How To Block Ads on Android  image via Adblock Plus  Yesterday,
the venerable adblocking company Adblock Plus (ABP) announced
that Google had blocked their enormously popular app on the
Google Play store. While Google can slam the door through their
app store, Android's open nature means that users can still
"sideload" the app.  While Internet ads can be truly irritating,
there's a security argument to be made as well. Preventing ads
from loading can help defend against the growing "malvertising"
trend, where an ad is used to load malicious code on to victim's
computers. There's also privacy concerns, where ad networks can
sometimes track your movements online. ABP might not defend
against all these issues, but it's a free and popular tool that
many users rely on.  The Fine Art of Sideloading Sideloading
simply means installing an app from your computer onto your
Android device, circumventing the need for an app store. PC Mag
reviewers do this all the time, and it's also popular within the
Android community.