At least for me here in Australia, Google AdSense ads aren't obnoxious.
Below is the result of a quick scan of a few websites in private mode. I wonder why OP has such a different experience? Maybe the ad market in South Africa is very different? Or maybe GroundUp hasn't spent the necessary time to filter out bad ads?
As a South African, I can attest to the exact ads shown by the author on various site, both in incognito mode as well as during normal browsing. I have seen every one of them, and they are awfully persistent and incredibly annoying. Even selecting "Don't show this ad again" seems to do nothing, despite repeated efforts. Particularly frustrating is that there seems to be no way of flagging an advert as fraudulent or malicious.
Below is the result of a quick scan of a few websites in private mode. I wonder why OP has such a different experience? Maybe the ad market in South Africa is very different? Or maybe GroundUp hasn't spent the necessary time to filter out bad ads?
----- New York Times:
Cycling clothing
Microsoft Enterprise
Health Insurance
Avoid overeating
Mortgage
----- Forbes:
Unfair Dismissal Lawyers
'JobActive' - Aust govt ad for employment service
Cancer council Australia - funding drive
Commonwealth bank Australia
----- Bloomberg:
Doesn't seem to use AdSense
----- Fox News:
Save the children (charity)
Find best debit card
Business Travel saver