Ad blocking does not go far enough.
this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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Unpopular Opinion
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Ads are an unwanted local infection that brings malware and brainwash people. Blocking ads is the sane behavior, not piracy at all.
Unless you're giving food and shelter to every Jehovah's Witness that comes to your home, then you're the insane one.
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(15 replies)
Working to avoid the excesses of surveillance capitalism isn't piracy, it's self-defense.
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(1 replies)
Time is our most precious resource and advertisers are here to waste it. I have no qualms telling them to fuck off.
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(2 replies)
We think there is a fundamental misconception about piracy. Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem
Ads flooding a page with garbage making it more difficult to read is absolutely a service problem. As is having to pay a subscription fee to a news outlet you may only check once a month.
Offer me a service where I pay per article read, a similar price to the ad revenue per article, and we can talk.
When I ride my ad-subventioned subway and I look away from the ads, am I free riding the sub?
When I see an ad, I make note of the product and tell at least two people at random how that product gave my uncle cancer or burned down his house killing his entire family. Imagine a movement where every single person took ads and used them to create anti ads. Make company's think before they steal our time and data. They will likely send some legal goons for you but this is the Chicago way
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(2 replies)
The deal is between the person paying for the ad and the person displaying the ad.
I wasn't ever involved in the deal, I owe them nothing.
Yep. I don't recall signing any contract...
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(9 replies)
Is it any different from when we used to record our shows and fast-forward through the ads?
My family always used to mute ads on the TV when I was growing up.
I guess that's piracy too, eh?
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(2 replies)
It does not have anything to do with sea so it's not piracy, nor is it copying without license. You aren't in a contract with people that show you ads, there is no legal requirement to do it. I don't care about their commercial interests but care a whole lot about my time and interests, I feel no obligation to do it, nor care if some ad-supported thing will stop existing. Like fuck them lol.
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(3 replies)
It isn't in any way piracy. I am under no obligation to pay attention to ads.
Or give them access to my network or my compute.
The fact you have more comments than up votes means this is a legit unpopular opinion, Good job 👍
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(1 replies)
There is no law that says "you have to load the ads that are being served when you access a website" (yet).
It goes against the wishes of the content provider, but not against any rule they can legally enforce.
It also doesn't even touch on copyright law.
Therefore, it's not piracy.
Ads are egregious attempts at brainwashing you into buying something. Blocking ads is morally correct. If something relies on ads, then its business model is broken.
Content blocking is not piracy, at least when accessing government resources.
I’m the sole decision maker as to what content I download to my personal devices, and that goes for web content as well as other things. If I don’t allow content from domains like doubleclick.net then that’s my right and nobody can overrule that decision.
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(1 replies)
If the content needs ads to pay for it did it really have any value at all to begin with? If I can’t access content ad-free (with an ad blocker) I’ll just give up and find something better.
Even as a web developer I’ll pay to host my content. Should it become too costly then I’ll need to monetize it as a business or ask for donations but I’d never stoop so low as to start spying on my users and selling their browsing habits; fuck that. And I’ll never start trying to brainwash them into buying some shit that’s probably unnecessary and bad for the environment anyway.
I’m so tired of being expected to give up my privacy even for paid services. I can’t use my VPN? Then get fucked, I’ll find someone better to business with.
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(1 replies)
piracy implies you a stealing with out paying. when they offer it for free its not stealing, they have every right to have ads to pay for thier sites, but people have right to block things that could affect the computer.
Downvoted cause I agree. Adblock is based and so is piracy.
I reject your premise that ads are the payment for content. I would equate ads on websites to tipping; a completely optional form of income for the website.
I don't tip.
That's not unpopular, that's simply incorrect. No law bans me from blocking ads.
Is throwing away unopened junk mail stealing from the post office? Its the exact same thing
post office gets paid either way, website doesn't. you're describing looking away from the website's ads while your ad-blocker's off.
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(2 replies)
What about services where you pay but still get ads? Netflix? Cable?
In UK people pay for TV if they have one. In Germany people pay for TV, Radio even if they dont have one. Does it stop ads? Nope! Except you can't block them on radio wave level unfortunately. At least on the web you can.
Edit: forgot dont
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(1 replies)
I don't HATE hate ads. When watching Twitch, sure I get an ad every 15 minutes I think. But the fact that there is technology for ANYONE in the world to see someone's computer screen in almost real time, have a chat room, and (almost) for free (well, for $0. I pay with my time watching ads)
But seeing the SAME AD, EVERY TIME, makes it annoying. I don't know why Twitch thinks I will watch FNAF 2, but seeing the ad 10 times will not convince me to watch it.
Change it up. Make me go "oh, what's this ad about" not "oh NOT THIS AGAIN". That is a gaurenteed walk away for a water break.
Unfortunately, many mobile games have figured out how to get around ad blockers now.
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