Advertising pays the bills on the Internet and ads can be annoying.
Enter the world of 'ad blocking.'
New charitable ad blockers hope to make advertising fulfilling, even if it does cost you money.
Here is how Internet advertising works: You click a cute cat video link. The cat video page has a dozen annoying ads. You might never click on an ad, but someone is still making money. The advertiser might be paying just because the ad was flashed in front of you or he might pay if you click. If you do click, the cat video site makes a few cents. So the site creator works to improve his cat pictures so you come back. If you do, the local home improvement store hopes you see the ad for the new fridge you have been wanting. If you do see the ad, and you click, and then you buy, then the advertiser gets paid.
The key idea is that you don't pay anything, you endure the ads, the advertiser pays.
Charitable ad blockers turn this around: YOU pay, but you feel good about it.
There are three main charitable ad blocking systems: two are browser extensions and, the last is a dedicated browser, according to maketecheasier.com.
1 Tab for a Cause: The "new tab" page gets a makeover with this one. Instead of seeing a list of the sites you've visited most frequently, you'll see advertisements for various charities. You can choose to donate to more than half a dozen charities.
2. Godblock: This is a set of curated advertisements that you'll see just once a day.
3. Brave: A Web browser that has its own ad blocking system, Brave uses its own advertising system to pay publishers for their content. If you opt out of advertising altogether, you can set a monthly budget. The funds will be divided among the sites that receive the most attention from users on your computer.
No matter which of these systems you chose, you can feel good that your attention (or your money) will go to a good cause, and you won't have to worry about those pesky advertisements.
