[thatguy0900]

If it was a ad supported site practically everyone from here visiting would be using adblockers, I don't really see the difference

[neilv]

There are differences (e.g., historical expectations and social contracts, as well as technical nuances of selectively not download vs. outright copyright violation and sometimes CFAA violations of unauthorized access), but I think you have a reasonable point.

Surveillance capitalism and adtech really created a mess that's hard to get out of.