Websites blocking out adblock-users by detecting with a script may be illegal

I am entitled to whatever their server sends my browser when I make a request. I am also entitled to alter that content in the browser in any way I see fit, including blocking their advertising. They may want to be compensated for their content and server costs through advertising, but unfortunately for them the web has been designed in such a way as to allow the rest of the world not to care about what they want.

The advertising model on the web is just fundamentally flawed and doomed to failure. It's essentially an honor system, but as long as people can block ads and still get content, they will. Trying to detect that is an understandable reaction on the part of businesses, but the ad blockers will only be redesigned to compensate, and people would probably much rather go elsewhere than even be slightly annoyed by advertising.

Companies need to accept that the ability to block ads is an intrinsic part of the web, just as the ability to turn the channel is an intrinsic part of a television. They just can't make us look at their ads if we don't want to.

More importantly you aren't entitled to run software I don't approve of by virtue of putting up an openly accessible site.

Don't like it charge money. Can't make money that way go sell shoes.

Which is funny because my mental default is that publishers try to use legal arguments to fight adblockers. It somehow feels like turning evil to me that one might use the same means to enforce an adblock positive position. It appears to me to be morally wrong in both cases.

Personally, it's a question of what the content is. If it's a summary of objective facts, I'm not disabling my blocker. I can probably find the same facts elsewhere that doesn't require me to disable my blocker. If it's an intriguing analysis by someone respected, it's higher value content to me and I likely won't be able to find the same content elsewhere unless it's been stolen.