There's the BBC's problem - they clearly thought it was 'almost 0%'

Mod parent up.
I do the exact same thing, and it works like a charm. I find it the best way to block annoying ads while still contributing to the revenue of more considerate sites.

Easy solution: FlashBlock (now available for Chrome)
Blocks all the worst offenders, and leaves static images, plain text and the occasional GIF.

I'm pretty sure you just made it onto the FBI watch list (or equivalent).

Some of us prefer to think that you don't.

It's even better than that. .NET EXEs actually contain MSIL (a type of intermediate language) and are easily decompiled into the original source code (or something resembling it). DECAF has been obfuscated (all the variable/function/class names changed to meaningless letters), but it's simple enough that you could figure it out in under an hour, if you're familiar with .NET, especially since system libraries (e.g. System.Net.Sockets) will be referenced in plain text.

It's written in .NET, so even though it's obfuscated it's not that hard to reverse engineer it using Reflector. If I (a teenager who only dabbles in coding) could reverse engineer it in a few hours*, I have little doubt that some MS employee who is being paid to do so could figure it out in under a week.

*I have not reverse engineered it, but I have looked at the source, so I can say that it really isn't that complex.

Even obfuscated, it's only 5 classes (which reference an unobfuscated settings namespace that gives you a little more info). Anyone familiar with .NET with some time on their hands could reverse engineer it.

That seems like overkill, plus you won't know if it's installing a trojan that activates later. If you're familiar with .NET just open it up in Reflector - even though it's obfuscated, any use of the .NET libraries like System.Net.Sockets will be in plain text.

I once tried to decompile a obfuscated .NET app. It's definitely possible to figure it out, since all the calls to the CLI, etc. are the same, but it can be pretty tricky when every function and class name looks like a GUID.
But if you have the time, it's definitely possible to deconstruct it.

EDIT: I just downloaded it and took a look at the code in Reflector. It seems pretty simple (only 5 classes and the settings namespace isn't obfuscated). Anyone familiar with .NET with about an hour of free time and the motivation to do so could easily decompile it, in spite of the obfuscation (or perhaps because of the challenge it poses :).

Personally, I'd record it or get it in writing. Always CYA

Not sure where you live, but in most areas format shifting is usually recognized as fair use. Whether or not torrenting the PDF counts as format shifting isn't a question that the courts have answered yet, but it's currently the most convenient method.

A little of column A and a little of column B.

Actually, I use ear buds specifically because of that. Most *decent* earbuds will block out external noise, which lets you use a much lower volume. The downside is that it makes you pretty oblivious to your surroundings.

I didn't RTFA, but I'm guessing it's a DRM issue. Any open format can be easily used by accessibility software (e.g. screen readers), but closed formats can't. If the treaty makes open formats available, that would be a massive loophole. Even if it's ineffective, DRM is like a comfort blanket to them.