IT Solutions: Chrome will automatically block annoying ads in early 2018

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Adios, auto-playing advertisements

Google will launch a version of the Chrome web browser in early 2018 that automatically blocks annoying ads. Google’s new ad-filtering technology will define “annoying” as outlined by the Coalition for Better Ads — that means Chrome users are about to see a lot fewer pop-ups and auto-playing audio spots.

“The reality is, it’s far too common that people encounter annoying, intrusive ads on the web — like the kind that blare music unexpectedly, or force you to wait 10 seconds before you can see the content on the page“, Google SVP of ads and commerce Sridhar Ramaswamy says. “These frustrating experiences can lead some people to block all ads — taking a big toll on the content creators, journalists, web developers and videographers who depend on ads to fund their content creation.”

Reports started swirling in April that Google was building an ad-blocking version of Chrome. While getting rid of annoying content makes sense from a consumer perspective, this is still a surprising move for a company that rakes in upwards of $20 billion each quarter from advertising alone.

Publishers will be able to see whether their ads violate Google’s new standards with the Ad Experience Report.

The Coalition for Better Ads generated its initial Better Ads Standards after surveying 25,000 internet users across North America and Europe. Here are the most annoying ways to sell something online, according to this research:

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