More of us are now using ad blockers when we browse the web, but new research suggests that such tools could be adversely affecting more than just websites’ ad revenue. Tech firm Oriel (bit.ly/oriel396) tested the 100 most popular sites in the UK, and discovered that ad blockers not only took out pop-ups and advertising but also broke other parts of web pages so the content didn’t display correctly. This included check-in screens for airlines and checkout systems for online shops, the report noted.
Although turning off your ad blocker and reloading the page would fix the problem, it might require you to log in again or navigate back to the problem page. What’s more, it’s not always clear when parts of a page are missing or broken, so it may seem to the visitor as if the site has been poorly designed when in fact it’s the victim of an overreaching blocker. The research tested 24 different ad blockers, and found problems across the range of tools, from breaking parts of pages to removing content that isn’t advertising.
Oriel said blocking such elements constituted censorship, because “it is interfering, changing and potentially censoring web content” – but it’s worth noting that Oriel creates advertising technology, so it has a stake in this fight.
Ad blocking has become very popular of late, as web users grow increasingly frustrated with the proliferation of invasive and irritating ads. Apple finally allowed blocking tools on the iPhone and iPad last year. These developments have led to widespread concerns that websites, publishers and other companies will no longer be able to make money online.
If you’re using an ad blocker such as Adblock Plus or uBlock Origin, be aware that it may cause problems on certain sites. If a page doesn’t look right or something isn’t working as it should, don’t jump to conclusions and blame the website. Instead, either turn off your ad blocker or disable it for that domain, then reload the page. If you’re trying to make a purchase, you may have to restart the process from the beginning.
It’s worth bearing this problem in mind when you’re buying time-sensitive items, such as tickets for a popular event. Rather than risk the frustration of losing your place, it may be a good idea to turn your blocker off or pause it before you start.
Although the makers of ad blockers need to be more careful about overzealous blocking, there is no reason to stop using a blocker if it appeals to you. Aside from speeding up pageloading times and filtering irritating ads, they can also protect you against ‘malvertising’, which tries to use advertising technologies to hack your PC. Instead of uninstalling your ad blocker, simply turn it off from time to time, especially when making important transactions.
Ad blockers are controversial for a host of reasons, most notably because they prevent websites from earning the revenue that keeps them in business. Indeed, that’s more likely to “break the web” than a few missing elements on a page. If there’s no money in putting content online, less of it will be made, which is another reason to learn how to better control your ad blocker. If you turn it off for specific web domains, you can allow ads for the sites you want to support while blocking them on sites you don’t know or trust, or those that use particularly annoying ads.
There are downsides to removing ads and downsides to displaying them. Ad blockers needn’t stop you seeing all advertising – they simply give you control over when and where you choose to see them. That said, the developers behind ad blockers need to ensure they don’t break websites. Dodgy blocking only gives those who oppose the technology more ammunition in the debate about the effects of ad blockers on websites. This seems counterproductive given that their raison d’être is to make the web more enjoyable and faster to use.