So instead of click-to-play Flash, now you have unstoppable, auto playing audio and video ads that spy on you...?

Yes Flash with it's weekly or sometimes daily security vulnerabilities was bad, but HTML5 is not "better".

It is design by giant corporations (DRM inside your CPU, inside your browser, etc.) FOR other corporations. It is not designed for people, for freedom. It is regulatory capture by Silicon Valley "techbros" of... Internet's standardizing bodies instead of government regulating agencies.

Hence when I recently used the browser (designed by an advertising company BTW), websites just freely play annoying sounds.

This is not "better". It's worse IMHO, since at least with Flash you had click-to-play.

/Rant