According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Google is planing to introduce a ad-block feature to Chrome. The report claims the feature could launch as soon as the coming weeks and would come to both the desktop and mobile versions of Chrome.
The first thought with this is that it very much seems like such a feature would cause Google to lose money, seeing how much of its business is based on ads thanks to Adsense. The report explains, however, that Google’s ad-blocking tool wouldn’t strip out all advertisements on the web, but rather ones that Google deemed were providing a bad experience:
The ad-blocking feature, which could be switched on by default within Chrome, would filter out certain online ad types deemed to provide bad experiences for users as they move around the web.
The move, according to the source of today’s report, is a defensive one on Google’s part. By implementing its own ad-block tool directly into Chrome, Google hopes to reduce the use of third-party ad-blockers that strip out all ads. Adsense ads would presumably remain, thus continuing the revenue stream for Google.
As for what ads would be deemed unacceptable, the report claims that Google would include things such as pop-ups, auto-playing video ads with sound, and “prestitial” ads with countdown timers.
In one possible application Google is considering, it may choose to block all advertising that appears on sites with offending ads, instead of the individual offending ads themselves.
In other words, site owners may be required to ensure all of their ads meet the standards, or could see all advertising across their sites blocked in Chrome.
Google’s goal here seems clear: to reduce the use of ad platforms other than its own and punish sites who create a less than desirable experience for users.
What are your thoughts on a built-in ad-block tool in Chrome?
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