Is Google about to launch their own inbuilt ad blocker on Chrome? That’s the big news according to multiple sources including the Wall Street Journal. There are even rumours that Google will be turning the ad-blocker on by default.
The rumours have yet to be confirmed by Google. It does sound a little strange considering Google make a large proportion of their revenue from advertising. It’s believed that by using their own ad-blocker they will be tackling the third party blockers that are already out there.
Ad Blockers Remove the Most Annoying Types of Ads
Perhaps, if Google’s own ad blocker is able to stop the most annoying types of ads from appearing on websites, users will not look for third party ad blocking extensions. The types of ads that will be stopped include the following:
- Auto-playing videos
- Auto-playing audio
- Pop-ups
The Wall Street Journal reported that Google doesn’t like having to make deals with third party blockers to whitelist ads. These deals can often involve fee payments being made so that Google can work around the ad blockers filters. By adding their own ad-blocker they may be able to stop having to make these negotiations.
Google Face Criticism From Advertisers
The addition of their own ad-blocker is still a risky tactic. Chrome is hugely popular with almost half of the market choosing Chrome as their default browser. If Google goes ahead and turns the ad-blocker on by default they may face criticism from their peers in the industry as they will be exercising even more control over the ads that they show.
The Wall Street Journal said that the deal is not yet in stone but if it does go ahead an announcement will be made towards the end of May. What do you think of the possibility of an inbuilt ad blocker in Chrome? Share your thoughts with us over on Twitter.
