HN Reader

The sad part is that day we broke all previous daily revenue records.

I'm of the opinion that if you're seeing ads on your hardware, which you paid for, your computer is broken. That advertisements are always evil, always wrong, and never morally just. And everything possible should be done to avoid, remove, or deface them.

To that end:

Andriod:

  - Root your damn phone! And install AdAway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdAway)
  - Firefox + uBlock
  - Don't install malware/spyware (Arguably, Android is spyware, but custom ROMs fix it.)

  - AdGuard (free, works well, but not perfect, enable the "extra" filters)
  - Don't install malware/spyware (Arguably, iOS is spyware, but Apple thinks you're a simp, so Good Luck.)

  - Seriously, you probably shouldn't be using Windows, but I "get it" sometimes you have to.
  - Don't install malware/spyware
  - https://christitus.com/windows-tool/
  - https://old.reddit.com/r/WindowsLTSC/wiki/index
  - https://windhawk.net/
  - https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu
  - https://wpd.app/
  - https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

  - Firefox + uBlock and done.
  - OpenSnitch if you run random executables from the Internet.

  - https://github.com/arkenfox

Apparently Google knows how to circumvent adblockers, and they're testing these tools in certain markets.

It might also lead to more intrusive ads, as each user now has at most 5 second to see.

Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware this is impractical. But it's fun to think about sometimes.

You can rearrange the deck chairs, sure, but more ads might be more annoying than fewer longer ones.

Feels appropriate: What if we made advertising illegal?

Actually, there should not be ads to begin with. They always waste my time. Thankfully there is ublock origin - which Google killed while lying about why they did so. Everyone knows why Google killed ublock origin (it still works on Firefox, but how many people still use Firefox?).

But is it the government's job to regulate good user experience? Are unskippable ads a social problem that must be regulated away? I am the polar opposite of a libertarian, but to me ads are the alternative to other means of monetisation. They support things that are free to use but not free to operate. The transaction is consensual and not unavoidable.

> Vienam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds

If we need to edit titles, could we at least take the opportunity to correct obvious typos? (Missing the t in Vietnam)

[1] if you want to dispute this, is it just because you're thinking the store is run by a big company you don't like and that you feel rips people off? Does it change though if your mom baked those cookies to give out to try to get people to shop in her little boutique that barely makes enough money to cover rent? The point is just that it's not universally justifiable. I don't care if you block ads (I block them too) or take free samples from stores.

So far I have experimented with NetShield from ProtonVPN and https://nextdns.io/ with varying results. There are also features baked into certain browsers like the cookie blocker with DuckDuckGo which works extremely well, and UnTrap for Safari on iOS which allows for heavy Youtube web customisation.

Also, shout out to Playlet on Roku. A privacy focused YouTube proxy for the TV which blocks ads and even can identify sponsors, filler and credit segments and allow you to skip these.

I am not involved in any of these projects, I just think they're cool.

I still would never buy an X10 camera or any other of their products given how they abused pop-over/under ads. Same for Sony for other reasons... I can carry a product grudge for decades.

> Online platforms must add visible symbols and guidelines to help users report ads that violate the law and allow them to turn off, deny, or stop seeing inappropriate ads.

The fact that this even needs to be written into law to force companies into taking more responsibility with their advertisments is incredible.

I have a mental view that gets disrupted by ads and sometimes even angry. In the rare moments which I use a computer or phone of a friend or family without those, I really can't tolerate the suffering they go through. My single best advice to people about using ublock origin and Firefox resonated with everyone of them. I use it on my parents devices as the best security measure that could be used.

Am I overreacting, maybe but I find my level of tolerance for ads is zero no matter how much I agree that some of them are good or not. Maybe this is the result of decades of self imposing dark patterns and intrusive ads do to some people. I really feel sorry for majority of internet users that do not use adblockers.

I get the obvious answer: "they work"

But do they? Do big companies have a real data-driven model to demonstrate annoying ads leading to sales?

While anecdotal, I can think of a number of specific times ads slipped through my ad blocker and I went out of my way to avoid buying anything from those companies.

I got a taste of this from an EU MEP that I proposed something to, and they replied "it can't be done because of the law". I then replied "but you make the law, it's literally your job!" - and they looked at me, blank faced. Imagine large rooms filled with people who mindlessly act within a framework they dislike, whilst being the only people who could actually change it, and not having the will to do so. It sounds like some special type of hell.

I shudder to think how many people sitting in positions of power just mindlessly continue doing a thing because of some form of complacency. Madness.

The regulation will be enforce on domestic companies only.

Online advertisements only. I was curious how they were going to implement that on TV!

It doesn't mention how much time must be in between ads

The law also prohibits advertisements that harm "national security" or "negatively affects the dignity of the Party Flag, leaders, national heroes [etc.]". Wonder if that's the real purpose here

- display a static ad, have the "x" to close appear soon (3-10 seconds)

- display an animated ad, have the "x" to close appear soon (3-10 seconds)

- display a static ad, have the "x" to close appear after 20-30 seconds

- display an animated ad, have the "x" to close appear after 20-30 seconds

- display several ads in succession, each short, but it automatically proceeds to the next; the net time after which the "x" to close appears after 20-30 seconds

- display several ads in succession, each lasts for 3-10 seconds but you have to click on an "x" to close each one before the next one appears

I live in the USA. The well-established consumer product brands (Clorox, McDonalds, etc.) almost all had short ads that were done in 3-5 seconds. The longest ads were for obscure games or websites, or for Temu, and they appeared over and over again, making me hate them with a flaming passion. The several-ads-in-succession were usually British newspaper websites (WHY???? I don't live there) or celebrity-interest websites (I have no interest in these).

It seems like the monkey's-paw curse for this kind of legislation is to show several ads in a row, each allowing you to skip them after 5 seconds.

For the rest: adguard phone/pihole home, frosty instead of twitch, newpipe instead of youtube(I hate the interface), infinity instead of reddit and a lot more alternatives for social media. Also using xmanager for some apps ;). I have zero ads on my phone or my pc. I disabled the ads once for my wife, she instantly yelled at me to enable it again :).

Advertising standards agencies in most Western countries are scum.

This is so obviously a free-market problem. The reason these ads exist is because there's a significant percentage of people who are happy to put up with them and those people mean that products can be better funded without requiring subscriptions.

If people want to use products with unskippable ads, then who cares? This "I want X without Y" regulation is so stupid. You can't have X without Y. Just go buy Z product and stop asking regulators to find ways to keep you coming back to products of consumer-hostile corporations.

- Vietnam get 50 % tariffs

- Change the ban

- Easy peasy for Tech bros.