[onyva]

This monetization of web content first as a business model for browsers is pathetic when considering what are the stakes. I will pay for Firefox premium (VPN and cloud) and will always block ads no matter what. I’m not interested in content that’s only published to generate revenue. Vivaldi or Brave whom ever... I don’t need a to streamline online advertisement, I want it to die together with the industry that’s based on it.

[blfr]

I completely agree with you. I block ads on principle and will do so even if they're unobtrusive and backed by blockchain-based profit sharing. Judging by this being the top comment, many HN-ers agree with you as well.

The Internet population at large, however, doesn't. People would rather watch ads than pay and until it changes there will be many businesses online relying on ads.

[stOneskull]

i want neither ads or paying. i'd like to see everyone with their own website. peer-to-peer can handle a lot like video, as well as a decentralized news feed, and a new type of web-ring, adding each other's websites instead of adding fb friends. it's easy to set up free hosting for someone's website, and to supply a free domain, even if a subdomain off another person's site. there are ways.

[janpot]

Exactly, why are we so ok with businesses trying to manipulate us into buying things that we don't ask for? I mean I understand that a business needs to make money, but that shouldn't excuse you for doing this manipulation. You can't excuse unethical behavior just "because I needed to make money". And if it was only about buying things, but this whole industry has become a mass manipulation machine for politicians with bad intententions.

[onyva]

I wish Mozilla would offer a DNS level content blocker (pihole, NextDns..) with lists curated by the public/volunteers (Sleeping Giants...?). Could be set as default in Firefox, but can be used by anyone, for free.

I think it could undermine the monetary incentive social media drives out of hate speech and fake news, while users can still use these platforms (and sites in general) for their intended purpose.

[gnud]

What does Vivaldi do that you don't like? They have a new "abusive ads" filter, but other than that I'm not aware they do anything, and you can run uBlock origin from the Chrome store just fine.

[onyva]

1. proprietary

2. focused on features, not privacy

[sleavey]

Agreed. The web would be much, much smaller if we all blocked ads, but the quality of the content would likely be much higher. I'm in favour of that. Occasionally I stumble upon a website full of information written by a passionate individual - these are the best. Example from my bookmarks: http://vwlowen.co.uk/index.htm (I included the index to show the ".htm" bit - now there's a blast from the past!).

[paulryanrogers]

It would certainly be more exclusive. Though based on the things I see some friends spending on, I'm not convinced that's better. ('Essential' oils, homeopathy, heavily processed foods, luxuries that bankrupt them, etc.)

[agumonkey]

Seems that you're angry, although I mostly am in the same camp, I can't forget that advertising is as old as societies. Paid magazines had ads in them. The web ... and monetization is an issue. It's as if before the market was balanced around a little more and regular investment from customers, yielding a better environment for companies to work. On the web you're running after cents everywhere.. Nobody's happy. It's more suited to passion driven websites ..

[joyjoyjoy]

I prefer Browser and VPN from different providers. Opera has a free built in VPN by the way.

" and will always block ads no matter what."

I don't mind smaller ads. Metafiler for example. But most websites are unusable without an adblocker.

Strangely I remember that when printed Newspapers were still big, the advertisement was one of the valuable parts of them.

[modzu]

amen. ads are pollution that are hazardous to your health.

[Slashbot]

I didn't mind image based ads with a clickable url.... that was ok...

what was never ok was the javascrap that is loaded along the advertisement image.... this is where all the creepy tracking and privacy invasion takes place.. . browser vendors have been absolutely fucking shit at providing end users with finer controls over what inside JavaScrap is allowed to be run...there have been addons over the years that have provided more finer grain control, and even the various ad blockers.

It's an social issue now because the industry that has grown around this constant tracking and surveillance doesn't give a fuck, infact they're practically funded by globalist scum to keep doing it. Goolagdo all evil mantra, being the worst offenders as they have always had the agenda of data collecting everything. With the likes of MSuck/Faceb0rg/twatter etc and even Moztard corp, all just pushing this insanity along. Never mind all the chum 'partners' involved.