I use dedicated Ad Block software (or a customized host blocker) on all my internet enabled devices. I have no moral qualms whatsoever about doing so. Why do I block ads on the Internet? They are annoying and detract from my browsing experience. In addition to serving distracting ads that I never click on, online advertisers want to "hijack" and redirect my browser to sites I had no intention of visiting not to mention throwing up pop-up banners that I didn't ask to see. These tactics are the Internet equivalent of shop owners and proprietors grabbing people off the street and forcing them into their stores. I wouldn't put with it on the street and I won't put up with it on the Internet.

This is hardly proof of anything but in my experience the vast majority of people do not use ad blocking software of any kind. The people who do make use of such software tend to be slightly more savvy than the (usually older) people whose Internet experience consists of browsing the surface of the surface web (Yahoo!, Facebook, first page of Google search results etc). This demographic also tends to leave default settings unchanged unless there is significant hype or FUD to make them pay attention, e.g., Facebook privacy settings.

The people installing ad blocking software or writing their own host blockers are specifically seeking out ways to limit their exposure to advertising. They are not likely to be enthusiastic ad clickers and likely do not make purchasing decisions based on sponsored text or images shown next to their search results. Really, how valuable are potential customers that go out of their way to avoid being exposed to advertising?

Advertising companies - Google and Facebook being the most ubiquitous and powerful examples - are already data-mining every piece of information they possibly can and finding new ways to collect ever more intelligence. Never in human history has mass surveillance been practiced on such a large scale. Google and Facebook then sell or auction amalgamated data bundles to a robust industry of data brokers who in turn attempt to monetize the information they have paid for. The end user (whose attention is the product being sold by the providers of "free" content) has no control whatsoever over their data. More than a few large SV corporations have a close relationship with the state. Google being the most notable here...Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen wrote a book that was, in part, about the company's partnership with the DoS. These same companies despite some impressive lip service often roll over very quickly when the NSA and its pals come knocking.

When state intelligence agencies and a handful of powerful corporations collect and store massive amounts of citizens' data without any meaningful oversight or checks and balances we have a problem. Oh sure they all say "trust us" and "your privacy is"...wait for it.."important to us" (do a search for that phrase) but were it not for the painless under-the-radar data collecting methods employed, and the amount and content of information harvested and stored was made obvious, many more people would give more of a shit about what kind of future we are building. And it is advertising that drives the corporate data-mining industry.

So all y'all will excuse me if I laugh out loud when some random forum poster launches into a stern lecture about the immorality of blocking advertising on the Internet and on mobile devices. Oh, and I also block as many trackers as possible and am absolutely okay with that, too.

I should add that I am not opposed to all surveillance. Indeed, many of the benefits the Internet has brought would be impossible without it. Government surveillance, in specific instances, is also justified. However, ever increasing mass surveillance with little or no oversight controlled by some of the most powerful entities on the planet is definitely cause for concern.