How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works • Hacker News Board

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#241

Post by deckard1 » Sat, Feb 03, 2018, 11:29 PM UTC

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.

Yep. And you can see this in a lot of what Google does.

Most people think Google's push for HTTPS, both in Chrome and SEO rankings, is somehow related to privacy.

It's not. It's about net neutrality and it's about third parties being able to switch out Google's ads for their own, on-the-fly, using a middleman.

I interviewed with a stealth-level startup a few years back. They were developing a product, similar to a WiFi router, that would be installed on premise and sit there, filtering out Google/Facebook/etc. ads and replacing them with ads that the owner of the box wanted. You can imagine this box being installed in Starbucks, airports, libraries, and everywhere else. Cutting into a massive chunk of Google's ad revenue.

The Time Warners, AT&Ts, and Verizons of the world would also be doing this, for HTTP traffic.

We are getting the benefits of privacy. But it's not because Google has good intentions.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#242

Post by FridgeSeal » Sat, Feb 03, 2018, 11:30 PM UTC

throwaway2048 wrote: post #223

switch007 wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's not good or bad, it's just business. I think I missed some nuance. Is doing business is beyond reproach these days?

seems to be if you listen to some of the corporate appologists around HN, where if it isnt explicitly against the law, people have nothing to complain about (and often not even then..)

There are definitely some for whom the pursuit of profit justifies the means, regardless of how immoral (or morally grey) it is, and any relevant laws are there to be dodged (bonus points for writing said actions off as "being disruptive").

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#243

Post by kyrra » Sat, Feb 03, 2018, 11:34 PM UTC

Bitcoin_McPonzi wrote: post #83

chaz6 wrote: post #20

I wouldn't trust a burglar to install my security system. I won't trust Google to block ads.

The ADT company hired and trusted convicted serial killer Dennis Rader to install alarms. He'd then defeat the alarms and go in to the houses to bind, torture, and kill his victims. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Rader#Early_life_and_ca... Your analogy is good. Google and Chrome Adblocker is just like ADT and the "BTK Killer".

As far as most people were concerned, Dennis Rader was a normal member of community. I used to live in Wichita where he operated. One of my coworkers had had dinner with them because they went to the same church as him.

His wife kids didn't know, nobody knew.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#244

Post by yakitori » Sat, Feb 03, 2018, 11:43 PM UTC

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 think there's good intentions by Google here.

There isn't "good intentions". It's almost pointless to talk in that terms when it comes to multinational companies. Corporations don't work that way. They aren't charities. Google is acting in its own best interests - what's good for the shareholders. There is no other consideration.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#245

Post by lugg » Sat, Feb 03, 2018, 11:55 PM UTC

the_duke wrote: post #195

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…

I personally find the ads on Google search really annoying. I'd never use Google if Ublock didn't hide them.

Without adblock, google died a decade ago.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#246

Post by TravelTechGuy » Sat, Feb 03, 2018, 11:57 PM UTC

Google telling us what "better ads" are is like a drug dealer lecturing you about crack quality control. They could have solved it years ago, but made tons of $ by letting the ad space become the wild west of nagware, malware, and tracking bonanza.

If they were to provide a real adblocker, allowing people to opt-in to ads on sites they like, while blocking everything else, I'd have considered it, on the basis that any technology running in-browser must be more fast/efficient than an extension. But this initiative is just them trying to get people to drop their adblocker and get tracked again.

All things being equal, I think I'll keep my uBlock extension - at least until Google kicks it out of their web store. I believe that would be the next logical step for them :(

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#247

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 12:06 AM UTC

mastax wrote: post #65

kodablah wrote: post #26

Which is it, the super secret consortium that won't even let you download the full list of bad sites, or Easy List/Privacy? Why don't they just use EasyList and report offenders there instead of this new consortium? The answer to that rhetorical question will let you know why I'll remain on uBO. They didn't need to build this in, but they did and gave the current ad-blocking community the finger instead of support.

>Which is it, the super secret consortium that won't even let you download the full list of bad sites, or Easy List/Privacy? Why don't they just use EasyList and report offenders there instead of this new consortium? The lists serve different purposes. EasyList is a lit of ad-serving URLs to block. The uh, consortium list is a black/white list of which sites don't follow the standards. The standards are not about bad…

[deleted]

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#248

Post by JoshMnem » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 12:14 AM UTC

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…

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.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#249

Post by RamenJunkie_ » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 12:15 AM UTC

MereInterest wrote: post #13

Google's incentives here are still antithetical to my own, so I'm going to stick with uBlock. For example, on Google search, ads masquerade as legitimate search results. These used to be highlighted in light yellow, clearly marking them as different from organic search results. Now, they only have the word "Ad" in light grey text. This notice is on the right, intentionally where it will be overlooked when reading thr…

I went online today to make a payment on my Lowes card.

I do a search for "Pay Lowes Credit Card"

The first couple of results are legit but everything afte ris some BS Scam.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#250

Post by JoshMnem » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 12:15 AM UTC

drdeca wrote: post #233

mquander wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming the premises of your scenario (that the ad didn't change anything about you to make you more likely to buy the keyboard, or adversely influence you in any other way), the display of this ad is a disaster for the advertiser. Advertisers will work as hard as they can to make that not happen.

This is true. However, I do think that there are a few (possibly rare) cases where advertisements can cause a mutual benefit. If I intend to purchase a product of a certain category, and would like to choose one with a particular property, but am under the assumption that no such product exists, and I see an ad for such a product, correcting my impression, I may, as a result, purchase that product instead of competit…

Saving 10% on a keyboard on a very rare occasion isn't worth the dangers of advertising (privacy, malware, brainwashing).