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How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

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Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#111

Post by kodablah »

gorhill wrote: post #102

> Google appears to be shipping the entirety of EasyList and EasyPrivacy; which includes blocking rules for Google’s own AdSense and DoubleClick advertisement platforms as well as Google Analytics, and other Google services. This is confusing. EasyList is not bound to the "Better Ads Standards", its purpose is to block all ads, regardless of their perceived intrusiveness. Also, I failed to understand why would EasyPr…

I think I can clarify now that I understand. What they are doing is using their "safe browsing" hidden partial-hash-based list to determine if a site "deserves" to be subject to the EasyList/EasyPrivacy lists. So it's selectively choosing where the lists are applied unlike your awesome tool. I have confirmed even in current Chrome they are already downloading these lists (in Windows at ~/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data/Subresource Filter)...both the indexed and unindexed sets have the EasyList licenses. Also, from my quick perusal of the code, I don't believe they apply cosmetic filters.

People work hard on those lists, not sure they appreciate selective application of them.

Also, the statement "Google’s ad blocking capabilities will be on par with the best tools available from day one" is impossible like you claim because it's only a subset of what other blockers would do unless the author is claiming that not-blocking ads means better or on-par capability.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#112

Post by ams6110 »

Slightly tangential, but:

> ... Google Safe Browsing service. Chrome checks every website you visit against a list of malicious websites that it periodically downloads from Safe Browsing.

So I have always disabled Safe Browsing because I assumed it was sending all my browsing activity to Google in real time to be checked. But this sounds like it's checking locally from a downloaded list. Anyone know if that's correct?

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#113

Post by skybrian »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #22
carlosrg wrote: post #15

This is a good thing. Advertising is one of the most effective ways companies have to let people know about their products - I'd say they're essential in free market economies. But having ads is one thing and completely disrupting the user experience is another. Finding a balance is a better approach than blocking all ads.

Advertising is very seldom information based. Advertising is primarily about making you buy a product from a particular company, whether it's a good product or not, whether it's right for you or not. If it were about letting people know your products then 'Nide' would have "if you want these for cross-training the best show are 'Reebob' Cross2" on the advert for their training shoes. Advertising is almost orthogonal…

There are also what I call reminder ads. They don't tell you anything new or convince anyone to change their mind about whether they like a product, but they remind people of products they already like. (Movie theater ads about buying food and drinks, for example. Or milk ads.)

Advertisers want to make sure their customers don't forget to buy their stuff. This is much easier than actually convincing non-customers to do something new.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#114

Post by abandonliberty »

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…

Google's intent is to protect their advertising revenue stream. That's not good or bad, it's just business.

Definitely agree with you on the long term capability. There's just so much risk having your web interface owned by someone with a vested interest in what you see.

In the meantime expect 3rd party attempts at gaming this functionality.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#115

Post by ballenf »

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…

The worst part about all of this is the conflation of advertising with tracking. They are very different beasts.

Google "protects" us from visibly annoying ads while ignoring the much more troubling intrusive and problematic tracking.

The indirect effect of this, I believe, will be for fewer people to protect themselves from problematic cross-site tracking.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#116

Post by Andrex »

arielm wrote: post #29

To have an ad network control so much of web traffic and then decide which ads to block is just absurd. If the chrome team and google’s ad teams were not controlled by the same unit that primarily makes money from ads it would have been ok, but given that they do, what incentive will they have to block their own ads and how much more powerful is it making their own network? Sadly, chrome is still the easiest browser…

In your opinion, would spinning off Chrome into its own company under Alphabet be a possible solution?

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#117

Post by wjnc »

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…

Step 2, if taken anti-competetively would end up in tens of billions of dollars in fines and possibly the break-up of the company. I don't find it that unlikely, all things considered, but it should be the nail in the coffin.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#118

Post by eps »

carlosrg wrote: post #15

This is a good thing. Advertising is one of the most effective ways companies have to let people know about their products - I'd say they're essential in free market economies. But having ads is one thing and completely disrupting the user experience is another. Finding a balance is a better approach than blocking all ads.

If I don't want to see ads, I expect not to see them.

There's no "better approach".

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#119

Post by Gracana »

abandonliberty wrote: post #114
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…

Google's intent is to protect their advertising revenue stream. That's not good or bad, it's just business. Definitely agree with you on the long term capability. There's just so much risk having your web interface owned by someone with a vested interest in what you see. In the meantime expect 3rd party attempts at gaming this functionality.

It's bad for anyone who doesn't want to be stalked by powerful corporations.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#120

Post by xstartup »

It seems a lot of people here work for shady ad networks whose bonus will be cut this year. It's not only "Google", it's Coalition for Better Ads. There top competitors' are all part of it.

It's still a lot better for my elderly folks who can't seem to figure out how to install ublock.

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