Interesting

This is interesting.

Basically, using a hardware (Raspberry Pi based Pi Hole) ad blocker, he has secured a massive reduction of bandwidth on the network in addition to significant increases in loading speeds on the web.

Short version:

• They discovered that ¼ of all internet connections were ad related.
• They needed significant customization to avoid blocking some desired content, particularly Twitter.
• Their smart TV (Samsung) stopped phoning home and spying on them, but continues to work.
• As an aside here, it also showed how much smart-TVs, at least those from Samsung, spy on their owners, and it's a sh%$-load of spying.
  
• Video player ads are gone.
• Much of the delay on web pages was that ad serving auctions were being done in real time, so page loads had to wait for those to complete.

One of the things that is not explicitly stated, but it patently obvious, is that it is the end user who is carrying much of the cost of this advertising, through either bandwidth, or their own time.

It really is remarkable just how much the "High Tech" business ecology is based on monetizing the commons or flat out taking from the users.

Call me naive, but it seems to me that there is an opportunity here to create legislation to make online advertising a bit less abusive.