Snowden has it Wrong about Adblockers

Edward Snowden says that it is our duty to use an adblocker. I think he is making a preposterous claim to be honest, but not because I disagree with the intended result. Adblockers can be used for security purposes, but are hardly necessary.

Using an adblocker to block everything instead of removing flash or Java (not to be confused with JavaScript) is a lazy approach that isn't good for the economic health of content providers. A better approach is to disable java script and flash or maybe just flash because security benefits from disabling JavaScript are dubious at best. Much of the modern web wont display or work properly with JavaScript disabled so if you feel the need to disable it maybe you shouldn't be online to begin with. Flash is another matter. Kill it with fire. There are better standards replacing flash and unless you absolutely have to use it for work or educational purposes it should be avoided.

The bottom line is that it is better to disable the services being exploited than to just block all advertising. Most legitimate web sites don’t use intrusive advertising such as animated ads with loud sounds and Pop-ups/unders. If you want to avoid malware and exploits stop using plugins, run a real-time antivirus and be more careful. Use of an adblocker is fine, just take some time to disable plugins like flash that pose security risks and whitelist sites that aren't intrusive with advertising. Content isn't free and if you wont pay for it by viewing a few non-intrusive ads it will disappear or get put behind a paywall.