Why ad blockers are dangerous, their advantages and disadvantages

28.10.18 IT / Advertising 15746

Ad blockers are currently used on almost every computer and in every browser, as without them, the user would constantly be shown a bunch of unnecessary ads. Also ad blockers are widely implemented in other devices, including mobile ones. However, such software has its own dangers, we will consider below what are the advantages and disadvantages of using ad blockers.

Why are ad blockers dangerous ? Ad blockers are essentially intermediaries between the user and the network, so they can not only block ads, but also easily intercept any of your data. Third-party ad blockers that come in the form of browser extensions can be particularly insecure.

The principle of ad blockers , as a rule, is to process the page code and change it. Accordingly, they are allowed to do whatever they want with the page, even if it is imperceptible visually. Therefore, you only need to install verified open source extensions, this is the only way to be sure of their safety.

In addition to the above-described dangers of using blockers, there are other disadvantages. Below is a list of the disadvantages of ad blockers :

• outside interference in the source code of the page, possible interception of data and traffic;
• slowing down the website loading speed - the ad blocker needs to process and block advertising elements in the code;
• slowdown of the browser speed, freezes may occur in rare cases, and there may also be an increased use of PC resources;
• the need for timely update of extensions, otherwise vulnerabilities in the browser security system may appear;
• the need to pay in case of using paid extensions;
• some sites are ad-supported or their owners earn mostly only from ads, so they may show notifications like “you seem to be using a blocker” and ask you to disable the extension or add their site to the list of exclusions;
• the owners of some sites calculate the use of blockers and block the site or part of its content for such visitors, demanding to disable the blocker - in return, they offer disabling ads for money, that is, paid access to their content or viewing with ads.