I use ad blockers and open source privacy focused software whenever I can but occasionally I have to use computers that don't belong to me or an older phone where my usual applications aren't installed and seeing all the advertisements just feels dirty and dystopian.

I think the worst ads are the text to speech ones that say "Download this app today". The unblinking energenic people saying you can make a living at home are probably a close second.

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[–] doinks 3 points 1 year ago

It's insidious. I worked IT at a nonprofit that cares for disabled people, and every so often I'd find that OneLaunch toolbar at the top of one of our PCs and have to go in and uninstall it. I'd look in the history and see that one of the care personnel googled something like "printable calendar" and got tricked into clicking one of those ads. I don't know how google expects you to use the Internet without blocking all that shit.