###### tags: `CDA` # Ad-Blocking [Go to Main Page](https://hackmd.io/@Rakku/SyRdRbD1u) [**CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR IPHONE ACCESSORIES IN THE BEST VALUE POSSIBLE!**](https://www.google.com/search?q=advertisement&oq=ADVERTS&aqs=chrome.2.0l2j0i10i433l2j0i10l2j46i10i175i199j0i10l3.3370j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) All caps and all annoyance; ads take the fun out of websites. I am someone who avidly supports using adblockers and I do it myself too. I use this chrome plugin called AdBlock and it seems to work pretty well for me. [Gadgetbyte](https://www.gadgetbytenepal.com/), a popular tech related media organisation here in Nepal; is one of the websites I check on almost everyday and I've grown used to the clean interface that it has; and it's easy to follow. This was until this assignment came up and I saw the reality of the ads in the website. Below images show the before and after images of the Website when I turned on and off my ad-blocker. ![Gadgetbyte without ads](https://i.imgur.com/sCqGXL8.jpg) ![Gadgetbyte with ads](https://i.imgur.com/h8nGksS.jpg) I did not know adding just two ads would make my feed so messy and intolerable. It was confusing. With growing tensions with [malware ads](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/16/major-sites-new-york-times-bbc-ransomware-malvertising), it's now not even about just the ads being annoying, its risky. By means of phishing and false clickbait, you might get attracted to the ads and even click it. But once you do you might even be locked out of your own laptop. This means that you have to stay aware of every link and image you click. I mean I go to the internet to relax and have some passtime; I don't want to be on my guard all the time. However, all these websites which are free are usually supported by these websites and having everyone with adblockers would render all these companies bankrupt. It's not the user's fault either, with such [targeted ads](https://zgp.org/targeted-advertising-considered-harmful/) which essentially take the life out of you when an ad comes up of a thought you had mere seconds ago. Talk about why Snowden snitched. It feels like your privacy is violated and the algorithms hold nothing to you for yourself. Scary stuff. However, something that [Apple does](https://www.apple.com/safari/) is a good way to not throw people away and [scare them](http://blogs.harvard.edu/doc/2010/07/31/the-data-bubble/). By not keeping cookies and data VERY personalised to you, you can actually keep the revenue for the website. This is because the main [reason](https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1138&context=asc_papers) people want ad blockers is that they do not want very targeted ads. Not everyone will use Safari, and a common way to help this is by using plugins like [AdBlock Plus](https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/13/12890050/adblock-plus-now-sells-ads) will actually help retain revenue and keep selling ads. And as Mr. Ben Williams of AdBlock Plus says, "And crucially, monetize the ad blockers on on their own terms." This way, a fair market of Ads will be set which is not very invasive and follows a certain set of rules for people to not be scared away from ads.
Last changed by  
 
Rakku
129

Read more

Reading Responses (Set 2)

Reading response 1 March 23 Tuesday - Finding someone and living alone Judging what someone else looks like is not an attribute of technology, it is how we look at people. Even when we physically attend outings or are in a church, we are making judgements and evaluations as that is how the human brain functions. For better an individual can be more selective because you have a bigger group to select from. You know more about people before a first date and are not limited to your neighborhood or limited people your family, friends and you know. A lot of information gathering can be done by the extensive communication before the first date which is extremely important. Sometimes meeting people multiple times does not fetch you as much data as you can through the power of constant texting and digital communication. Digital communication is creating a new reality in which people are actively avoiding real life interactions. Once you are in a relationship with somebody it does not really matter how you met that person whether it was through an online medium or you met them in person as the goal then is how you mold your life. Age of marriage in the United States has gone above 20s to 40s now and even the ones who are in 40s are not deciding to settle down. Its more about choices and personal life goals in today’s era. Esther Rantzen in her article mentions how she absolutely loves and would want to live like how people in Nepal live in longhouses with multiple generations living with each other happily. Colm Toibin in the other hand loves to stay alone and wakes up with a clear head, ready for more. It is all about personal choices and technology does not play a major role when it is about how you want to live your life. But technology helps you gather information for sure, which leads to a more educated guess to what you’re going into. Reading Response 2 March 30 Tuesday - Shaped

4/19/2021
Privacy Footprint

Go to Main Page It is hard to truly anonymize data (Kernighan 2017), and keeping your data open to the network available for large corporations and agencies seems a bit too invasive. We might try to cover our tracks by using incognito, blocking our cookies, or even using a VPN, but our data is collected from multiple sources then stitched together to paint a detailed picture of aspects of our life. The cost to give us better targeted advertisements has become very expensive. All the millions of dollars that go along with data provision and web searches must be paid somehow, usually by advertising revenue. A quick google search just gave my LinkedIn profile and my family business’ website that I made, these were some things I do not mind having pop up in my feed, but it does show how it was able to tag particulars about me throughout the web. Giving actual data was due to me not having a very common name. And a search in Spokeo luckily gave the results as below, giving me a sigh of relief. Data is the backbone of the digital economy, and it is impossible to escape sensors that will scour you for data and retain your privacy. As said by Kernighan, it is wise to be wary. A WebKay search gave me information that I did not even know was publicly accessible by other websites, such as the social media I am logged into. If they can access those cookies, what is to prevent my password being leaked around the internet.

4/4/2021
Rakshit's Home Page

Required assignments Wiki tutorial Web search and evaluation Filter and label your email Adblocking Privacy footprint Reading responses

4/4/2021
Reading Responses (Set 1)

Reading response 1 Feb 5 Fri - Fake News Breaking News - Biden is getting impeached!. How many of you believed that and clicked the link? Media Literacy can be very confusing and often misleading. In today’s date, people do not want to see news for what it is but rather for gossip, or hearsay. You, me, and everyone are obsessed with juicy content instead of seeing harsh realities, wanting some spice to life instead of the boring reporting style. The fourth article in the list, about Media Manipulation shows how someone with one half decent computer and a subscription to premiere pro, anyone can become a media manipulator ; a source for hot fake news and “evidence” backed videos. Retweets, Likes, Shares and Comments usually enhance this hoax distribution. We often even believe it. This trendy way of spreading Scoop News has mitigated to memes, videos, tweets, and virtually all social media platforms you have seen. The graph midway through this article also shows how unreliable tittle-tattle has taken over genuine evidence backed information. I mean Hilary selling weapons to the ISIS is definitely eye catchier than Myanmar coup: Teachers join growing protests against military. However, despite all the information we have on the internet, not all are credible. We often just google something we are curious about and usually get the information we need without opening the link, through the preview feature; how many of us have gone into the link and seen what the sources of the link is? Memes have often made it seem like anti-vaxxers are ignorant parents who are brainwashed by the right wing media who do not want to be protected against diseases; it is on the contrary, a choice they are making to evaluate the risks and understand the biology behind the vaccine, instead of trusting it blindly. This is how media might literacy maybe backfiring on us.

3/9/2021
Read more from Rakku
Published on HackMD