AdBlock Plus being sued by German Companies

[dalekphalm]

Ads are under no circumstances acceptable and I block every one of them.

So you subscribe/donate/tip every single web/online service you use then, right? Including LTT forums and your favourite youtubers? You subscribe to HuluPlus (Of course not the free version), subscribe to Twitch streams, and as soon as Youtube Premium services are up, you'll be subscribing to every single channel you watch for a modest monthly fee each?

 

Not to sound OVERLY sarcastic, but unless you do the above mentioned, then you're taking advantage of those content creators who give you awesome "free" stuff ("free" because it's not actually free, it's paid for by ads).

 

Seriously to all the ad-haters out there, ads is what keeps the Internet free or modestly priced. If Twitch didn't have free streams, you think people would watch more than one or two? Subs on Twitch are generally $5 each. That adds up QUICK! I personally watch at least 3 twitch streams on and off, and that number can easily jump up to 10 during particularly interesting eSports tourneys (Team Liquid's TSL or After Hours Gaming League, etc etc) or during big events like E3.

 

Imagine if you had to sub to Youtube channels? Even if they were $1 each, that'd still be stupidly expensive. I sub to dozens of channels, and watch most of them regularly.

 

All those little monthly fees and subs would add up SUPER quick, and then suddenly only those with fair amount of disposable income (equivalent to US Middle to Upper-Middle Class Adults) would be able to afford it.

 

We need ads right now. Switching to a sub/tip based service might work for the occasional content creator, but that can't sustain the whole industry. Many fantastic content creators would die out and have to quit to get a "real job". We do not want this to become a reality.

[Builder]

Not everyone has the courtesy to allow some ads through though.

 

 

Maybe there's a website you don't care about, but someone else does.

Why should I pay for it if someone else likes it? They should donate if they like it that much. I mean jeez, I'm anal about using affiliate links, I rotate through all of the ones for the tech YouTubers. I just don't like ads.

[naomasa11]

Why is no one addressing the fact that AdBlock was the greatest thing to happen to porn surfing since the internet itself? I mean, come on now...

[Foxxer]

ADBlock, a sword with double edge.

[shiftberry]

adblock is always staying enabled no matter what will ever happen 

[Builder]

Well here's where it gets a little tricky, ethically speaking. While there are means in place to circumvent ads on YouTube (AdBlock Plus), you're essentially circumventing the social contract that exists between Youtubers and their viewers. Youtube is supposed to be free. There are premium paid-for video services elsewhere, but most flock to youtube precisely because its free.

 

Also saying that "It's never been an extremely profitable job, nor should it be" as some excuse to skip the ads and thus prevent them from getting income? That's asinine. Youtubers DON'T make a lot of money, unless they're bigshots like Pewdiepie or Tobuscus. I feel this is the same as stuff like Video Game piracy. If you don't want to pay for it (in this case by watching/seeing ads), then you shouldn't watch the content.

 

If there is a donation system in-place and you choose to donate, then it becomes a murky grey area, where I believe you've earned the right to use Ad-Block. This is great for Youtube with the planned "Tip-Jar" feature that should be out soon.

 

The problem is that the Internet couldn't be sustained if everyone threw up paywalls, as most people would just say "Fuck this" and go elsewhere. YOU PERSONALLY might be alright with paywalls, but I'm not. Nor are most users. I'm comfortable with a donation system supported by ads because it gives me the flexibility to decide if I'd like to contribute financially.

 

Some users wouldn't be able to afford monthly subscription fees. So they can't enjoy the content because they're poor or financially restricted? NO! Because we have ads! If we got rid of ads, then those users would have course but to either pirate/circumvent the paywall, or not enjoy the content. Both of those outcomes are bad.

 

I fully support the use of AdBlock Plus in what I like to call "generic" web browsing though. You're googling stuff, or on a major website supported by a large corporation or that relies on other revenue streams, such as CNN.com or Gmail (Although with Google it's a little ironic, considering they support Gmail from their google adsense revenue), or lastly the website uses extremely annoying and intrusive ads (Anyone remember the "smiley face" HELLLOOOOOOOOOO ones that triggered if you mouse-over the ad?). But any website you actively support or are a member of should have AdBlock disabled if possible, most especially youtube and here at LTT (Though if you're a donor, then I'll forgive you).

So you're saying it's less morally fraught to deprive large corporations of profit than small ones? That's not the case. That's what pirates say when they pirate EA games and stuff.

 

Ads are the scourge of the internet. They more often than not lead to adware, and on top of that, I don't like my brain getting pummeled by the incessant psychological warfare that they use. I would pay virtually any amount of money to not have ads, and it is my opinion that if you can't manage to support yourself through donations then you shouldn't be doing this.

 

It's not my job to support YouTubers through ads. It simply isn't. YouTube was not intended to be profitable for a small in-group, it was designed to be a place to share yourself with the world. At its heart, it's just another social network. It even has Google+ integration. I don't ordinarily say this, but I don't consider YouTube to be a real job. Yes, it takes a lot of work, but it has irregular salaries and no one is guaranteed a payout. It's a complete accident that there are only around a dozen people that can make a decent living off of YouTube alone. It's not meant to be a lifestyle. I respect what Linus does and I buy T-shirts. I will be a contributor some day as well.

[Ren]

I've never seen ads pass through ABP unless it was when it needed to be updated due to something different on twitch, youtube or other media/streamed video with ads.

[AlwaysFSX]

This is old news. It was only a matter of time before a country got pissed off at them.

[totjup5]

I don't like how adblock effects content creators, but at the same time, ads are so horrible at this point that it really is necessary. I just whitelist sites like youtube, and the Linustechtips forum ecause I want to support youtubers and Linus especially.

[canadianultra]

I can barely stand using a browser without addblock, mostly youtube, those unstoppable 1 min adds piss me off

 

I also dont usually watch regular tv because of adds

 

KILL ALL ADDS WITH FIRE 

[onionring]

Here s my stand on it:

 

The business model shown here they use is bull////.

No way you can say you block ads, and then  you go back to the one you blocked and ask for cash that doesn t make sense.

 

But i do use Adblock, but here s how.

 

I use firefox for all my regular browsing and youtube etc, it doesn t have Adblock installed.

 

I use chrome with adblock and Hola for netflix (Hola is free VPN(not rly but it does the samething)) and very rarely browsing nreasonable sites.

 

I could easily live without it and i recognize some sites needs the ads revenue, BUT some rly go overboard like no tomorrow, some sites do 30sec unskipable ads for every 5 min of videos,

c mon i can accept some but that s going overboard

 

and those sites usually do not have targetted ads,

rly do i need to find info about  chinease women to date or diapers/dog food/cat food? (the answer is no)

[Puddleuk]

It's not my job to support YouTubers through ads. It simply isn't. YouTube was not intended to be profitable for a small in-group, it was designed to be a place to share yourself with the world. At its heart, it's just another social network. It even has Google+ integration. I don't ordinarily say this, but I don't consider YouTube to be a real job. Yes, it takes a lot of work, but it has irregular salaries and no one is guaranteed a payout. It's a complete accident that there are only around a dozen people that can make a decent living off of YouTube alone. It's not meant to be a lifestyle. I respect what Linus does and I buy T-shirts. I will be a contributor some day as well.

 

Agreed. YouTube is a social network and those using it should not be posting content with the sole intention of making money, after all most YouTubers start out simply as a hobby, to share what they have created and get feedback. The issue is once they become popular they expect money for their efforts. Think of people like The Angry Video Game Nerd and Nostalgia Critic, they created their content for fun and probably never expected to become as big as they are, those two entertainers have moved away from YouTube as the main platform and instead use Blip TV or their own custom video players on their own websites.

 

If you become popular and make money then fine, but don't start looking at your subscribers and viewers as some sort of wallet, they made you popular and they can just as easily make you unpopular.

[Askew]

If there were no annoying adds (like videos with sound that autoplay) and moron websites like Forbes that literally put a whole page in between you and your article for an ad then I wouldn't use adblock.

 

Unfortunately that's not the case so everyone suffers and I block all of them.

[legend8887]

I love AdBlock, I'm using it right now.

[Linus_torvalds]

Fuck ads. why they do not ask us. I do not want their shitty advertistments!  

 

 

I love adblock plus! 

[LAwLz]

There isn't any sketchy behind the scene deals going on. You can apply to have your ad white listed if you think your ad follows their rules on "acceptable" ads:

 

Which ads are "acceptable"?

We currently have the following requirements:

• Static advertisements only (no animations, sounds or similar)
• Preferably text only, no attention-grabbing images
• Ad placement:
  • Ads should never obscure page content (e.g. require users to click a button to close the ad before viewing the page).
  • For pages featuring a reading text ads should not be placed in the middle, where they interrupt the reading flow. However, they can be placed above the text content, below it or on the sides. The same applies to search results pages: paid search results cannot be mixed with organic results.
  • When ads are placed above the content of a main page, they should not require the user to scroll down. The available vertical space is likely to be at least 700 pixels. Advertising should not occupy more than one-third of that height. Paid search results on search pages are allowed to occupy more space, but they should never outnumber organic results.
  • When placed on the side ads should leave enough space for the main content. The available horizontal space can be expected to be at least 1000 pixels, and advertising should not occupy more than a third of that width.
• Advertising should be clearly marked as such with the word "advertising" or its equivalent, and it should be distinguishable from page content, for instance via a border and/or different a background color.
• Marking and placement requirements do not apply for hyperlinks with affiliate referrer IDs embedded in the content of the page. Additional criteria for hyperlinks with affiliate referrer IDs:
  • Redirects originating from the hyperlink should not present any other webpage than the destination page.
  • In texts, not more than 2 percent of the words can be hyperlinked for monetization purposes.
  • Hyperlinks should not be formatted or behave differently than other links.
  • Hyperlinks should not be misleading, in either content or placement.

These criteria are not necessarily final; we are always working at improving them. In particular, we want to require that every user's privacy is respected (e.g. mandatory Do Not Track support). However, we are not yet in a position to enforce that requirement.

The entire filter of allowed ads can be found on their website here.

The "acceptable ads" filter is also opt-out which is nice.

[EChondo]

I use adblock, I whitelist sites that I like and frequent.

However, I don't whitelist Twitch because ads on there interrupt streams and I miss content. I'm not going to subscribe to the streamers because $5+ a month is too much for a part time worker such as myself.

If a website uses reasonable ads, then I will whitelist them, but until then you will be blocked.

[ToxicFire]

Ok here's the problem, its a result of the entitlement generation, there’s a generation of people out there now mostly the generation that grew up with the net that thinks they're entitled what they want in this case revenue from ad's, but the problem is ALOT of the content is not original alot of it is clone content, ie new game out a few dozen reviews appear in the space of a week all pretty much saying the same things in addition there's quiet alot of sties out there that spew out absolute dross that people wouldn't consider paying for because it has no credible value but survives because of ad revenue. Now imagine that ad revenue isn't there, the net begins to self regulate people find what’s really good and put their hand in their pocket, the dross and clones aren't making any money any more so disappear funnelling people to the better content, which is part of the problem atm its hard to find the good content amongst all the flotsam so those that are good producers of content are forced to rely on things like ad's because the money is spread around too thin to allow them to be sure of an income and give them a realistic value for their work. In short ad based revenue can lead to unrealistic valuations of content allowing rubbish to survive but preventing the good stuff from thriving due to lack of concentration of funding.

[TAK]

.

[Misanthrope]

There isn't any sketchy behind the scene deals going on. You can apply to have your ad white listed if you think your ad follows their rules on "acceptable" ads:

-list-

The entire filter of allowed ads can be found on their website here.

The "acceptable ads" filter is also opt-out which is nice.

 

If everybody focused on making those standards the legal requirements to run advertising, we wouldn't even need ad block. I am sorry to say this but anybody that actually doesn't wants to adhere to those requirements should absolutely be adblocked no matter how much of a cool guy the website owner is or if his kid dies of cancer cause of evil adblockers or whatever other guild trip ad block opposers throw at you.

[LAwLz]

If everybody focused on making those standards the legal requirements to run advertising, we wouldn't even need ad block. I am sorry to say this but anybody that actually doesn't wants to adhere to those requirements should absolutely be adblocked no matter how much of a cool guy the website owner is or if his kid dies of cancer cause of evil adblockers or whatever other guild trip ad block opposers throw at you.

Yes ads that follow those guidelines are totally okay in my opinions. They are a bit strict in some areas but overall good rules.

A a lot of stuff on the list is instant NOPE to me, for example Flashing animations, ads that play sounds by default, not occupying more than 1/3 of the page and ads that hide content until you click them.

All of these should be classified as deadly sins.

 

I actually think AdBlock Plus are very good in this regard. They are very transparent about what they are doing any why.

[Yoinkerman]

Without the freedom of ad services like google provides. . . there would be no content.  Look at television, content is controlled through giant television networks, and basically every ad you see is from an even bigger conglomerate like proctor and gamble, yum foods, or a car company.

 

We would not have the diversity of content that is killing the cable industry without the mostly innocuous ads.  We would not have the huge diversity of websites that cater to every interest imaginable.  It would simply not exist.

 

Where the **** do you people browse, and how much video content do you people consume where you think ads are obtrusive?  How many youtube videos do you watch on a regular basis that you go "i've seen too many ads"?  (Serious questions)

 

We wouldn't be here on this forum without ad services.  We'd still be on the yahoo homepage with content curated by a zillion dollar corporation.  Think about that.

 

 

Ok here's the problem, its a result of the entitlement generation, there’s a generation of people out there now mostly the generation that grew up with the net that thinks they're entitled what they want in this case revenue from ad's, but the problem is ALOT of the content is not original alot of it is clone content, ie new game out a few dozen reviews appear in the space of a week all pretty much saying the same things in addition there's quiet alot of sties out there that spew out absolute dross that people wouldn't consider paying for because it has no credible value but survives because of ad revenue. Now imagine that ad revenue isn't there, the net begins to self regulate people find what’s really good and put their hand in their pocket, the dross and clones aren't making any money any more so disappear funnelling people to the better content, which is part of the problem atm its hard to find the good content amongst all the flotsam so those that are good producers of content are forced to rely on things like ad's because the money is spread around too thin to allow them to be sure of an income and give them a realistic value for their work. In short ad based revenue can lead to unrealistic valuations of content allowing rubbish to survive but preventing the good stuff from thriving due to lack of concentration of funding.

[JAKEBAB]

So you hate pre-roll ads AND you hate Adblock Plus for stopping them. You what?

Yes but i would just learn to deal with them if adblock was gone unlike most other people ive seen complain about ads on the side of website that are flashy or something i dont understand how that annoys them they dont have to look at it just focus on the webpage.

 

I'm sorry they aren't getting paid for what they do. I don't like the endless psychological barrage of advertising and I'm not required to be providing YouTubers with a living. I'm sorry. It's never been an extremely profitable job, nor should it be.

 

If I really like a website, I donate to it. Monthly. If I don't like it, then yes, I don't care if they hit the paywall. 

Yea but they put time and effort into there videos for you to watch you dont think they deserve anything? alot of those videos cost time and money to where if u still want the videos they will have to do it full time its not like u have to give them money or do anything.

[Misanthrope]

Without the freedom of ad services like google provides. . . there would be no content.  Look at television, content is controlled through giant television networks, and basically every ad you see is from an even bigger conglomerate like proctor and gamble, yum foods, or a car company.

 

We would not have the diversity of content that is killing the cable industry without the mostly innocuous ads.  We would not have the huge diversity of websites that cater to every interest imaginable.  It would simply not exist.

 

Where the **** do you people browse, and how much video content do you people consume where you think ads are obtrusive?  How many youtube videos do you watch on a regular basis that you go "i've seen too many ads"?  (Serious questions)

 

We wouldn't be here on this forum without ad services.  We'd still be on the yahoo homepage with content curated by a zillion dollar corporation.  Think about that.

 

Re: A lot of that content shouldn't exists if it fails to gather a stronger following for options like patreon or in the case of Linus, direct partner sponsorship. Sorry but I wouldn't lose any sleep at all if most of the stuff that ends up being monetized would disappear. In fact it would even affect a lot of youtubers that while do have legitimately good content, often do idiotic crap to be controversial or edgy or whatever in order to gather more views so they wouldn't be able to choose the easy way out and release crap or inferior quality videos they know will be pandering to a wider audience and they would have to keep the quality up to expand and maintain a more loyal follower base.

[Yoinkerman]

I'm not sure what you're trying to say.  What I'm saying is without the freedom that 3rd party ad services provide, there would be no internet as we know it.

 

Re: A lot of that content shouldn't exists if it fails to gather a stronger following for options like patreon or in the case of Linus, direct partner sponsorship. Sorry but I wouldn't lose any sleep at all if most of the stuff that ends up being monetized would disappear. In fact it would even affect a lot of youtubers that while do have legitimately good content, often do idiotic crap to be controversial or edgy or whatever in order to gather more views so they wouldn't be able to choose the easy way out and release crap or inferior quality videos they know will be pandering to a wider audience and they would have to keep the quality up to expand and maintain a more loyal follower base.