Twitter was on fire for the past 24 hours over concerns that Google Chrome has neutralised the extension “AdBlock Plus”. The popular extension originally created in 2006 by Wladimir Palant, is used by many to bypass ads hosted on the internet, which includes the video ads YouTube displays before the start of some videos on the site.
Due to the prolific use of AdBlock, YouTube as an entity is barely breaking even with its revenue; it only accounts for 6% of Google’s (or rather, Alphabet’s) total ad revenue, which is surprising, considering the often long ads being displayed at the start of nearly every video. As a result, users of AdBlock figure that this is Google’s attempt at finally finding a way to skirt around the extension and so patch up the hole AdBlock has made in its profits.
However it appears that the circumvention of AdBlock was an accidental side effect of fixing a previous security issue. It is now expected to be fixed with the release of Chrome 46.
Despite this, Twitter users are still tweeting, often with images attached, evidence that Chrome is now circumventing AdBlock, with some saying that it was no accident at all.
So YouTube has finally clamped down on Adblock, if Adblock is active on the page, the pre-roll ad will play without a skip option.
— SteeScribbles (@SteeScribbles) September 6, 2015
https://twitter.com/r4rev2/status/640724992930500608
It also appears that Chrome unintentionally targeted other ad blocking extensions and apps in addition to AdBlock. What’s more is that the rather than just merely playing ads on YouTube that would have previously not played before, Chrome also now effectively blocks your ability to skip an ad.
Despite the setback, the Internet predictably found a way to bypass Google’s own bypassing of AdBlock. The remedy was to uninstall the YouTube app that comes with Chrome. To do so, a user has to enter ‘Chrome://apps’ into the search bar, right-click on the YouTube app and then remove it from Chrome.
In the end however, despite users calling foul at Google’s blocking of AdBlock, it should be noted that blocking ads has always been a controversial issue. In the case of YouTube especially, despite the meagre profits that the video streaming site itself makes, ads are often the blood money that powers the content creators on it. As a result cutting of their source of income whilst still enjoying their videos is sometimes compared to daylight robbery.
How many adblocks could blockadblock block if blockadblock could block adblock?
Do you use AdBlock? What do you think of Chrome’s supposedly accidental bypassing of it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
