Google has confirmed that it intends to add a new feature to its Chrome web browser that will block certain types of ads from being seen by users, and in some cases could block all the ads on websites that don’t meet certain standards.
The Alphabet subsidiary says it wants to work with publishers to help them understand what kinds of ads will no longer be acceptable, and the standards being built into the browser come from an industry group rather than Google. But that hasn’t stopped some from criticizing the idea, since Google controls a significant share of the online ad market.
Google and Facebook dominate the digital advertising industry; the two companies reportedly accounted for 89 percent of all digital ad revenue growth in 2016. And antitrust experts and media industry leaders are concerned about any move — like next year’s ad blocker release first reported by the Wall Street Journal — that would give the tech conglomerates even more market power.
“I don’t love that Google is kind of imposing a solution through Chrome,” said David Chavern, leader of the News Media Alliance, an industry association for print and digital news organizations. “It’s sort of saying ‘Here, publishers, this the deal. Take it or leave it.’”
Full Content: Vice News
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