*edit*
It’s now 2022! I wrote this post in 2016!
Yet it’s still getting notes. I really wish it wasn’t. Obviously SIX YEARS LATER the information is now out of date!
Current advice: Switch to Firefox. Still use uBlock Origin. That is all the advice I’m willing to give after the shitstorm this post keeps stirring up every time, even years later, it somehow makes the rounds again and people get mad about out of date information.
Please don’t send me chats or asks or mail about this post. Especially not rude ones telling me how out of date my post is. I won’t answer!
If you’re still super mad at me for this post even after now realizing it’s FIVE AND A HALF years old and tumblr does not let you stop people from reblogging old posts (no, the reblog control doesn’t work on this post, I’ve tried), please read my followup. If you STILL wanna rant at me in my inbox, go for it! I’ll see what it is and promptly delete it without finishing reading it, but you might feel better I guess? Thank you.
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And now for an announcement from your friendly neighborhood IT worker.
If you use Ad Block Plus, you should uninstall it and download and install uBlock Origin immediately. (There are Firefox versions of all the extensions I’ll talk about here, just google ‘em. And some for IE, Edge and Opera.)
Ad Block Plus is now now only letting advertisers pay them to whitelist some ads, but is now letting advertisers pay them to put their own ads on websites INSTEAD of what you would normally see on that website.
Please remember that it’s possible to spread malware, including Crypotowall type malware, through ads on websites. Yes, ads are how websites make most to all of their revenue, but until ads can be trusted to not destroy your machine, you should not view them if possible.
Please make sure you get uBlock Origin and not just uBlock.
I also suggest installing a flash blocker like FlashControl. This will keep flash from automatically loading on websites you visit. Unfortunately, malware can be spread through just about any version of flash. Make sure you keep flash up to date, as well. FlashControl will be slightly disruptive to your browsing habits, but most things will load with just a single click. You can always disable it on a website if it’s being too disruptive somewhere.
If you really want to protect your privacy, install Privacy Badger. Privacy Badger will stop trackers / cookies from knowing who you are and where you’ve been on the internet. It also can be slightly disruptive, so if a site isn’t working correctly, disable one or both of FlashControl and Privacy Badger.
Even if you don’t want to do FlashControl and Privacy Badger, PLEASE do yourself a favor and move to uBlock Origin. Hope this helps!
*edit* Please see this updated version with important information from someone who reblogged the post. I was trying to keep things short and sweet in my original post, but their explanations are important if you want to know more of the why’s and hows.