"Commander Kinsey" wrote

| All code should run on the server. Browsers should never ever run code
without at least asking the user first....
|
| I don't see the point in a browser allowing targeted ads. A good selling
point would be blocking all that ****....
|

What you're not recognizing is that you're making
all this possible. They run vast amounts of code
client-side and spy on you for three basic reasons:

1) There's big money in spying and ads.

2) You want to buy stuff and get services online with
as little friction as possible.

3) You don't care about being spied on. You might
say you do, but you make no effort to block it. So
actually, you don't.

If even 1/3 of people did something as simple as
using a minimal HOSTS file, the whole targetted ad
system would collapse. If people routinely blocked
3rd-party files and unnecessary script that would
make it nearly impossible for the system to work
at all. But people can't be bothered.

You probably have a dozen or so
companies watching you online, aware of nearly every
website you visit. In many cases they may be aware of
what you do. Script allows them to watch your mouse
movements and scrolling. Then they sell that data to
other companies. (Facebook is currently being investigated
in the US for selling private account info and "friend" lists
to "any Tom, Dick or Harry" who would pay for it.) It's
people like you who make all that possible. Because you
cooperate.

Google made billions when they started out, by showing
simple, honest, text-based, contextual ads with search.
It was brilliant, as you say in the UK. Clean pages. Fast,
efficient search. And Google was able to profit. But then
they got greedy. And no one stopped them.

So now, here you are, being constantly spied on while
you shop carefree online, with your double AV condom,
swatting down iSTDs and alarm beeps. Then you say
the sleaze should be stopped.

It's as though you're watching thieves rifle through
your desk and your only response is, "Harrumph! Companies
that make desks shouldn't allow this!" But actually it's
worse than that. You let the thieves in because they
were offering a cheap deal on carpet cleaning. You
could refuse to do business with them. But you don't.
That would be a hassle. And you wouldn't get any free
coupons. So you just proclaim that, "Someone should
do something about this state of affairs".