Ad blocking programs: what you need to know about them

Why online advertising can be dangerous

But first, let's look at the potential risks that digital adverts bring with them. According to statistics, an active internet user is online for approximately 7 hours every day. And during this time, his work or entertainment can be interrupted by pop-ups, banners or other types of online adverts. It's only natural that the distraction is annoying. However, these are not the only consequences of interacting with online advertising. It can lead to other inconveniences and troubles:

• Outrage from shock content. Some of the adverts have clickbait titles and contain information from the “for adults” category (images of an erotic nature, pictures with various mutilations, etc.). But when clicking on the link, the content of the article absolutely does not correspond to the title and image, which causes a negative reaction among Internet users.
• Disappointment from untruthful adverts. Surely everyone has come across adverts promising a super-fast way to lose weight, cure baldness with a miracle remedy, etc. Such adverts, which are primarily characteristic of teaser adverts, should not be trusted because they are not only untrustworthy but can also cause harm.
• Obstruction of Internet surfing. Some sites may have so many adverts that they interfere with the content, overlapping sections and menus. This also causes dislike among users.
• Receiving spam emails. There is a type of advertising aimed at collecting email addresses of Internet users. To do this, you are offered to enter your email in a pop-up window. After performing this action, the window disappears, and instead, your email starts receiving hundreds of emails with unnecessary information, which you have to filter or delete manually.
• Loss of money due to hidden subscriptions. Some adverts may specifically contain malicious code that is hidden from you but can automatically activate subscriptions to paid services. As a result, you may be losing a certain amount of money each month without even realising it.
• Online banking password theft. Sometimes you may see adverts that mimic messages from banks or official bodies with an offer to receive a certain amount of money when you click on a link. In fact, if you agree, you may receive a spyware programme on your computer that can steal passwords from your online banking or e-wallet.
• Interaction with phishing sites. Some web resources can mimic online shops or payment systems, offering users to order goods or pay for services. If a person agrees to the offer, his card may be debited and the order may never arrive.

To avoid these inconveniences and dangers, the so-called ad blockers were created, which are popular with a large part of Internet users. Read more about them below.

What ad blockers are and how they work

An ad blocker is a software, plugin or browser extension that filters content and hides intrusive adverts on a web page. As a result, ad-free pages provide a good user experience, allowing you to browse quickly and without distraction.

The working principle of all ad blocking software can be described as follows:

1. Content filtering. Ad blockers use filter lists that contain rules to block certain elements on web pages. These lists may contain URLs of advertising servers, keywords, or other characteristics of advertising elements.
2. Analysis and blocking. When you load a web page, ad blocker analyses its content and compares it to the filters. If the content matches the blocking rules, no adverts are displayed.
3. Customisation. Many ad blockers allow users to customise their operation by adding sites to so-called ‘whitelists’ or changing filtering settings.

In addition to their main function, ad blockers are also able to:

• Increase the speed of page loading. The essence of the action of an anti-advertising plugin is that it simply prevents a web page from loading. The weight of the page without adverts is reduced, thanks to which it loads faster.
• Hide private data from outsiders. Visiting sites with an ad blocker installed, you hide information about yourself. On the one hand, this is good, because so your private data will not get to the attackers. But on the other hand, it makes it impossible to find out information about your online activity and preferences through analytics of visited sites (for example, online shops), which would help to make web resources even more convenient and attractive.
• Obstruct installers. A blocker prevents installers from installing programmes on your computer that display adverts without your consent.
• Perform the function of parental control. Some ad blockers already have this feature, which makes it possible to hide unwanted content from children's eyes, and on some it needs to be enabled.

How safe is it to use ad blockers

Using anti-advertising plugins has its pros and cons, and the question of safety depends on the particular programme and your way of using it.

Pros of using ad blockers

1. Protection from unwanted content. Anti-advertising plugins help you avoid intrusive or aggressive ads, pop-ups and banners, which improves your browsing experience.
2. Speeding up page load times. Switching off adverts usually speeds up the loading of web pages because in such cases, the browser loads and renders fewer elements, resulting in less load on it.
3. Protection from potentially harmful adverts. Some adverts contain malware or redirect to fake sites, and blockers help avoid such threats.
4. Reducing data consumption.Ad blocking helps reduce the amount of data that is used when browsing websites, which is important for users with limited Internet tariffs.
5. Reducing annoyance. In a day, each of us sees about 63 adverts, which for the most part don't do any good, so they just get in the way and annoy us. So the less aggressive adverts and pop-ups we see, the more comfortable we are in the online space.

Cons and potential risks of using ad blockers

1. Security and privacy risksі. Some free ad blockers may contain malware or collect user data. Therefore, you should use only proven tools that have proven themselves.
2. Website display failures. Sometimes enabled ad blockers incorrectly affect the display of some elements of the site or its functionality. In such cases, you need to disable the programme on specific sites.
3. Technical problems. Some websites try to bypass ad blockers, which can lead to technical problems or problems with access to content.

Popular free ad blocking software for blocking adverts on the Internet

1. AdBlock Plus

It is an open source tool, which makes it free. Adblock Plus blocks banners, audio, video and pop-ups, website trackers and malware added to them. By default, the programme allows you to see ads that do not interfere with your content or annoy you, with the option to block them in the settings.

Features:

• Blocking capabilities. Blocks banners, video ads and pop-ups, and removes web viewer, adverts and trackers from third-party developers. Can also block annoying website notifications, cookie warnings, etc.
• Customisation options. Gives you the ability to create a whitelist of websites, including allowing you to contribute YouTube channels to it.
• Extension compatibility. Allows you to use it in such popular browsers as Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Safari, MS Edge, as well as on Android.
• Geographical availability. AdBlock Plus is supported in countries such as France, Germany, the UK and the USA.
• Available languages. Available in many languages such as English, French, German, etc.
• Customer support. Communication with the support team is provided via email.

Pros:

• Easy to install and use.
• Compatible with all major devices.
• Has a list of filters to protect against circumvention.
• More than 20 language filters are available in the list.

Cons:

• Leaves some adverts unblocked.
• Advanced options are hidden in the advanced options menu.
• Requires manual activation or deactivation of certain features.

2. Total Adblock

This programme allows you to block an unlimited number of advertisements no matter what website or programme you use. In addition to paid plans, Total Adblock users have access to a free basic plan, and you can also test the service for free.

Features:

• Blocking capabilities. Quickly blocks auto-playing adverts while watching videos, news sites and social media, including YouTube adverts and pop-ups. Can also delete cookies and allows you to stop different types of trackers from third-party developers.
• Extension compatibility. Can be used in all popular browsers (Chrome, Opera, MS Edge, Safari, Firefox, etc.).
• Geographical availability. Supported in such countries as Germany, France, the UK and the USA.
• Available languages. Total Adblock is available in many languages: English, German, French, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, etc.
• Customer support. Users can get quick support via contact form, live chat, email and phone number.

Pros:

• Effectively blocks most intrusive online ads.
• Easy to set up a whitelist.
• Blocks all ads on all streaming video sites.

Cons:

• Does not allow you to set blocking rules.
• Requires improved privacy features.

3. Stands AdBlocker

This ad blocker extension for Chrome helps protect against malware, security threats and online tracking. The plugin blocks ads, email ads, search ads and pop-ups. Also, Stands AdBlocker reduces traffic and ensures minimal data consumption.

Features:

• Blocking capabilities. Blocks pop-ups, auto-play videos, Facebook and YouTube ads, media ads, Google contextual ads.
• Customisation options. Allows you to generate a whitelist of websites or specific adverts that you favour.
• Extension compatibility. The plugin is suitable exclusively for the Google Chrome browser.
• Geographical availability. Stands AdBlocker is supported in almost all European countries, as well as Australia, Argentina, etc.
• Available languages. Available in many languages: English, German, French, Spanish, etc.
• Customer support. Provides customers with fast support via contact form and email.

Pros:

• Lightweight software.
• Has effective whitelisting features.
• Speeds up page load times.

Cons:

• Does not block some video ads.
• Supported by a limited number of browsers.
• Does not support script blocking.

4. AdGuard

This tool handles pop-ups, banners and videos (even on YouTube), protecting users from online phishing and tracking sites. It offers both a browser extension and standalone ad blocking and anti-tracker software. In addition to paid plans, a free basic plan is available that offers basic ad blocking features without charge.

Features:

• Blocking capabilities. Allows you to block video ads, multimedia ads, unwanted pop-ups and spyware. Also has a parental control feature that helps protect your children from viewing adult content.
• Extension Compatibility. Supports popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge, Safari, Opera. It is also compatible with Android, macOS, and iOS.
• Geographical availability. AdGuard is supported in many countries including Germany, the UK, India and the USA.
• Available languages. Available in many languages (English, German, Indonesian, etc).
• Customer support. Customers can ask for help via email if needed.

Pros:

• Blocks all malicious and dangerous websites.
• Provides protection against phishing and malware.
• Allows you to customise work scenarios.
• Removes cookies and tracking requests.

Cons:

• No chat support available.
• Occasionally blocks desired content.
• Charges additional fees for some features.

5. AdBlock

This free extension blocks ads and pop-ups on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. AdBlock allows you to view some ads of your choice, whitelist sites or block all ads by default. The tool is available for Android and iPhone.

Features:

• Blocking features. Blocks pop-ups, adverts and video ads, removes trackers from YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and third-party sites. Plus, AdBlock blocks malicious ads, such as malware in cryptomining ads.
• Customisation options. Helps you personalise your experience with filters, whitelists, dark mode and bright themes. Allows you to create a backup, as well as synchronise whitelists and ad blocking rules for stable performance.
• Extension compatibility. Supports such popular browsers as Google Chrome, Firefox, Apple Safari (desktop and mobile), Opera and MS Edge.
• Geographic availability. Supported in many countries including China, Turkmenistan with over 60 million users.
• Available languages. Available in many languages including English (the UK, the USA), Indonesian, etc.
• Customer support. Gives you the opportunity to contact customer support through a ticketing system.

Pros:

• Blocks different types of adverts.
• Protects against malware.
• Has a simple and attractive interface.

Cons:

• Uses a lot of RAM and processor power.
• Lacks support.

How to turn on the ad blocker in Google Chrome

To optimise your Google Chrome experience with an anti-advertising plugin, you need to follow these steps:

1. Visit any online ad blocking software from the list above and download it.
2. In the menu, go to “Settings” — “Extensions” and find the installed extension.
3. Apply the changes at your own discretion and save them.
4. Secure the plugin to easily switch it on or off.
5. Now, you can visit any website that contains adverts and click on the plugin icon in the top right corner to check if it is working properly.

How to enable ad blocking in Opera

Opera is a browser with an adblocker already built in, so no extensions from outside companies need to be installed. In addition to blocking almost all adverts, this browser also blocks tracking cookies on many websites. According to the developers, page loading speeds up by 90% when using this browser with an anti-advertising plugin.

By default, Opera's in-built ad blocker is in a sleep state. To switch it on, you need to:

1. Go to the “Security” section of the settings.
2. Go to the “Ads Blocker” subsection.
3. Enable the “Block ads and surf the web three times faster” option.

And lastly, a few recommendations for using ad-blocking software:

• Use blockers with high ratings and positive reviews, and download them only from official sources.
• Update ad blockers regularly to have access to the latest features, ad protection and new threats.
• If possible, customise extensions to your liking so that you feel comfortable interacting with online resources.