Facebook blocks adblockers, gives users more control

Facebook generates nearly all of its revenue from advertising, totaling $6.24 billion in the second quarter.

Not to worry, Facebook VP of Ads & Business Platform Andrew Bosworth assures us, Facebook’s ads won’t be like that at all. Now, in an attempt to force the proliferation of marketing and advertisements to all of its users, Facebook has announced that it is modifying the digital signature of ads on its website so they are displayed to all users – even those running an ad-blocker.

Facebook also says that it refuses to pay what amounts to a ransom to ad blocking companies to have its site whitelisted so that its advertising still makes its way to customers. Created to combat “bad ads” the expanded toolkit will let users remove certain interest from their preferred ads list, so if someone does not want to receive updates about travel they can express that.

Facebook is making the HTML of its web ads indistinguishable from organic content so it can slip by adblockers.

In this context, Facebook thinks that making ads better, as opposed to blocking them altogether, will be a win-win for everyone. Facebook FB, -0.16% declined to comment when asked on what portion of its desktop users have ad-blocking software installed.

The stand against ad blocking comes as the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) reports that over a quarter of United States internet users employ ad blocking tools on desktop.

Ad blockers are now useless on Facebook. Today all desktop users will see an announcement atop the News Feed explaining that while web adblockers may no longer work, they can visit their Ad Preferences settings to block ads from particular businesses.

The advertisements are still shown to users with ad blocking software by using a different technology to load them. Probably not. But by inviting users to customize their ad experience, Facebook is also inviting you to share more information with it, telling it more about you – not because you want to share the information publicly, but because you don’t want to be privately annoyed.

He suggested the move won’t benefit Facebook or advertisers: “Publishers (like Facebook) alienate their audience, and advertisers (the brands) allow their cherished brand name to be shoved down people’s throats”. Users will now, for example, be able to tell Facebook that they aren’t interested in seeing ads related to a certain topic. At the same time it encouraged users to instead control their own ad experiences on the site. But it is the new approach to adblockers that will generate the greatest interest.