[Avodah] ad blockers

[Akiva Miller via Avodah]

R' Saul Newman asked:

> 3-- if there is an additional fee generated to the website if i
> click on the ad, would they claim that lechatchila i should be
> clicking on everything, or is that shev v'al taaseh?

Not even shev v'al taaseh. They are hoping to get the click fee, but
there's no requirement to do so, and all parties agree to that.

> 4-- in the parallel case of radio/TV commercials , is it muttar
> to turn down the volume/leave the room?  i assume they would
> argue this is different since they get paid whether i hear the
> ad or not

Exactly. The whole economics and pricing structure is determined by these
factors. Radio/tv ads are extremely inexpensive when calculated by how many
devices they show up on, precisely because everyone knows that the
overwhelming majority of appearances will be ignored. In contrast, if money
changes hand only when the viewer has shown an interest -- such as by
clicking in #3 above -- those ads are very valuable and expensive.

Even when there's no per-click fee (as in the radio/tv ads) many factors
are involved in the pricing structure. For example, if the ad appears at a
time of day when more people are likely to be watching, then it will be
more valuable and therefore more expensive. It is all a calculated gamble:
How likely is it that a consumer will see my advertisement and be
influenced to buy my product?

But when a consumer uses an ad-blocker, he changes the formula without the
advertiser's consent. The website provides free content, but it isn't
really totally free. One could argue that the consumer has to be willing to
give the advertiser at least an *opportunity* to grab his attention and
purchase the product. When the consumer uses an ad-blocker, he is not
merely ignoring the ad, he won't even let the advertiser have a chance.

I suspect that in the final analysis, the halachic permissibility of
ad-blockers will depend on one simple question: When the pricing for the
ads is decided, does it consider the likelihood that the target audience
will be using the ad-blockers? If it does, then the ad-blockers would be
allowed, just as I am allowed to walk out of the room when the ads appear.

Akiva Miller
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