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How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

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Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#271

Post by Ajedi32 »

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.

DoubleClick already has policies[1][2] designed to prevent those ads from being "intrusive" (at least, according to the better ad standards definition[1] of that term). The problem this is intended to solve is other ad networks which don't enforce those rules giving advertising in general a bad reputation. That's not something that could have been fixed by more policies on Google's own ad networks.

[1]: https://support.google.com/webtools/answer/7347327

[2]: https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/1346295

[3]: https://www.betterads.org/standards/

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#272

Post by xstartup »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #204
xstartup wrote: post #120

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.

Google loves to claim something is administered by a "coalition" or "alliance". But that isn't how it works internally. Remember the "Open Handset Alliance"? The industry group of companies which used Android? Well, Google threatened to remove Acer from it if Acer dared to release a phone without Google Apps on it. This was never a mutual organization, it was a Google-run organization. "Alliances" and "coalitions" ar…

Adtech industry can't be compared with Handset market. You can start your ad network today with minimum capital. There are lots of smaller players in this game who are setting over each other to gain some competitive advantage by pushing nastiest ad around. These smaller players can make their own coalition and go to courts if it's that bad for their business and no court will not allow you to run shady ads, so these guys will never go to court!

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#273

Post by Cd00d »

JoshMnem wrote: post #212
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…

> 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…

I use an ad blocker solely to block popups that interfere with my reading. So many sites popup to ask for your email once you scroll far enough to move the mouse to leave, and I simply don't want to be on email lists. I'm totally fine with other ads and I'm not concerned I've been brainwashed.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#274

Post by dang »

regexnerd wrote: post #234
534b44a wrote: post #72

I long for the day Google asks you to disable your adblocker (uBlock, ABP, etc.) to be able to search.

You are part of the problem. People should not have to give up their privacy and expose their devices to the evil of the advert companies just to get online. Ads are almost the number one vector for malware. Ad servers are rarely, if ever, equipped with decent security and are frequently compromised. Ads are a poor method for making money and the system is horribly gamed at every opportunity. Anything worth having is…

> You are part of the problem

On HN, please make your points without stooping to personal swipes.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#275

Post by JoshMnem »

drdeca wrote: post #255
JoshMnem wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I wasn't really talking about the 10% savings thing, so I'm not sure how this is relevant to what I said? I do agree that the malware risk that current ad systems cause is bad, and it would probably be good if consumers behaved in such a way that the sort of ad systems that are a malware risk were no longer more financially viable. However, I don't think I have any substantial objection to the style of ads on project…

I think that most ads aren't leading people who desire a product to that product -- they are creating desire for products that people don't really need.

Most of the ads I see at the moment are on YouTube/Gmail and they are for things like junk food, "make money online" scam artists, and other garbage. Sometimes there are unblockable content ads on news sites that pretend to be news, but are really just paid content.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#276

Post by manigandham »

Ajedi32 wrote: post #271
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.

DoubleClick already has policies[1][2] designed to prevent those ads from being "intrusive" (at least, according to the better ad standards definition[1] of that term). The problem this is intended to solve is other ad networks which don't enforce those rules giving advertising in general a bad reputation. That's not something that could have been fixed by more policies on Google's own ad networks. [1]: https://suppo…

Intrusive, spammy, misleading and otherwise fraudulent is incredibly lucrative for adtech (as seen in the rise of these formats and outbrain/taboola spam underneath every article).

Google and other major ad networks all have the same policies as it provides PR insurance and plausible deniability for their clients. However, they absolutely do not enforce these rules to any reasonable extent which is not only an open secret in the ad industry but incredibly easy to test and prove yourself.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#277

Post by frabcus »

dhimes wrote: post #156
rodorgas wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If, in their search page, they had a button that said "I am looking to buy" or something along those lines It seems that you are describing Google Shopping.

Really? Never heard of it.

It is, alas paid listings only.

However it is decent.

I don't use Amazon, and find I use Google Shopping to find suppliers a lot.

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#278

Post by otabdeveloper2 »

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…

>*There are real issues with non-annoying ads, like tracking,

99% of online tracking comes from Google Analytics, not ads.

> ...but I don't think most people know or care very much about that.

Indeed...

Re: How Google Chrome’s ad blocker works

#280

Post by lucb1e »

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…

So those are two reasons because 1 and 3 are the same: google wants themselves unblocked.
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