I use AdBlock Plus on my FireFox, and I read an op-ed on cNet that adblocking is unethical because it deprives the original website of advertising money, which can lead it to shut down. I'm not sure what to think, on one hand, websites do often rely on ads, but on the other hand, isn't it like getting up in the middle of a TV commercial?
2007-09-12 22:43:15 · 3 answers · asked by rahidz2003 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I use The Proxomitron universal web filter with the Opera web browser myself, and you can rest assured that anybody who tries to tell you not to control what you view on your own computer has absolutely no business lecturing anybody on ethics. The web existed perfectly fine long before people tried to make money off of it. And if big corporate interests controlled all our laws, it WOULD be illegal for somebody to turn the TV off when a commercial comes along (just watch some old episodes of "Max Headroom" if you want to see what that kind of society would be like).
2007-09-12 23:16:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, in a way. I see it more like receiving junk mail. I toss it unread into the garbage can. Or when I am reading the newspaper, I pass over the ad without even a glimpse to its content. Why should the advertisers be able to intrude on my time if I am not in the market for their product? Is that ethical?
2007-09-12 22:56:05 · answer #2 · answered by peggy m 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do you shut off the sound or change channels on your TV during the ads? Do you leave the room to get another beer ?
Same stuff, I say.
I wonder how the fact of a blocked ad gets reported back to
whoever cares, anyway.
2007-09-13 04:28:30 · answer #3 · answered by sirbobby98121 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋