The Great Cannon has been deployed again (cybersecurity.att.com)

Article summary

The article's content is unavailable, but the discussion revolves around the deployment of the Great Cannon, a tool that can inject malicious content into websites. Commenters use this as a counterexample in arguments about adblocking and security. The Great Cannon's ability to serve content from a proxy allows it to bypass traditional adblocking methods. This sparks a discussion about online security, adblocking, and content funding.

Main themes

• online security
• adblocking
• content funding
• ISP responsibility
• user responsibility
• micropayments
• advertising models

What commenters say

• Adblocking is a necessary measure to protect users from malicious content, but it also deprives websites of revenue.
• Websites should be funded through direct payments or micropayments rather than ads.
• The current online advertising model is broken and needs to be replaced with a more transparent and user-friendly system.
• ISPs should be responsible for preventing malicious activity on their networks, but this raises concerns about their potential abuse of power.
• Users have a responsibility to ensure their devices are secure and not contributing to botnets or other malicious activities, but this is not a realistic expectation for most users.
• A solution to simplify the transfer of money from consumers to content creators is needed, but previous attempts have been unsuccessful due to the involvement of too many intermediaries.
• Some commenters suggest that serving non-intrusive, relevant ads without tracking could be an acceptable alternative to adblocking.