The problem isn't ads. The problem is the stock market. Investors want to see growth every quarter or they punish the company. If your business is making money from ads, you have to increase impressions. At first you can put in more ads. But there's a limit. So, next you move to targeted ads. The overwhelming shadiness to all this is a direct result of investors not seeing past this quarter.

Want to see less intrusive business practices? Get rid of quarterly earnings reports.