While ads are a necessary evil on the internet, the sheer number of them can be problematic.  Most people tend to endure or ignore them, yet they can be a time-consuming annoyance. The flashing, blinking, and auto-play,  often blocking the entire page, can dampen the internet browsing experience, to say the least.

The increase in irrelevant ads has given rise to the popularity of Ad Blocker Applications. This tool can remove almost all advertisements when you browse the Internet. Currently, there are several applications available such as Adblock and Stands Fair.

When considering the use of such applications, it is important to be aware of and weigh the pros and cons. Some have been listed below.

The Pros

A significant increase in loading speed.
Most ads contain images or videos, which impede a website’s functions. Removing the ads allows the focus to remain on loading just the content you are trying to access.

More secure browsing.
More sophisticated attackers will purchase advertising  to insert harmful if clicked on. Ad blocker applications reduce the chance of these sorts of attacks.

Improved overall internet experience.
The obvious advantage of using the ad blocker is, of course, no ads. Removing all the distracting ads, allows you to focus on the intended content with less wasted time and annoyance.

The Cons

Some important content may be blocked.                                                                                 While adblockers generally target ads, some main features and content may be caught in the net. Product recommendations and messaging apps seem to be particularly susceptible to this.

Application developers understand this problem and give users the option to put certain websites/pages on a “whitelist” to avoid this problem, but this does not completely solve the issue.

Your data may be sold to third parties.
To run the adblockers, you will need to install an extension to your web browser. By doing so, some adblocker applications will be able to track your activities online and sell that information to other parties.

Having ad blocks can improve your browsing experience, but it is not a perfect solution. We recommend careful research when choosing any application.