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by SquareWheel 3769 days ago
That may be true of the general HN crowd, but I doubt it's true for most people. I block ads because they make the web ugly and slow. It's simply nicer to browse sites without them.

In my case at least, "surveillance" doesn't factor into it. If I were to see ads, I'd actually prefer they be targeted to my interests.
1 comments
hackerfactor 3769 days ago
Be careful what you ask for...

Right now (and without ad blockers): Go to homedepot.com, search for toilets, and view one toilet product page. This marks your interest. facebook.com will show you ads for toilets for the next month.

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SquareWheel 3769 days ago
Well, I don't have a Facebook account so I can't test the experiment. But generally if I search for something I don't mind seeing related ads for that thing. Especially if it's something that suits my interests. Google for instance lets you edit your interests list.
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genedickson 3768 days ago
I don't give a FF, I want to minimize the information strangers have about me. I'd rather see ads that were not targeted. If they know about me that is bad, regardless of all else. Who doesn't matter. Why doesn't matter. I've never had a checking account or credit card. My bank knows nothing of how I spend my money. For mail order I use money orders and aliases. When I contact online sellers I use an alias which I delete shortly after receiving whatever and telling them that it came. I consider surveillance unpatriotic. I may not be able to prevent the NSA from knowing all, but I make purchases anonymously unless I am at a brick and mortar store.
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SquareWheel 3768 days ago
Well, that honestly sounds like deep-seated paranoia, but you're free to opt out of tracking with almost all ad networks. Here's Google's:

https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/authenticated

https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/anonymous

Others can be found with a simple Google search.

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