@blakeyrat said:
NOTE TO IDIOT PEDANTIC DICKWEEDS: no, I'm not saying defrauding an ad network is theft. That was just an example used to illustrate a point. It is fraud, however.
Wait, we're talking about ad block right? That thing that hides the ads?
Let's take your theory to it's logical conclusion. So, if you listen to the radio and change channels when ads come on, you are defrauding the ad network. If you drive down the highway and avoid looking at highways signs, you are defrauding the billboard company.
Look, I get it. It's kinda of a dick move to enjoy free content without even trying to pay for it. But it's not *fraud*. It's just a minor failure of etiquette and social nicety.
See, the thing about it is that nobody owes anyone a living. If you want to get paid for something, you have to either collect the money up front, or get a promise to be paid for it later on. What is happening with advertising is that the advertiser pays the content provider but never got an actual promise from the consumer to view the ads. Everyone is just kinda relying on an implicit social compact that consumers have to view ads in order for the content provider to ultimately get paid.
The problem though is that the consumer never actually promised anything. He didn't promise to view the ads. He just got told "here's your free stuff" and the advertisers relied on the laws of the universe to insure that even if he wanted to avoid the ad, he still had to view it in order to avoid it.
And yeah, that business model breaks down when people start using adBlock. No shit. That just means that the consumers really don't want to see ads.They may have a social obligation to keep the status quo going, but they have zero legal or contractual responsibility to do so. And if enough consumers reject the "implicit" social obligation, it quickly ceases to be one, and it becomes incumbent on the content creators to find a new way to get someone to pay for their shit.
Yes, it sucks that creative people who don't understand business won't be getting a convenient paycheck from advertisers. Too bad for them, but that's not my problem as a consumer.