Apr 21, 2015
Only Unfiltered Internet is allowed for surfing
Kikar Shabbat, a Haredi news site, has come up with a new way of generating advertising revenue, and it is by accusing some readers of theft.
When surfing to the Kikar Shabbat website yesterday I received an unusual popup message. It said that the system has detected that I am using ad-blocker software to block their advertisements. The notice adds that I am trying to surf the Kikar website while transgressing an issur d'oraita.
That is pretty serious stuff.
On the one hand the entire Internet is assur, on the other hand using the Internet without seeing Kikar ads is also assur. damned if you do, damned if you don't!
The message offered two options to the surfer - one button offered instructions for disabling the ad-blocker. The other button stated "I want to continue to steal".
I clicked on both buttons out of curiosity. Clicking on the "cancel ad blocker" button took me to a page with instructions how to exclude their site. Clicking on the "I want to steal" button yesterday took me to a page to fill out a form for interest in vocational courses and Nahal Haredi. Today they changed it and it takes me to a page explaining why it is theft, and then brings sources for how serious a transgression theft is.
Pretty serious stuff.
it seems using filters is assur. I guess they are promoting unfiltered internet. I wonder which gadol this charedi-oriented website asked about this...
When surfing to the Kikar Shabbat website yesterday I received an unusual popup message. It said that the system has detected that I am using ad-blocker software to block their advertisements. The notice adds that I am trying to surf the Kikar website while transgressing an issur d'oraita.
That is pretty serious stuff.
On the one hand the entire Internet is assur, on the other hand using the Internet without seeing Kikar ads is also assur. damned if you do, damned if you don't!
The message offered two options to the surfer - one button offered instructions for disabling the ad-blocker. The other button stated "I want to continue to steal".
I clicked on both buttons out of curiosity. Clicking on the "cancel ad blocker" button took me to a page with instructions how to exclude their site. Clicking on the "I want to steal" button yesterday took me to a page to fill out a form for interest in vocational courses and Nahal Haredi. Today they changed it and it takes me to a page explaining why it is theft, and then brings sources for how serious a transgression theft is.
Pretty serious stuff.
it seems using filters is assur. I guess they are promoting unfiltered internet. I wonder which gadol this charedi-oriented website asked about this...
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I doubt they have the right to enforce that demand, halachically. It is kind of like hanging up a picture in the street and then saying that you can only look at it if you pay.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but as a business they could definitely try to enforce their revenue stream. Nothing wrong with that, though they are taking the risk of other readers leaving because they dont want to see such obtrusive ads (and their ads can be pretty obtrusive).
Deleteby the way, if you go through their messages, eventually they go away and you can see the articles.
They are not entitled to 'enforce their revenue stream' by lying about the legality of ad-blockers.
DeleteYnet is the controlling owner of Kikar.
ReplyDeleteLike everything Kikar-related, this is a joke. If the ads weren't hilariously intrusive, and they weren't so obtuse about insulting their readers, I would have no problem allowing them.
ReplyDeleteJust because a site calls itself chareidi doesn't mean it is.
ReplyDeleteIt's like Herzl's Jewish state/state of the Jews debate.
What complete and total b.s. If they want revenue, then they can put their articles behind a paywall, so that people have to pay before they view. And to call a pop-up blocker theft is a lie. Theft is when you take something from someone else. Here, you're not taking anything from them, so no theft is taking place by running a program that blocks pop-up ads.
ReplyDeleteI"ll play devil's advocate here. Using their bandwidth to see the site when they don't allow someone to (because that viewer is blocking ads) is what they call gezel. Bandwidth costs them money and they don't want to spend it on blockers. And the fact that they could use a paywall is like saying you can shoplift because the store could have had a guard to watch you.
Delete