Are 98% of HN Readers Using AdBlock?

Question

The author is using GoatCounter, a privacy-friendly site visit counter, and noticed a discrepancy between the number of clicks on their YOURLS URL shortener (~350) and the number of hits recorded by GoatCounter (7) after posting a link on HN. They are wondering if most HN users have AdBlock, VPNs, or other privacy tools that block tracking scripts.

HackerNews · Accepted Answer

The discrepancy between the number of clicks on the YOURLS URL shortener and the number of hits recorded by GoatCounter could be due to various factors, including users with adblockers or privacy-focused browser extensions. However, it's also possible that the discrepancy is caused by other factors such as crawlers or bots clicking on the link, or users not executing the JavaScript snippet used by GoatCounter. To better understand the issue, it's worth considering the specifics of how GoatCounter and YOURLS work, as well as the behavior of HN users.

Are 98% of HN Readers Using AdBlock?

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