# **Online Ads & Blockers**
For this assignment, we must install ad blockers. Ad blockers are entirely new to me, and I was challenged to investigate how these ad blockers can stop ads from popping up on the websites I usually visit the most. Here are some exercises I did to understand ad blockers:
### ***Youtube:***
**Before Ad Blocker**
**After Ad Blocker**

**My ads where successfully deleted with the Ad blocker when I played my youtube video; at first, you could see that I was interrupted by an ad when trying to watch my youtube video.**
### ***Pintrest:***
**Before Ad Blocker**

**After Ad Blocker**

**On Pinterest, you could also see that when I installed the ad blocker and refreshed my page, it completely removed the ads from my page and only targeted my Pinterest page with Pinterest images.**
### ***Forbes:***
**Before Ad Blocker**

**After Ad Blocker**

**The same thing happened in Forbes when I first opened the Forbes page, I got an ad on a Nokia phone, but when I added the ad blocker, it completely removed it.**

# **Reading Response**

When going online and trying to engage with the content you like, whether watching a video on youtube or reading the latest news, we can be interrupted by all types of ads. While doing this exercise on adding an ad blocker system to my google chrome, I noticed the difference that ads could have to your engagement with the website. For example, when I was trying to watch a youtube video, the first thing that popped up when I clicked on the video I wanted to watch was an AD promoting a facial machine. These ads suddenly pop out when we try to engage with our content, which can create frustrations; when I get these ads, I completely ignore them and scroll on my phone until the ad finishes. Although this time was different, I noticed a peculiar pattern when engaging with the ads that popped up. The advertisements that would appear on these sites were familiar to me. I got ads like "Nokia" and "Skin Care," which I have discussed extensively this week. Watching the "Nokia" ad pop up stood out since I told my friend I wanted to change from an iPhone to an android just yesterday. This shocks me. Can our devices track what we do online? Is my privacy being tempted? The article by Don Marti, "Targeted advertising considered harmful," explains how "The web pages you visit often leave cookies from third-party websites. These cookies can be used to track where you go on the web, target you with ads, or create a profile of your online activities". These cookies can track the pages that you visit the most and create advertisements that will attract us.

In order to remove these advertisements and feel like you adhere to more privacy when going on the web, Ad blockers have become the quickest solution to remove Ads. For example, the article advertisers are paying off ad-blockers to show users "acceptable ads" describes how to stop these ads; you can download ad blockers, the most famous one being Ad Blockers. But the problem is that even these ad blockers can be paid off by advertisers who participate in paid programs like the "Acceptable Ads Programs," in which companies pay the ad blockers a percentage to show their advertisements. This shows advertisements' power and how big companies like Amazon, Google, and many others can pay off even ad blockers.

In conclusion, users should be able to block ads online since online ads can come in intruding ways, which can be unpleasant to your privacy and security. When browsing online, you want to be able to feel safe and not like you are being followed by the media. Furthermore, for companies and creators to win recognition and revenue for their products and services, a good way for them to win profit could be to get other online streaming services, such as subscription models or sponsorships. Therefore, everyone should be able to have privacy when browsing online and be able to choose whether they want ads on their page.