The top apps for iOS 9 are apparently ad blockers.
Apple launched its update to its operating system and ad blockers have already surged to the top of the worldwide app charts, the Guardian reported. Take a look at the App Store and Peace is No.1 paid app followed by Crystal at No.2. Purify, another ad blocker, is No.5 as of Friday at noon EST.
But the use of ad blockers proves to be an issue for publishers everywhere who need advertisements turned on for consumers in order to make money.
Per the publication:
The rise of adblocking has proved concerning for web publishers, many of whom rely largely or exclusively on display advertising for revenue. In Germany, four major broadcasters have now tried and failed to win in court against Eyeo, which makes one of the largest adblockers: AdBlock Plus. Publishers argue that blocking display ads hurts their business, and is unethical because it allows users to view content without paying the implied price of an ad impression.
But Fortune’s Mathew Ingram argues ad-blocking is not unethical and you shouldn’t feel bad about doing it:
The idea that readers are somehow morally obligated to look at advertising becomes absurd if we apply it to almost any other medium. Are readers who only look at one or two sections of a newspaper—and never the ads—stealing that content? Are people who use PVRs to fast-forward through the ads on television committing a theft of some kind?
Update: Since this article was published, Peace was pulled from the App Store by its developer Marco Arment.
