If the true purpose of ads is just an innocent venture in creating beneficial user experiences with helpful suggestions, then we can improve that system by orders of magnitude by getting rid of distortions associated with paid placement.

Then we can reap all of the benefits without having to worry about the experience being compromised by the distorting effects of self-interest, associated with privileged placement in exchange for payment.

If only. Generally they just manage to show me ads to buy more of the stuff I just bought. Or something I looked at and decided not to buy.

So the screwing is not done by the advertisers but by the kind of ads and the third party access to data.

Also companies like Google seem to have a very clear stance wrt to both, while companies like FB in the past have been pivotal in political landslides, screwed-over level personalized political influencing...

Users are getting screwed by IAB, because IAB does their best to remove users that freedom.