Adblock and other ad blocking software will no longer work on Facebook as the company rolls out its latest ad preferences controls
On Tuesday, Facebook announced some upcoming changes to its ad controls, among which is a decision to disable Adblocker, a popular ad-blocking software many tech savvy web users employ to clear away some of the ad noise on the internet.
According to Facebook, controlling the quality of ads, not the quantity, is a better solution to the Internet ad problem.
“When they’re relevant and well-made, ads can be useful, helping us find new products and services and introducing us to new experiences,” Facebook’s official blog post about the changes read. “But because ads don’t always work this way, many people have started avoiding certain websites or apps, or using ad blocking software, to stop seeing bad ads.”
Calling ad blockers the “best options” internet users have had to date, the company revealed new changes to their ad formats and control options that would purportedly make ad block on the site unnecessary.
“Ad blocking reduces the funding needed to support the journalism and other free services that we enjoy on the web,” the post read. “Facebook is one of those free services, and ads support our mission of giving people the power to share and making the world more open and connected. Rather than paying ad blocking companies to unblock the ads we show … we’re putting control in people’s hands with our updated ad preferences and our other advertising controls.
When we asked people about why they used ad blocking software, the primary reason we heard was to stop annoying, disruptive ads … We’ve designed our ad formats, ad performance and controls to address the underlying reasons people have turned to ad blocking … As we offer people more powerful controls, we’ll also begin showing ads on Facebook desktop for people who currently use ad blocking software.”
But despite Facebook’s seemingly reasonable explanation for disabling ad blockers on its site, the creators of AdBlock, a leading adblocking software on the web, aren’t happy about it.
In reaction to the news, Adblock’s Ben Williams wrote that Facebook’s decision to disable ad blocking technologies on the site, “takes a dark path against user choice.”
“You kind of have to wonder about the thinking that went into this decision,” the post read. “Facebook apparently agrees that users have a good reason for using ad-blocking software … but yet those users shouldn’t be given the power to decide what they want to block themselves?”
Facebook’s new ad preferences controls will allow users to not only block ads from specific advertisers, it also has a list of all the advertisers who have information about you. Inside of those lists, you’ll also have options to choose which advertisement providers you do and don’t want to see.
What do you think of Facebook’s decision to disable ad blockers on the site? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
