Why is an ad-blocker important?
While having an anti-virus suite on your computer is extremely important to mitigate risks and viruses, having an ad-blocker is becoming just as important. More and more viruses are now being downloaded directly along with ads – both built in ads in a web page as well as pop-up ads – which are much easier to execute, and therefore potentially much more dangerous. Additionally, many ads now are intrusive, privacy-invading, and just plain rude. Because of these factors we’re recommending people start downloading and actively using ad blockers.
Which ad-blocker should I use?
AdBlock vs. Ghostery vs. uBlock OriginAdBlock/AdBlock Plus is one of the most popular ad-blockers on the web, and they have a client for practically every browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.). It’s a good, basic ad-blocker but it does have its downsides: It uses a large amount of resources for what it does, taking up large amounts of CPU and RAM during use (and even when not in use). They’ve also shown that they take money to let “non-intrusive” ads in, which doesn’t bode well for the future.
Many browser ads now are intrusive, privacy-invading, and just plain rude
Ghostery is one of the more robust blockers, not only blocking ads but also blocking social media applets and your “digital footprint” usually retrieved by trackers on individual websites. It’s also a good blocker, yet also has its downsides: Ghostery tends to be a bit overzealous in its blocking, making some websites not work correctly due to them depending on some of the objects Ghostery blocks – requiring you to turn it off for that site. Further, Ghostery sells their user information and statistics to advertising companies, essentially becoming the same thing they’re trying to block.
uBlock Origin is the fastest and leanest blocker of the three, and doesn’t sell its data to third parties. Based on open-source technology, it’s continually improved and constantly vetted by developers to keep it running smoothly. Its primary downside is that it’s similarly overzealous in some of its blocking to Ghostery, requiring you to turn it off for some sites that “break”.
Out of these three ad-blockers, the one you should use really depends on your case. For ease of use, we’d recommend using AdBlock. It may use more resources, but it has the least impact on everyday use and tends to break the smallest number of websites. If you’re willing to turn it off for a couple websites, uBlock Origin is better in most other respects.
If you are a Hybridge clients please let us know when you'd like to discuss this, and whether/when you'd like us to install your adblocker of choice on your computers.
If you have any questions about ad-blockers please call or email us at support at hybridge.com
