But regardless of legality, I think it's a sign of how much contempt these companies have toward their users, and it's a good window for someone to take a bite out of their market share.
It's not stealing to block ads on facebook. They are offering a free service. Another way to see this is that offering a supposedly free service and then forcing people to watch advertisements is dishonest.
This is really about big corporations being unable to adapt to new technology. Every time that happens what you see is the corporations choose to use anti-consumer tactics which are hostile in nature. Evidence, perhaps, that the corporations have always looked on their customers with contempt. When they get into a bit of hot water because of their failures, they take it out on everyone else.
I agree with folks saying "just don't use facebook". There is literally zero reason for anyone to use facebook, it is a terrible service, and a terrible company. Big Corporate Social Media is never profitable, it is going to die, and it should die. Personally, I wish it would just get it over with so we could all move on to superior technologies.
Disclaimer: I finally installed an adblocker about two months ago so maybe that makes me a hypocrite. Honestly I don't see much of a difference before and after. Ads are not nearly as bad as most users here would make you think. The only real dangerous part is those networks being attacked and injecting malware.
Facebook's ads are some of the least intrusive and well targeted. That second part makes people paranoid though.
[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-average-revenue-per-...
I don't think anybody at NYT has ever come across 1 of the longest digital battles since the internet became a thing, otherwise known as: P2P
Where there is a will, there will be a way. For every piece of software that will hide ads, someone out there will likely begin to write software to block this, simply cause some shitty ad ruined his/her Mafia Wars/Farmville experience.
Facebook still renders fine with adblock and ublock origin running.
