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Comment by RajT88 | Hacker News Reader

As long as malvertising campaigns are a thing, you should block ads.

The online ad industry AFAIK still has not got their shit together.

Regarding getting their shit together, they're also some of the largest, most profitable companies in the world, so it's not like they don't have the resources to get their shit together - it's that there's not enough motivation to do it; there's no additional profit in changing their current negligent process.

The answer, failing legislative intervention from government (I don't think I'll live long enough to see that), is: more people need to block more ads to get the fucking message across.

I don't think I'll live long enough to see that either though.

Additionally, blocking ads should be added to any corporate cyber security checklist - if that happens, that may be more likely to send the message.

Agreed, in addition the amount of personal information advertising companies collect is staggering and incredibly creepy. I believe an exposed API link was posted to HN some time back that allowed you to query your data from one of the big ones, I like to think I take some care with who I give that data to, but they had almost every phone number, home/work address, email address, social media profile, etc. I'd used over the past 15 years.

Until the advertising industry cleans house and abides to some level of standards and ethics I have no qualms blocking every advert I possibly can

I guess you always pay in cash. The amount of information which banks and card issuers collect about you is just tremendous. And unlike web ads, they know your real name, your address, your age ...

Credit/debit card companies have more of some information but they know less about my psyche. They may know that I buy guns but they don't know that I like single action revolvers. They may know that I eat out but they don't know that I am allergic to shellfish. They may know that I went to the doctor but they don't know that I have some weird pimple on my butt. They may know that I watch porn but they don't know that I am into pygmy doggy style. The web trackers know all of this about me and probably some weird stuff that I am too ashamed to share.

Those institutions are a fair bit more regulated than 'big ad tech'.

It's a good point though, and to add to it: mobile comms companies' ability to track device, and therefore individual locations.

I'm also uncomfortable with what these companies do with the data they collect, however I think there is a difference in that I directly entered into an agreement with these companies, signed a contract and have some avenues of recourse such as closing my account and moving to a competitor, complaining to a regulator or even going to court.

When it comes to ad companies hoovering up data wherever they can I have practically no options to do anything about it, even figuring out which companies have collected my data would be a sisyphean task

What a peculiar response to a comment about ads infecting your PC with malware!

This is a good enough reason on it’s own, ads are literally dangerous.

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