It's not stealing to block ads on facebook. They are offering a free service. Another way to see this is that offering a supposedly free service and then forcing people to watch advertisements is dishonest.

This is really about big corporations being unable to adapt to new technology. Every time that happens what you see is the corporations choose to use anti-consumer tactics which are hostile in nature. Evidence, perhaps, that the corporations have always looked on their customers with contempt. When they get into a bit of hot water because of their failures, they take it out on everyone else.

I agree with folks saying "just don't use facebook". There is literally zero reason for anyone to use facebook, it is a terrible service, and a terrible company. Big Corporate Social Media is never profitable, it is going to die, and it should die. Personally, I wish it would just get it over with so we could all move on to superior technologies.

Disclaimer: I finally installed an adblocker about two months ago so maybe that makes me a hypocrite. Honestly I don't see much of a difference before and after. Ads are not nearly as bad as most users here would make you think. The only real dangerous part is those networks being attacked and injecting malware.

Facebook's ads are some of the least intrusive and well targeted. That second part makes people paranoid though.

That's right! If people did not pay for using software, there would be no... oh wait... I am writing from Linux, using Firefox... and have a github tab open...

But if people did not pay for encyclopedias... oh wait...

In fact, if companies could not monetize on ads, less clicbaiting, useless and worthless crap would be created. Sure there would be much less content overall. But most of it is useless anyway. Quality content would be behind membership payments, or just free, published by entusiasts.

The web was thriving before pay-per-view ad-fueled-cancer has consumed it with masses of ignorant clickers, so interested in Kim Kardashian meals.

Sure... things progressed somewhat, fuelled by all that money. But let's make it clear - it had it's price, changing a vision of free medium of sharing knowledge and communicating, into a centralized shopping mall, tracking your every move.

Then someone invented AdBlock and the web was suddenly fun to use again.

People who've grown up in an ad-block era have no idea how bad it used to be. They didn't have to watch this amazing new "internet" being destroyed by greedy crooks who themselves barely understood the technology.