We are living in the digital age, and for the past 30 years, ads have been a steady and incorrigible presence in the online space that we’ve been all inhabiting. It all began on October 27, 1994, with the first banner ad popping up on what would later be known as the popular Wired tech site. Since then, ads have found their way into every nook and cranny of the internet, filling up every available space.
The rise of online ads have spawned the rise of ad blockers —
the first ad blocker was birthed two years after the first ad came into existence, in 1996. The primary reason for using an ad blocker has always been to remove those pesky banner ads, pop-ups, and video ads that would start playing just as you are about to move to the next part of the article.
But ad blockers are more than just tools for removing visual clutter. Over time, online ads have become more intricate and complex —
today, almost every ad is also a tracker. The methods for delivering these ads have similarly advanced. However, ad blockers have kept pace with these new developments. They now not only block various ad formats, but also prevent trackers from monitoring users around the Web. That is in addition to other important benefits, such as increased security.
A survey, commissioned by AdGuard and conducted by SurveyMonkey, provides insight into the primary reasons users employ ad blockers and their concerns regarding privacy and data tracking related to online ads.
