> I try to stay out of the moral discussions about "consuming" content without "paying" for it. The way I see it, ad networks will regain their rights to run code on my machine when they start taking positive steps to ensure that said code will not cause harm or copy unauthorized information off my machine.

I'm generally ad tolerant. (I've said this on HN before). I didn't block ads. I'd even click ads if they were relevant to my interest. Although I don't think I've ever bought anything from an ad or as a result of clicking an ad.

I can understand the "ads are a way to pay for the content you use" argument and I have some sympathy for it.

Yet even I have installed an ad-blocker. I mostly use a mobile connection. Installing an ad-blocker has considerably reduced the stuff I download. An Ad blocker literally saves me money.