Ads aren't the real problem though, SEO and dark patterns are.
Ads, even when mixed in with legitimate content, are labeled. A user can reasonably infer an ad website's goal when they click on it: to get you to pay for something.
The real problem is the system enables bad actors to do the same, without gaining the Ad label, by gaming the system to outrank legitimate (or free) sources of information.
The real problem is the system enables bad actors to do the same, without gaining the Ad label, by gaming the system to outrank legitimate (or free) sources of information.