"For over a decade, I have been critical of Taboola (and its one time rival, Outbrain), equating them to the internet’s venereal disease that never goes away. In 2017, when the two companies merged, it became clear that what was the herpes of the internet was mutating into a super bug."

Read More Om Malik: 'Apple’s decision to strike a deal with Taboola is shocking and off-brand'