Salon Tackles Ad Blockers, Requires Users To Help Mine Crypto

Liberal news outlet, Salon, is trying a new strategy to prevent internet users from blocking ad and hurting their revenue stream: allowing users to choose to block ads through using their unused computing power to help the site mine Monero.

The site will use Coinhive, the same program that was recently used to turn people’s computers in mining rigs who were visiting US and UK government websites among others.

Salon CEO Jordan Hoffner told the Daily Beast “We want to be able to take a little bit of control back. And I can’t wait for someone else to come up with a solution for me. So we did it ourselves.” Salon assures its readers that the mining would only occur when they were on the site and that it would have to be renewed every 24 hours.

Sources:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/13/17008158/salon-suppress-ads-cryptocurrency-mining-coinhive-monero-beta-testing
https://www.thedailybeast.com/salon-wants-to-hijack-your-browser-to-mine-cryptocurrency
https://libertarianvindicator.com/2018/02/12/cryptojacking-malware-turns-government-websites-into-mining-rigs/