Google’s Chrome browser is set to start blocking disruptive ads on Thursday but the decision to implement it wasn’t a money-driven one, the Alphabet-owned company said earlier today. Instead, Google is seeking to start sanctioning some ads that users themselves have been complaining about, even if doing so means not displaying its own ads on such problematic websites and consequently lowering its revenue, the tech giant claims. A number of industry watchers previously raised some antitrust concerns about the idea of the world’s largest digital advertising platform launching a service that’s meant to block ads in its dominant Internet browser and the fact that its own advertising couldn’t be in direct violation of the rules it claims are designed to combat “disruptive ads.”
Google on Tuesday indirectly addressed some of those concerns by reiterating that it won’t allow problematic websites to monetize their content through AdSense, stating that the main goal of the effort is to make the World Wide Web a better place for everyone to experience, even people who use other browsers. Chrome’s ad blocker evaluates ads based on the Better Ads Standards authored by the Coalition for Better Ads of which Google is a member of. Advertising that it deems frustrating or “annoying” after numerous reports will be blocked, together with all other promotional units served by any violating websites, regardless of whether individual ads are compliant or not. The Mountain View, California-based Internet giant said the original decision to integrate an ad blocker into Chrome was prompted by user feedback, i.e. numerous people complaining about things like autoplaying videos and massive pop-ups that are difficult to get rid of.
“Your experience on the web is a higher priority than the money that these annoying ads may generate,” Google said. Ultimately, Google is hoping that its selective ad blocker will be able to improve the overall quality of online advertising and reduce the number of people who feel the need to install third-party solutions that block the majority of online ads. The initial version of the service may require some tweaking before working exactly as intended, with recent reports suggesting that even some of Google’s own ads have the potential to be malicious. The ad blocker will be supported by all desktop versions of Chrome, as well as its Android app.