When we open a website, we are often greeted by two things – a cookie policy and ads. Today. We’ll discuss these ads – why they are placed and why you might want to get rid of them. Basically, the whole ad ecosystem and how it works.
Let’s get started.
Why do websites place ads on their pages?
Ugh, it’s so annoying. Visit a page and it will show you so many ads. I mean, I’m just here for the content, right? Why do I need to see ads?
When a website provides content to you, they pay their writers or video makers for that. What you consume for free has been paid for. Since a website or a blog needs money to keep running and providing you more content, they need to monetize their processes.
For this, they place ads on their pages. The ads they place are mostly not controlled by them. Instead, they are placed by third parties. So if you visit a website and see an ad on vacation tickets, it might be because you searched for vacations on Google and the website has taken Google ad services.
So each time you view an ad (or click on it), the website gets paid and this is how they are able to afford new content for you.
It’s their bread and butter. There are only two ways in which you can get fresh new content on the internet – either you pay for it or you watch ads that will pay the content creator.
Of course, there are some free content creators as well. They are looking for a following. For example, some people post jokes on Twitter. People post their photos on Instagram. But everyone eventually wants to monetize their content.
Are you ready to pay to everyone whose content you consume? No? Then you need to watch ads to sponsor their content.
Why does it have to be annoying?
I agree, some ads are just way too big and cover the entire screen.
No, not all websites do that. But some of them do. And that’s where it gets downright frustrating. And this is why many people install ad-blockers on their browsers.
And that’s not the only issue. The software that helps them place ads on their website is called adware. This adware can also spread malware in your device. Some adware can be infected and this is why security conscious people want to install ad blockers to stay safe.
Ad blockers – Are they really helpful?
They were earlier. A few years back, ad blockers were new and successfully blocked the ads letting you have a clean internet experience.
But as they blocked the ads, websites started losing revenue. So they came up with another thing – ad blocker detector. Now when you use ad blockers, the websites are able to detect their presence and they will show you an error message that you cannot access the website.
Fair enough though – they don’t want you to consume their content for free.
But you do need ad blockers to avoid the ads that spread malware. Even if a piece of adware doesn’t spread malware, it’s still malicious. It doesn’t stay in one place. Instead, it goes from one site to another, tracking all your activities.
What kind of ad blockers are there?
Browser extensions
The most commonly used ad blockers are browser extensions. And the most commonly used extension is Adblock Plus. It is available for a number of browsers. Whether you’re using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera browser, you can install Adblock Plus from the app store.
It will block all ads on websites that don’t have an ad blocker detector installed. But since all major websites have these detectors, you won’t be able to access their content, limiting your online experience.
This is why browser extensions have largely failed now. There’s no point in using an extension and then being unable to browse a large part of the internet.
Browsers with inbuilt ad blockers
Some browsers such as the Kingpin browser come with inbuilt ad blockers. Since these are not extensions, most websites are unable to detect them. When you use Kingpin, you’ll be able to access the internet ad-free.
Sometimes, ads are so annoying that you need to watch an ad for a specified time before you can go back to the original content.
Another good thing about the Kingpin browser is that it deletes all the cookies once the session is closed.
This brings me to the very first point I discussed in the article – a cookie policy. To consume the content, you just have to agree to the cookie policy of the site. But with the Kingpin browser, that won’t be an issue. Just consent to the policy and use the website normally.
And when you close the window, all the cookies that were stored by a particular website will automatically be deleted. So on the Kingpin browser, you’ll be completely safe from tracking. No adware, no cookies. Every time you visit a website, it will be a fresh new session each time.
What if a website detects Kingpin as well?
Kingpin browser isn’t easily detectable like ad blocker extensions. But let’s say there’s a website that detects the Kingpin browser as well. Does this mean you can’t access that site now?
Not at all. To bypass that detection, here’s what you can do.
Use the cached version of that website. Just go to Google and enter the URL of the website there. You’ll get some Google results (with the first one being the ideal result). It will have a down arrow next to it. Click on that arrow and you’ll see Cached written there.
Click on Cached and you’ll get a cached version of that website. This is the version that has been saved in Google’s history. It’s an older version of the website but it will let you access it without being blocked by its radars.
You can also disable JavaScript on a website to ensure that you can view its contents without being pestered by ads.
Ads – To Block or Not?
Ads are the main revenue source for many websites. Basically, if a website isn’t selling any product or service to you, it is relying on ads for revenue.
While it doesn’t harm to get a few ads when you visit a website or a blog, being bombarded with several ads just makes it frustrating. Also, the adware that gets stored on your device will keep tracking you wherever you go.
And there aren’t many ways to get rid of these ads. The ad blocker extensions have stopped working ever since websites started using adblocker radars. So the best thing you can do is use a secure browser like Kingpin that protects you not just from ads but also from tracking cookies.
