblock people with them. > [@Eliahna](#): > > You say we can’t trust Cisco because they have a vested interest in making people afraid of malware, but you expect us to respect your opinion, and you have a vested interest in promoting the safety of online advertising. If Cisco can’t be trusted because of perceived bias, then how can you? One of the first things you learn in journalism is that no one is objective. Obviously, you and everyone else in this thread who uses adblock have an interest in it being a moral thing to do, because no one wants to think of themselves as doing something immoral. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/231 "2013-06-17T03:05:27Z")
And you’re doing it again. I am wrong about my own experiences. I am wrong about what I meant when I wrote my own words. I am wrong about my own motivations. You know me better than me. You know what I was really writing, thinking, saying, doing, experiencing. You intimately know my browsing history, my morality, my computer savviness. You must, or you wouldn’t keep telling me why I’m wrong about my own subjective experience. Don’t tell me that I don’t know what I intended to say. I know what I intended to say; I was there. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/232 "2013-06-17T03:06:52Z")
Here’s a point I don’t think has been raised yet: ad blockers serve as a form of quality control. Remember how pop ups got totally out of hand there for a while? While still in use, they are nowhere near as common as they were a few years ago. Why? Because when pop ups became annoying enough, browsers were released featuring pop up blockers and people started to turn that feature on. The existence of ad blockers forces ad companies and the websites which rely on ads for revenue to give a shit about their readers. With ad blocker software readily available, reading website ads is completely optional. It generally doesn’t come preinstalled with the browser, so most people won’t bother to download an ad blocker plugin and install it unless they become really annoyed. But if irritated enough, they can and will! Knowing whether the percentage of people surfing their website with an ad blocker installed and running is rising, falling, or remaining the same gives website owners and ad companies useful feedback (if they bother to pay attention to it). ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/233 "2013-06-17T16:50:18Z")
Serious question: Once I’ve seen an ad, especially if I’ve clicked on it, can morally I block it after? Or do I still need to see the same ad every time I visit the page? ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/234 "2013-06-19T13:28:12Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Serious question: > > Once I’ve seen an ad, especially if I’ve clicked on it, can morally I block it after? > Or do I still need to see the same ad every time I visit the page? Depends on that social compact you agreed to . ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/235 "2013-06-30T23:33:16Z")
This article in the NYTimes magazine asks and answers a similar question: [“Is It Wrong to Skip the Commercials?”](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/magazine/is-it-wrong-to-skip-the-commercials.html?partner=rss&emc=rss) The upshot: > [@](#): > > Mass media exist because of their symbiotic relationships with advertising, but the consumer exists outside of that agreement. There is no moral obligation to consume advertising. The responsibility of attracting your attention is the burden of the advertiser. You don’t need to help. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234/236 "2013-07-01T02:49:16Z")
> [@Isaacedwardleibowitz](#): > > I don’t not believe you, although I think there’s been some exaggerating by some posters because I haven’t had any problem with malware in recent years using Chrome and Firefox. My belief is that a blanket ban of all ads, withdrawing support of all the ad-revenue-dependent sites you use, isn’t an appropriate response to a couple bad ones. I caught malware from the SDMB using Firefox on a computer with up-to-date antivirus software “in recent years”. It took two hours to fix. I bill at a high hourly rate; are you willing to compensate viewers who catch malware on your site? I don’t block advertisements. I just don’t allow websites to run scripts on my computer without permission (I use NoScript). This often has the affect of blocking ads, just like pop-up blockers did (is it wrong to use those too?). Advertisers are welcome to push ads to me in other ways that do not put me at risk. They are also welcome to make their content unavailable unless I run their scripts. A few news sites do that, so I don’t look at them. It’s just not worth it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-immoral-to-block-advertisements/660234.md?page=11)