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How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

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Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#301

Post by kristiandupont »

Sylos wrote: post #297
mabbo wrote: post #89

I think there's good intentions by Google here. That said, let's talk about the worst-case scenario, the thing that Google could actually do that is entirely anti-competitive. Step 1: Google finds a large number of competitors who are doing pretty well playing by their rules. Google finds some trait they all have in common. Google then modifies their own ads to not have that trait. Step 2: Google declares the given t…

Why should Google have "good intentions"? It's a company, a publicly traded one at that. Their intentions are profit maximization. Abiding the law and maintaining somewhat of a reputation tend to be non-optional for that, but it's not their primary goal.

It’s still run by people. There is a possibility that they have good intentions.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#302

Post by Myrmornis »

chacham15 wrote: post #213
JoshMnem wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People mostly install adblockers to block really annoying ads.* Many people use ad blockers because they want to block all ads. There are many reasons to block them, including malware, privacy, and brainwashing. If ads works to manipulate behavior (and they do, otherwise people wouldn't buy them), and you don't want to be manipulated, you shouldn't let professionals attempt to hijack your brain (whether those attem…

This is a very pessimistic view of the world. Not all ads are attempts to hijack your brain. For example, if you were already thinking about buying a specific keyboard and then saw an ad for that same keyboard with a 10% discount, that ad would have actually provided positive value to you. You save money for the thing that you already want. Not all ads are like that, but the example goes to show that there is a spect…

If you want to buy a keyboard, then you visit sites from where keyboards can be bought. Meanwhile, when you are doing other things, you shouldn’t be seeing advertising, least of all ads specifically targeting you. You seem to find it hard to understand that ads are aesthetically unacceptable to intelligent people. Do you see ads on the pages of a novel you are reading in a paper book?

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#303

Post by freeone3000 »

Corrado wrote: post #292
jordigh wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me, "better ads" sounds like "humane torture" or "acceptable manipulation". The principle of ads is repugnant to me. There's no way to make it better. I don't need to be psychologically manipulated to buy things I don't need. There's no way to make that manipulation ok. What Google considers acceptable, I consider subtle and even more manipulative, trying to sneak it in where most people won't object to the intrus…

I've mentioned this in another comment, but I think there is a place for well positioned adverts. In the past I've missed out on cultural events (movie premiers, etc.) that I really wanted to know about simply because I don't watch much broadcast TV and use a pretty aggressive Ad blocker. This is generally a great idea and keeps all the crap from streaming into my head but it also stops the rare gem from enriching my…

You might be better served checking the "Events" section of your local paper (which is like an advertisement page, but accurate, targeted, and curated) rather than relying on internet advertisements.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#304

Post by WhyNotHugo »

drngdds wrote: post #103
mabbo wrote: post #89

I think there's good intentions by Google here. That said, let's talk about the worst-case scenario, the thing that Google could actually do that is entirely anti-competitive. Step 1: Google finds a large number of competitors who are doing pretty well playing by their rules. Google finds some trait they all have in common. Google then modifies their own ads to not have that trait. Step 2: Google declares the given t…

I feel like there's a simpler explanation that's still not 'good intentions': 1. Lots of people are using adblockers to block all ads, including Google's, and they don't like that. 2. People mostly install adblockers to block really annoying ads.* 3. By building in an adblocker that blocks annoying ads, people will stop installing full adblockers that also block Google's ads. *There are real issues with non-annoying…

> 2. People mostly install adblockers to block really annoying ads.*

I don't really think there's any other kind of ad. For the majority of us, there's absolutely no value in ads; so there's no reason I'd want them displayed.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#305

Post by JoshMnem »

joosters wrote: post #283
JoshMnem wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm never thinking about buying anything that I see in an ad. I don't own much more in life other than some books, my computers, and a few clothes. I prefer to take my own initiative on what I buy, and the less I buy, the better.

Ah, you unique snowflake :) It’s astounding when people think that advertising doesn’t affect them. And yet companies continue to pay billions for adverts...

> It’s astounding when people think that advertising doesn’t affect them.

I know that advertising affects me. That's one of the reasons why I block ads at every opportunity.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#306

Post by JoshMnem »

kuschku wrote: post #287
joosters wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah, you unique snowflake :) It’s astounding when people think that advertising doesn’t affect them. And yet companies continue to pay billions for adverts...

There's no need to be condescending, and there's a much simpler solution to avoid being influenced by ads. It's called making data-driven decisions. Step 1: Find a set of products that solve your problem based on independent reviews, e.g. what Stiftung Warentest writes. Step 2: Use several price comparison engines, e.g. idealo, Preispiraten, Hardwareschotte to find the cheapest option for the products. Step 3: Order…

It's a good idea, but I don't think that it will stop being influenced by ads.

Human behavior is contagious, and advertisers know that. That's why actors in commercials pretend to be just another person like the viewer while lying about performing some action or behavior that the advertisers want the viewer to copy. I don't think that it's possible to suppress that behavior-imitating instinct completely. Humans are generally not very rational creatures -- not even the self-proclaimed rational ones.

Many ads are not just about some product that one might really need, like a keyboard or other equipment that is essential for a person's work. Many ads I see are about junk food, bad lifestyle choices, and trying to convince the public that bad entities are actually good entities (example: greenwashing).

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#307

Post by lancescaterpie »

WhyNotHugo wrote: post #304
drngdds wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like there's a simpler explanation that's still not 'good intentions': 1. Lots of people are using adblockers to block all ads, including Google's, and they don't like that. 2. People mostly install adblockers to block really annoying ads.* 3. By building in an adblocker that blocks annoying ads, people will stop installing full adblockers that also block Google's ads. *There are real issues with non-annoying…

> 2. People mostly install adblockers to block really annoying ads.* I don't really think there's any other kind of ad. For the majority of us, there's absolutely no value in ads; so there's no reason I'd want them displayed.

> For the majority of us, there's absolutely no value in ads

They do give value, they allow sites to operate without some subscription or entrance fee.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#308

Post by romanovcode »

manigandham wrote: post #122

This is 100% about reinforcing Google's ad monopoly (along with the AMP initiative). Google owns DoubleClick which is the biggest adserver on the planet and the #1 source of all the bad intrusive ads in the first place. This could've been easily solved years ago.

Yes, please don't be fooled, people.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#310

Post by mnm1 »

Sylos wrote: post #300
mnm1 wrote: post #167

I hope Mozilla will do the same, only with a proper ad blocker. It's the only thing that makes sense given the two organizations' goals and purposes. Either that or they're loving their sponsorship money too much and there's no difference in goal or purpose between the two organizations. Can't wait to see if they stand up for users or lie down for money.

If webpage owners don't make money off of a browser, they'll stop testing/building their webpage against that browser or even block access from it, leading to broken webpages in that broken, which is not at all in the interest of users.

Plenty of browsers are not supported/tested on, yet they work just fine because they implement web standards.
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