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Linked – Thousands of major sites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

ByMike McBride Reading Time: 1 minute

This is going to continue to escalate, and as it does, I suspect the number of websites that I just stop visiting will increase.

It’s no secret that ad blockers are putting a dent in advertising-based business models on the web. This has produced a range of reactions, from relatively polite whitelisting asks (TechCrunch does this) to dynamic redeployment of ads to avoid blocking. A new study finds that nearly a third of the top 10,000 sites on the web are taking ad blocking countermeasures, many silent and highly sophisticated.

My decision to not visit a site won’t be based on them showing ads at all, I’m not against websites being profitable, but I also have to keep my own computer and network safe. I’ve seen so, so, many sites that ask to be whitelisted, only to throw up scam ads or drive-by download ads when they are, and that I can’t support. Sorry, but clean up your ad buyers and ad networks, and we can have a reasonable conversation about what advertising is OK and what is too much. Until then, remember, you control what sites you visit and who you follow on social media. If they’re nothing but click-bait to display obnoxious or dangerous ads, you can simply stop.

Thousands of major sites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

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