Is Adblocking Ethical?

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Why Adblocking Is Ethical
The Internet hosts an abundance of free information to the public. Using the internet comes with an implicit agreement between the website and the user, which some may or may not be aware of. Earning revenue through advertising has become a common business model for many websites who offer free content. Advertisements are an integral part of the internet and it seems that there is no way around the overabundance of advertisements encountered. In response to the ever-growing advertisements, adblocking has become increasingly popular. As the use of adblocking software increases, debates of morality and ethics have surfaced. The issue revolving around adblocking is focused on points of piracy and theft. While some believe adblocking could have negative economic on businesses who depend on the advertising business model to survive, is it truly the responsibility of the consumer to support such business models? What businesses must understand is that implicit consent is not the same as explicit consent, therefore, …show more content…

Consequences of adblocking to the consumer are mere speculation but the consequences experienced by online publishers are clear, however, the consequences do not justify adblocking as an unethical behavior. In fact, as expressed by Manjoo and other ad block supporters, adblocking is believed to be an effective form of protest that will help the consumer masses in the end (2014). On a daily basis, readers and web surfers are confronted with intrusive ads that often impair download speeds and block content. Industry experts such as Ben Williams, CEO of Adblock Plus, believes that the advertising industry needs new approaches to advertising (Manjoo). Sean Blanchard, chief executive at PageFair, and Scott Cunningham, a general manager at Interactive Advertising Bureau, both agree that some changes are needed to make ads less intrusive

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