Google will now filter 'annoying' ads on Chrome
After facing criticism on the placement of "annoying" ads on websites, Google is now going ahead with its ad-blocking plans and will add a feature to its Chrome browser that will block advertisements which do not meet company standards, a media report said.
Google has confirmed that it intends to add a new feature to its Chrome web browser that will block certain types of ads from being seen by users and in some cases could block all the ads on websites that do not meet certain standards, Fortune reported.
The company said that it wants to work with publishers to help them understand what kinds of ads will no longer be acceptable.
Chrome will now include ad-blocking features that are turned on by default. Ads that meet certain annoying criteria will not be shown and if a website crosses a certain threshold of substandard ads, users won't see any ads, the report said.
Some of the ad types that will be blocked include pop-ups, videos that auto-play, and so-called "pre-stitial" ads that force readers to sit through a countdown before they can see the page's contents.
Since many leading publishers rely on some or all of these strategies to boost ad revenue, Google will allow them to show users a note when their ads are blocked by third-party software.
The note will give readers the option of either disabling their blocker or buying an ad-free pass or subscription of some kind for that site, the report noted.