Google will soon announce a built-in ad blocking tool for its Chrome web browser, according to a $4. At first, that seems a bit odd. Digital
Well, $4, it may not be. The report says Google's tool wouldn't kill every ad, but would instead filter out "unacceptable" ads as defined by the $4, an industry group of which Google (and Facebook, the other digital ad giant) are members. The Coalition $4 auto-playing videos with sound, large ads that stick to your web page even as you scroll, prestitial ads with countdowns (i.e., those ads that make you wait a few seconds before letting you see the page), and pop-ups as examples.
So, in a sense, this may be Google's attempt at getting other publishers and advertisers to do better, which would lessen the need for an ad blocker, which would mean more money in Google's pocket. How harshly Google will treat "offending" websites is still up in the air, but as this chart from $4 shows, it's dealing with a not-insignificant amount of ad-blocking users around the world. According to a $4 those figures are only growing.
The hangup is that none of this is likely to include Google's own ads. And regardless of how bad some ads may be, Google could still end up leveraging its own dominant platform (Chrome) to not only shut out competing ad-blockers, but strong-arm other advertisers into following its orders. If the report comes to fruition, Google is likely to face $4 from regulators.
Mike Nudelman/Business Insider/Statista
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