Can you think of anything common between an informative website that helps you learn, a social media platform you browse to laugh at memes, and online mobile games you play to catch up with your buddies?
Apparently, there shouldn’t be anything common, simply because these platforms and activities are poles apart, right?
But, ads, you’ll find them everywhere, no matter which platform you visit. Now, online ads have become quite common, and it doesn’t matter where you are on the internet – you’ll encounter ads one way or another.
Anyway, have you heard about ad blockers or ever used them? They can be pretty effective in completely blocking the ads or limiting their frequency. And here, I’ll explain how they work and why you should install and enable one on your device.
So, let’s start!
What Are Ad Blockers?
Let me explain ad servers first before explaining ad blockers. It is a place on the internet where online ads are stored. As soon as you visit a website, it fetches ads from servers and displays them on specified platforms.
Now, think of ad blockers as tools that destroy or disrupt communication channels between websites and ad servers. This way, websites are unable to fetch ads from servers, and no ads are displayed on our screens.
Having said that, ad blockers have different types. You can install ad-blocking apps, extensions, or browser plugins (which are famous among desktop and laptop users).
How Do Ad Blockers Work?
I’ve explained how ad blockers attack the communication channels between servers and platforms where ads are displayed. But you might be thinking that how do ad blockers determine if there’s an ad on a website, or an app? Well, let me explain.
When you download an ad blocker, you can set up different parameters, like completely blocking every ad or filtering the relevant ones. Once it is done, ad blockers retrieve vital information about websites, even before they open.
Then, it checks if the ads fall within the set parameters and either blocks or filters them.
Do Ad Blockers Increase Webpage Loading Speed?
Web pages with a lot of ads can have a significant loading time. On the other hand, optimized and refined web pages are quick to load. So, yes, ad blockers can increase webpage loading speed.
Having said that, an increase in a webpage’s loading speed does not necessarily mean a surge in internet speeds. In fact, an ad blocker might malfunction or work inefficiently on a spotty internet connection.
As ad blockers have to be really quick in breaking any communication between websites and ad servers, they need a top-notch connection to work. Speaking from experience, even a quality ad blocker on my smartphone failed to block ads on my previous internet connection.
But the same ad blocker worked efficiently when I switched to Verizon Internet. Simply because this connection offered ample speeds and bandwidth ad blocker needed to quickly block or filter the ads.
In short, an ad blocker can increase a webpage’s speed, but in no way impacts the internet speed. Rather, it requires a fast connection to work effectively.
Can Ad Blockers Block Malvertisements?
Besides being irritating, some ads can even be a threat to our devices’ security. Bad actors can hide malicious code inside an ad, which is called a malvertisement.
As soon as a person clicks on it, the malware enters the user’s system. Additionally, what makes malvertisements so dangerous is that the users may never know that their system is exposed to malware or viruses.
However, a quality ad blocker can be pretty useful in blocking or filtering malvertisements. As it stops ads from loading on a website, ad blockers can significantly decrease the chances of your devices becoming infected through malvertisements.
Are Ad Blockers Legal In The U.S?
Now, some people might question ad blockers’ legality in the U.S. It’s a fact that using an ad blocker can negatively impact advertisers’ earnings. Most websites, apps, and social platforms rely on ad income as it’s one of their major sources of income.
However, it’s perfectly legal to block or filter ads in our country that you don’t want to see. And since some ads can contain malware or viruses, I believe it’s a safe practice to enable an ad blocker before you surf the internet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some of the best ad blockers?
AdBlock Plus and AdGuard offer some of the best ad-blocking features and effectively remove or filter ads on the internet.
What are some major advantages of ad blockers?
Besides blocking or filtering ads, ad blockers can enhance our user experience and keep our devices secure from malvertisements.
Are there any disadvantages of ad blockers?
Yes, some ad blockers can even filter out relevant ads that we wish to see.
