undefined | Better HN

0 pointsalkonaut9y ago0 comments

In what ways do ad blockers block internally served ads? I'm perfectly happy with static ads served from the same site as the content. If seems adblockers should have an option to block only the "bad" ads, I.e anything referencing one of a list of known ad nets.

0 comments

Buge9y ago

Go to the reddit homepage. Look at the very top link (that's highlighed with an outline). That's an ad, but it's hosted by reddit and contains no scripts or iframes, in fact doesn't even contain offsite images. Its div has the CSS class promotedlink. If you look in the default list used by Adblock Plus https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/easylist.txt you will see that it blocks this because it contains the line

    reddit.com##.promotedlink

But Adblock Plus actually contains a second list of "Non-intrusive advertising" that actually allows ads on reddit. Many people are very angry about this list because many companies pay to get their ads put on it and allowed.

zackya899y ago

Yea it was after Adblock Plus was sold to an unknown 3rd party who refused to reveal themselves, obviously after the anger everyone switched over to uBlock Origin including me.

Obi_Juan_Kenobi9y ago

> because many companies pay to get their ads put on it and allowed

Is this 100% verified, or just speculation? AB+ has always stated that they whitelist suitable ads, not ones that are paid. In my experience, this is true; only static text and image ads ever get through, and it's pretty rare. I think this is desirable as it incentivises the use of better ads.

Buge9y ago

Small companies get on the list for free. Big companies have to pay. But they all get vetted by their "non-intrusive" guidelines.

https://adblockplus.org/about#monetization

alkonautOP9y ago

Using an adblocker that takes money to whitelist seems like a bad idea.

In any case: I'll make sure that my ad blocker allows non intrusive ads. That said, "non intrusive" must not be deceptive either. It should be clear that it is an advert.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

Buge9y ago

    reddit.com##.promotedlink

zackya899y ago

Yea it was after Adblock Plus was sold to an unknown 3rd party who refused to reveal themselves, obviously after the anger everyone switched over to uBlock Origin including me.

Obi_Juan_Kenobi9y ago

> because many companies pay to get their ads put on it and allowed

Buge9y ago

Small companies get on the list for free. Big companies have to pay. But they all get vetted by their "non-intrusive" guidelines.

https://adblockplus.org/about#monetization

alkonautOP9y ago

Using an adblocker that takes money to whitelist seems like a bad idea.

In any case: I'll make sure that my ad blocker allows non intrusive ads. That said, "non intrusive" must not be deceptive either. It should be clear that it is an advert.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse