Google is giving publishers at least six months to prepare for new ad-blocking technology that will be built in to its Chrome web browser.
Top of the Order:
Blocking Out: Online advertising is a big thing to Google. How big?
Well, according to research firm eMarketer, companies spent $71.6 billion on digital ads in the U. S. in 2016. Of that total, Google took home 41.4 percent of the total spent with $29.4 billion, or more than twice the $12.4 billion of second-place Facebook. EMarketer estimates that Google’s revenue for digital ads will climb to $33.8 billion this year, and reach $43.3 billion by 2019.
But not everyone likes ads. Depending on one’s personal taste, online ads can be a simple nuisance, an eye-rolling pain, or even flat-out offensive. And in order to combat ads that don’ t meet certain standards for quality or relevance, Google is stepping up its ad-blocking efforts.
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Biz Break: HP’s quarterly win isn’ t a runaway one In a blog post, Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Google’s vice president of product management, said that in 2018, Google’s Chrome web browser will no longer show ads on websites that don’ t meet the standards established by the Coalition for Better Ads. The CBA is a trade group that includes advertisers, media partners such as Google, and other industry groups. Google is giving publishers at least six months to prepare for the changes to Chrome to take effect, and will provide tools to help determine which ads don’ t meet the standards and how to fix those ads in order to keep them from being blocked.
“We know that many web developers make most or all of their revenue from digital advertising, and we want to make following the guidance of the standard as easy as possible, ” Roy-Chowdhury said in his post. “Developers can also use the report to re-submit their site for review once the problematic ad experiences have been addressed.”
The ads that could be blocked include old-school pop-up ads, video ads with sound that automatically start playing once a web site is opened and ads that include a countdown before the ad is shown. Such ads types are also known as “prestitial” ads.
While everyday users of Chrome will probably be happy with Google’s decision, as it could cut down on the ads that can clutter up a web site, publishers may have a different view as such ads are some of the biggest sources of their online income.
Middle Innings:
And, You’ re Out: Tesla has given the boot to a female employee who sued the electric carmaker for sexual harassment. Tesla said it fired AJ Vandermeyden after internal and third-party investigators determined that claims she made against the company were unfounded. Vandermeyden had alleged that Tesla had sold defective cars and paid her less than male co-workers who did the same job as her.
Bottom of the Lineup:
Waymo Fights Back: Waymo, the self-driving car technology company owned by Google, is taking another shot at rival Uber. Waymo said it is working on self-driving trucks that could be used on long-haul highway routes, and that steps up its competition against Uber, which last year acquired self-driving trucking company Otto for $680 million. Earlier this week, Uber fired self-driving technology engineer Anthony Levandowski, whom Waymo alleges stole some of its trade secrets when he left Waymo to co-found Otto.
Quote of the Day: “She wore her heart on her sleeves – yes, both of them.” –Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick, speaking about his mother, Bonnie, who died in a boating accident last week .
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