RE: Cryptocurrency Being Mined In People's Web Browsers?!
If you're still bombarded with advertisements, FFS PLEASE install adblock for your own security!!! (look up malvertisement).
The problem with the coin hive monero mining script is that it will use 100% CPU by default, which in some cases even makes the webpage itself unusable.
Also you're causing power costs to your users without their consent (note: I'm aware there are also some bad ads that use 50+% CPU for badly coded animations, that would cause the same problem).
However about mining vs ads, both have disadvantages and advantages. I think in the end it should come to user consent (no matter if it's the user's CPU power or personal data).
Also one part about the coin hive mining script that might be acceptable is the captcha and urls shortener services, which they offer as well.
btw. before the CBS news broke, there were also reports about other pages that used that script (but it seems to be removed by now as well): https://steemit.com/scam/@poly2k/new-cryptocurrency-javascript-framework-used-for-scam