{"id":10455,"date":"2018-02-22T15:47:48","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T20:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/google-chrome-ad-blocker-faq\/10455\/"},"modified":"2020-02-26T19:00:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T15:00:05","slug":"google-chrome-ad-blocker-faq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/google-chrome-ad-blocker-faq\/10455\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you ever wanted to know about Chrome’s built-in ad blocker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few people are fond of Internet advertising. That\u2019s hardly surprising: it\u2019s annoying having a tacky picture splashed over half the screen when you\u2019re engrossed in a really interesting article, or worse, a blast of noise from some autoplaying video ad way below the fold. It\u2019s no wonder ad blockers have been around for a long time already \u2014 or that they are very popular. A recent Reuters study found that nearly a quarte<\/a>r of Internet users had one installed.<\/p>\n

\"Everything<\/a><\/p>\n

Ad-blocking technology has now gone a step further: Google Chrome is set to start blocking advertising automatically<\/a>. Not all of it, mind you. <\/p>\n

What will get the chop? And is all advertising equally bad? Let\u2019s investigate.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s an ad blocker, anyway? <\/h2>\n

Usually ad blockers are browser extensions that hide advertising. Typically, modern ad blockers forbid ad servers to download their content to pages viewed by users.<\/p>\n

How is Google Chrome\u2019s built-in ad blocker different?<\/h3>\n

Unlike typical ad-blocking extensions, Chrome works on the assumption that not all advertising is bad. For example, take an ad that doesn\u2019t strong-arm you but offers a discount or a solution that you actually want, you\u2019ll be glad you saw it \u2014 and so will the advertiser. Chrome also knows not all ads are equally obtrusive. Moreover, most websites make their daily bread with advertising. So Google will block only those ads that get in your face too much.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s too much? How will Chrome decide what to block?<\/h3>\n

The ad blocker will base its decisions on guidelines laid out by the Coalition for Better Ads<\/a>. However, if just one website ad falls foul of CBA standards, Chrome will block not only that single ad, but all advertising on the resource.<\/p>\n

Google will leave the final decision in users\u2019 hands, however. Website visitors will be prompted to block an ad but have the option not to.<\/p>\n

Hang on, what\u2019s the Coalition for Better Ads?<\/h3>\n

The CBA is an alliance of advertisers, trade groups, publishers, and large companies that have come together, as the name suggests, to improve ads. The coalition was formed in September 2016. Its heavy hitters include Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Reuters, the Washington Post, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever.<\/p>\n

Their goal is to reduce bad<\/em> advertising so the advertisers that play by the rules have more access to clients. As Google Vice President Sridhar Ramaswamy explains<\/a>, just one intrusive banner can lead a user to block all ads. As a result, companies find it harder to reach their audience, and online resources lose revenue and stop making decent content.<\/p>\n

What does the Coalition for Better Ads do?<\/h3>\n

To start, the coalition looked at what people find most annoying about online advertising, interviewing 25,000 Internet users in North America and Europe. They also considered ad size, loading time, impact on website operation, and other small but important details. Armed with this research, they developed a set of advertising standards.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true the coalition isn\u2019t acting out of altruistic love for humanity but rather because its members are losing money. That didn\u2019t stop them from examining the roots of the issue and putting their own house in order first, instead of tilting at windmills \u2014 or, in this case, ad blockers.<\/p>\n

What are these standards?<\/h3>\n

The CBA\u2019s first draft<\/a> lists types of advertising that are \u201cleast preferred by consumers\u201d and provoke in them an urge to expunge all ads from view. They are:<\/p>\n