I'm not so sure the morality is as black and white as you paint. If someone builds something and wants to be paid for their work, taking it for free against their wishes hardly seems ethical.
The purely ethical solution here is just not using sites that have ads if you're opposed.
Adtech is a pursuit that has turned into a scientifically-quantified attempt to subvert the executive function of other human beings with the aim of getting them to perform actions they would otherwise not perform.
If you can't survive without engaging in amoral psychological manipulation of other human beings, you don't deserve to be paid, and your way of life should collapse.
Find a different job.
Let's not forget that this article is about adtech being used to distribute malware.
They're giving it away for free. There's not an implied contract that says you have to look at the ad to see the website. The website is free. They ask you to watch some ads voluntarily. It's not wrong to refuse.
The purely ethical solution here is just not using sites that have ads if you're opposed.