Make the FBI Happy: Install an Ad Blocker

The growing numbers of people around the world now using ad blockers — over 300 million on computers and 530 million on mobiles — now have the support of an unexpected ally: the FBI, which has just officially recommended in a PSA the use of ad blockers to strengthen personal cybersecurity, citing the risk of inadvertently clicking on the many fraudulent ads that plague websites.

This misuse of advertising that should not surprise us, given the pragmatism of some companies, Google or Facebook above all, which are only interested in how much money they can make. Right from the get go, Google was happy to get rich with dialer ads that scammed inexperienced users, and continues today by allowing all kinds of ads. Facebook went even further with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, possibly one of the largest electoral manipulations in history, for which it has just been sentenced to pay a fine of $725 million.

Internet advertising is plagued by scams, viruses, trackers, information theft, and a whole lot more bad news. Blocking advertising is no longer an act of rebellion, of protest against intrusive formats or of protecting one’s personal productivity, but a simple security decision. Think about it not only when you install it yourself, which if you are reading this you surely already have it, but also when you install it on your parents’ computer or for other users with less experience the problem: you are not simply freeing them from an annoyance that every so often will prevent them from reading an article because they will see junk that prevents them from doing so or because they will avoid stupid and annoying videos with pre-activated sound, but you are also protecting them from malicious attacks of all kinds.

Hence, Google’s recent efforts to sabotage the use of ad blockers by redefining the advertising ecosystem and relying on the dominance of its Chrome browser is not only a breach of antitrust law, but also irresponsible. Just because Google’s business continues to rely on advertising, does not mean that all web users should be subjected to a business model that is not only generally annoying, but also an invasion of our privacy that exposes us to vulnerabilities.

What should you do as a user? First, ditch Chrome. Using the same browser 65% of other people use is dangerous, because criminals have a great incentive to look for vulnerabilities in it; and secondly, a problem for your privacy if the company that develops it also lives primarily on advertising. Second, install an ad blocker: AdBlock, AdBlock Plus, Ghostery, uBlock Origin or some other. You will gain a better browsing experience, free of ads even on YouTube, but also potentially safer. And if you also recommend it to or install it for other users with less experience than you, you will be doing your good deed of the day, which will also make the FBI happy.

—

This post was previously published on Enrique Dans’ blog.

***

You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project

You Said ‘Race’, but Are You Actually Talking About Race?

Understanding the Nonbinary: Are You Confusing Gender With Sex?

The Difference Between Compassion for Those With Disabilities & Ableism?

‘Masculinity’ Is Having an Identity Crisis