We now have the "uBlock Origin" ad-blocker installed on all staff computers for the Chrome and Firefox browsers. This extension uses several advertising and click-tracker lists to stop webpages from automatically sharing your data with others, and to stop them from tracking you. From the uBlock website:
The name “ad blocker” sounds as if the program is blocking actual ads. In reality – yes and no.
An ad blocker is actually blocking the server’s request to download an ad. This occurs when you first land on a web page, at which point your browser begins piecing the page together. At this time pieces of code are coming together in the form of text, images, videos, and other code running behind the scenes.
During this entire process your ad blocker is on the lookout for any requests from a third-party ad server. If a request comes through it is denied by the ad blocker, leaving your site viewing experience uninterrupted.
The idea is that legitimate ads (from the website you're currently surfing) will get through, but any "third party" ads (more likely to be tracking you) are blocked.
Some things to keep in mind:
- It is definitely possible that ad-blockers will corrupt a website's appearance
- It is also possible that ad-blockers will corrupt a website's functionality! This is somewhat rare, but as ad-blockers have gotten better, so have the advertisers – in some cases, they will embed javascript code inside the page to verify that an ad was placed before allowing you to view some content ... which leads to ...
- You may see pop-ups, banner images, or text on an otherwise-blocked website asking you to please whitelist them. By blocking ads, you are interfering with the website's ability to collect ad revenue.
- With uBlock installed, you must take an action to re-enable this flow of ad-revenue to sites you approve of. This is the usual way to use uBlock and they make it quite easy to do.
To Whitelist a Website: