Are Paywalls Effective? 60% of Internet Users Avoid Them [Data]

Are there cybersecurity risks internet users may be vulnerable to when getting around paywalled content?

One of the most common antecedences of victimization in any crime is engaging in risky activities. This is true of cybercrime as well. For example, the old days of Limewire and other P2P file sharing were notorious hubs of malware distribution. In the more modern age, paywalls are most often bypassed by extensions and applications that filter content. If they can filter content, they can control it as well. An unscrupulous actor in this space could potentially take full advantage of the situation and operate with no oversight whatsoever. Users of these products often act on sketchy advice from dubious sources and follow potentially dangerous links to download unknown software, often running with high privileges. It's a recipe for disaster.

This is in addition to the issue of violating the various copyright acts brought about by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty in the late 90s. I know for sure that in the USA, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act includes violations for copyright infringement by distribution, but fewer people know that cracking DRM is also included as an infringing activity. Paywalls are effectively DRM under the act. While I don't believe this matter is fully settled in the United States given the current argument over ownership and right to repair, the glacial pace of process in legislation speaking directly to the matter means that people can, have, and will be charged for infringing activities like this at the discretion of the copyright holder(s). At the very least, private organizations that manage content access have every right to ban users for using such technologies, causing users to lose access to large swathes of content.

What best practices can you recommend to those who are relying on mainstream tools to bypass paywalls (i.e. ad blockers, free browser extensions, and web crawler databases)?

All of this does not mean that I do not recommend using ad blockers or privacy enhancing technologies. On the contrary. The Internet is a strange and dangerous place, and privacy enhancing tools are also very often effective security tools. There is nothing wrong with the technologies themselves, but in the way they are used. The best advice is to use them sparingly. Target only known malicious or unknown sources. Use multiple technologies like ad blockers, DNS blackholing, VPNs, MAC scramblers, etc. to provide defense in depth. Most importantly — do your homework. Research the products you use, read their Terms of Service and EULA. Know where your data is going.

Any additional commentary on this topic that you'd like to add?

The economic conditions of the Internet that have given rise to the popularity of ad blockers is troubling to me as well. The inherent irony of all humanity participating in the greatest communication tool ever devised and then losing the ability to communicate freely on it after the fact due to the greed and machinations of a few large corporations that opt to stake out parts of our collective contributions for themselves is almost too much to bear.

The corruption and perversion of our information dissemination systems is more than an issue for any one individual or group — it is a disservice to our entire species. It is imperative that we resist and reverse attempts to control and commodify our ability to unite and communicate.

However, we must also accept the reality that the Internet must change with the times as well. We cannot have an Internet for everyone that does not have a place for professional content creators (as well as other users like children). It cannot survive without oversight, participation, and yes — content moderation. Still, the best way to ensure this is done well is not vigilantism. That serves no one except those organizations with the resources to endure and resist it.

The best way is by doing these three things.

First, supporting the systems and content that you prefer and avoiding systems and content that you do not. If you believe that direct support is the best model, support your content creators with Patreon, joining their channel, or whatever that creator prefers. If you believe subscription models are the way to go, then do that.

Second, the Internet is still, for the time being, a place where people can freely communicate. Publicize your opinion. Rally others to this important cause. Share information about the changes brought about by decisions in stuffy boardrooms that leverage our collective futures for short-term profits. Vote. Get involved in the decision-making process or others will make the decisions for us.

Third, and most importantly, if these services and content distributors refuse to change — leave them and either start your own or go to those that will. There is NOTHING inherently proprietary or special in the technology stack of any of these companies. They exist and are profitable because it's the platform users have chosen. That is what makes them special. If the users leave, they will die. It has happened many times in the short history of the Internet.

^{Some responses may have been slightly edited for clarity and brevity.}