Ad Blocking

I was quite amused this week to be accused of mafia tactics by John Whittingdale, the Culture Minister. In fact what he was alluding to is the various internet ad-blocking firms that offer software to end-users to block out unwanted advertising and then requesting a fee from content providers for whitelisting them. I actually have some sympathy for newspapers and the like who rely on advertising for much of their online revenue. However, stopping revenue isn’t why I use ad-blockers.

I block ads for the most part because they render my computer unusable. Often this results in the browser crashing, which is annoying, or freezing the session which is particularly irritating when it is obvious that the clicked on link is of no interest whatsoever. In the worst case I had to rebuild a Linux computer that had been wrecked after being crashed by animated advertising whilst applying updates but the final straw was when a seemingly respectable publisher tried to install malware on my PC. I actually have my security settings enabled to stop that but it is likely to catch others out.

For the most part I don’t mind advertising. I tend to ignore it and may become irritated if it is repetitious but it tends not to bother me and I am prepared to put up with it given that I am usually getting something for free off the back of it. I can put up with leaflets shoved through my front door but if someone was to fly post all over my windows I would be a tad irritated. If they then chose to force me to read their handiwork I would become somewhat annoyed and if they then spray painted slogans all over my house I would be tempted to rip their arms out of their sockets and bludgeon them to death with the soggy end.

What John Whittingdale seemed to miss (although what he alluded to in the lesser parts of his remarks) is that ad-blockers are not a protection racket as such but protection from a racket. The ad-blocking software that I use allows the end user to whitelist sites at their own discretion and I have done this on several that I use regularly.  I don't block adverts on the Guardian's website because they politely asked me not to. That’s fair enough as I read quite a few of their stories and, whilst they do have a fair bit of advertising, it doesn’t cause me too many problems. Of course this is all based on unlimited fast broadband access. I could imagine that mobile users paying by the megabyte might have a different view.

What I would really prefer is a code of practice that would differentiate between reasonable advertising to fund free content and the unreasonable tactics of some advertisers to force their messages and malware on an unsuspecting public. Ultimately, everyone has the right to free speech, but we also have the right not to listen.