High tech

Snowden Says Protect Your Privacy by Flipping On An Ad Blocker

Edward Snowden says Everybody should be running adblock software. The government surveillance whistleblower gave an advice in an interview with The Intercept, on how average citizens can shield their privacy online. One of the less obvious security tips: flip on an ad blocker. Snowden said that we have not just a right but a duty to take every effort to protect yourself. Infecting popular websites like the So-called "malvertising" attacks — in which ad networks play unwitting host to harmful files disguised as ads — have been on the rise over the past several months. The trend is worrying for publishers who rely on advertising for their livelihood, and some argue that it's unethical for readers to skip out on an "implied contract" that supplies them with free content in exchange for putting up with ads. As Snowden says, most ad blockers also come with options to close these loopholes, and on the whole, they can serve to tighten online security as Snowden says.