For the longest time ever, if Chrome users want to block ads on websites and video streams like on YouTube, they would only need to install a browser extension. However Google had previously announced that they would soon introduce native ad blocking in Chrome which is scheduled to go live on the 15th of February.
To prepare users for the upcoming changes, Google has since published a blog post that details how the ad filtering system will work. For those hearing about this for the first time, it’s not as if Google hates ads, but rather Google’s ad filtering system will work by blocking ads that do not meet the “Better Ads Standards”.
This is a set of standards that define what a “good” ad should be on both desktop and mobile, and also points out what kind of ads are deemed to be annoying/disruptive. This includes pop-up ads, ads that can only be closed after a countdown, autoplaying video ads with sound, sticky ads, and so on.
Google will then rank ads as having a Passing, Warning, or Failing status. According to Google, “If there is a match, Chrome will block the request, preventing the ad from displaying on the page.” Google will also notify users if an ad has been blocked, and also gives users the option to ignore the filters and allow ads to run on that particular website.
Ultimately it seems that Google is hoping to create ads that aren’t disruptive or annoying, which means that users will be less inclined to block them. Considering how much money Google makes from ads, the more eyeballs on ads, the better.