Mac® Security Bible

10.8. Blocking Ads, Pop-up Windows, and Flash

Speaking as someone who runs several ad-supported websites, I understand how crucial advertising is to keep interesting and useful websites available and free. On the other hand, as someone who visits dozens of websites every day, I also recognize that ads can be intrusive and irritating — and, if used to collect information about my browsing habits, a threat to my privacy. Although I think that, on the whole, ads do more good than harm, others may not share that opinion. And even the most ardent supporters of advertising must concede that there's a limit to what's reasonable. Small, tasteful ads are one thing; pages covered with obnoxious blinking banners, pop-up windows, and animated overlays are something else.

As a result, a number of options exist for blocking ads that would otherwise appear as you browse the web — either by setting blanket policies or by selectively disallowing content from particular domains. Your browser itself may offer some ad-blocking capabilities, and third-party software can provide additional filtering. In a similar vein, there are a number of methods for blocking Flash content (animations, movies, and other dynamic content), whether it's used for advertising or some other purpose.

10.8.1. Using browser settings

Safari and Firefox have limited ad-blocking capabilities built in. If you find these insufficient, you can use third-party utilities to go much further; I discuss these later in this chapter. ...