Opt-In System for AdBlock

Various discussions related to Adblock Plus development
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NovemberTwelve
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2014 2:34 am

Opt-In System for AdBlock

Post by NovemberTwelve »

Hello,

Created an account to say that an opt-in system for ads would be great. So many services on the internet are free because of the ads, so I'd like it if I could only remove those that I feel are intrusive.

I would even go so far as to suggest that if this was added that it should be the default setting upon install. If this service becomes too big, you are removing a ton of revenue from a ton of great sites. I understand that there is the list of "acceptables" that are enabled by default, but just because of how big the internet is, this list could never be even close to inclusive.

Thanks,
Carson
lewisje
Posts: 2743
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:07 pm

Re: Opt-In System for AdBlock

Post by lewisje »

That's essentially what it was like at first, when ABP didn't have a default subscription: Users then complained that it wasn't blocking any ads, and the first answer in the FAQ was about making sure you've added a subscription, so Palant & Co. looked at the state of the filter-lists and set up appropriate defaults; back then I believe it switched between EasyList and Fanboy, with an appropriate regional supplement, but now that the two have merged it's just EasyList and possibly a regional supplement, and I've wanted ABP to load the Malware Domains subscription by default, but I also realize that's a huge list and that's probably why it's not pre-selected.

I realize I'm normally opposed to the "WEN I INSTAL ADBLOKR I WANNA BLOK *AL* ADDS RITE AWAY" types in threads about the Acceptable Ads Initiative, but there's no way they're going back to "off-by-default": We want to make it as easy as possible for users to block the annoying ads, and we're not so concerned about making sure we exempt every single decent ad out there; that is, while most filter-list authors seek to avoid false positives (blocking or hiding the content that people actually want to see) even at the potential cost of false negatives (cf. EasyList no longer trying to block Hulu ads), the Acceptable Ads Initiative focuses heavily on avoiding false negatives (exempting ads that turn out to not actually be acceptable) at the definite cost of false positives (neglecting to exempt ads on sites, or by ad networks, that never contacted Eyeo GmbH to ask about being added to the whitelist).

Remember, this is "Adblock Plus," not "False Sense of Security" or "Adblock for Advanced Users Only."
There's a buzzin' in my brain I really can't explain; I think about it before they make me go to bed.
hennish

Re: Opt-In System for AdBlock

Post by hennish »

I agree with OP. Most of the sites that I visit are good sites which rely on ads to survive, and I don't mind "paying" them for the content by allowing ads. For sites that I think use too many or too annoying ads I'll simply click the APB icon and choose "Enable on this site" instead of the other way around.

Just to clarify (since there are so many misunderstandings in other similar threads): The opt-in behavior we want is per site, not per ad-site. The feature is very simple, just a checkbox in the ABP settings that says something like "Default value for blocking ads (per site)": Enabled/Disabled. That way those of us who want the opt-in behavior can choose Disabled here, and everyone else can keep it at Enabled.
kreemoweet
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 6:22 pm

Re: Opt-In System for AdBlock

Post by kreemoweet »

See forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=25770.

Also, you can make your own whitelist of all your favorite sites: forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=24598

I do not think that merely allowing a website to display ads benefits the site in any way, you have to actually click the ads, and perhaps even buy something.

The widespread use of adblockers is not depriving the websites of anything, because people who detest (and therefore hide) ads most certainly do not click on them when compelled to view them.
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