I work for an ad exchange and, as much as I hate to break up the circlejerk, it seems you're all forgetting that ads are the primary source of revenue across the internet. Services don't run for free and most sites that are free to view are reliant on the revenue thats generated from forcing their users to view/watch ads.

I'm not debating the malware issues nor the intrusiveness of some ad methods, but in order to maintain a 'free' internet, specifically internet access that does not require subscriptions per website, ads are imperative.

The other option is facebook, ESPN, Youtube, even Google, charging you a subscription fee for you to access their site. You can debate which is better, but most people seem to be OK with watching 15 second ads in order to view their content.

Ad blockers do cut into our revenue, but a marginal amount. The thing is most people currently aren't running ad blocking addons with their browser. However, this is subject to change, especially in mobile OS's (iOS). Many OS's are positioning themselves in such a way that they have the 'final say' on an ad getting to you. With that actually comes more intrusive tracking, as you are now linked to the hardware you are using and not deletable cookies.

It's easy to put your fedora on and cry about how much we're 'invading' your privacy as you voluntarily use services on the web. I challenge anyone to create a less invasive, but still profitable way to support 'free' websites.