Erm, no Zuckerberg the consumer holds the cards by not using your bottom hole sniffing intrusionware; feck-off Facebook.
Adblock overlord to Zuckerberg: Lay down your weapons and surrender
Ben Williams, Eyeo's comms chief, has warned Facebook that it's joined a battle it can't win. Eyeo is the controversial outfit that commercialises AdBlock software. Last year John Whittingdale compared Eyeo's model – which allows advertisers through for a fee – to a "modern day protection racket". Earlier this year Facebook …
COMMENTS
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 12:02 GMT Mark 85
Zuck can get the cards back my making Facebook the ONLY source of key social stuff, forcing a "Walking on the Sun" decision.
No. Actually the users can start talking face-to-face or use a telephone and even email to communicate. But, given the nature of the those using FB, they wouldn't get as much perceived attention from "friends" who are actually total strangers.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:25 GMT Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese
<p>Actually the users can start talking face-to-face or use a telephone and even email to communicate</p>
As someone who grew up before the Web and social media became a thing, I can see where you're coming from, but...
As someone who has a product/service, I get a lot of value out of Facebook (and other social media) as a means of reaching out and engaging with my user community. For personal interaction, I agree that there should be more face-to-face pub-based/café-based communication but for the sort of one-to-many communication that a brand-promoter needs, FB, etc. is very very valuable.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 16:58 GMT ecofeco
...but for the sort of one-to-many communication that a brand-promoter needs, FB, etc. is very very valuable.
This is just sad. I remember quite clearly the early days of FB and the strict rules of no businesses allowed.
If FB really does have this kind of influence, then people really fucking hopelessly stupid.
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Friday 4th November 2016 12:23 GMT DropBear
Oh, it absolutely does, make no mistake. It may all be in the user's mindset, but collectively that's comparably immutable thing to Windows's (once) absolute dominance as OS simply because it's what everyone else uses. The result is that countless businesses don't have websites anymore, don't have mailing lists anymore, or indeed any way to keep in touch or even get in contact (!) - they just insist you look them up on Facebook. Wanna order a Pizza or even just see the menu? Tough luck, visit this Facebook-based take-out food on-line ordering platform we are a member of! Unfortunately, these guys really do make the best pizza in town, I can't just go elsewhere - fortunately, they do still pick up the phone. For how much longer, I'm not sure...
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 10:21 GMT Anonymous Coward
"We’ll strike back," he promised.
It's too early and I didn't had my bucket of coffee yet, and I didn't get the general idea. What can the ad-blockers do that can't be easily undone by Facebook?
Ad-blockers block some ads but let others pass. Facebook blocks ad-blockers. Blokes who want to want to read the bollocks that are in Facebook are going to play by Facebook rules, not by Ad-blockers rules. Some may even give up on Facebook -- this may be the only win-win solution?
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 10:56 GMT Paul Crawford
Re: "We’ll strike back," he promised.
What can
the ad-blockersFacebook do that can't be easily undone byFacebookthe ad-blockers?Is more to the point. Unless FB runs adverts from their own servers just like user posts, its still easily separable. And if they do that they can't rely upon 3rd party advertisement houses for revenue.
That is, of course, quite possible. But then the second step is for ad-blockers to disable any animated image/video by default. So FB still punts ads, but they are now neutered in terms of bandwidth and annoyance so really the user has won by not being force-fed any more shit that their "friends" on FB normally punt at them.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:25 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: "We’ll strike back," he promised.
I fear this may wander into the sort of crap that Google has foisted upon Youtube and what the BBC does with video clips watched from abroad: you won't be able to watch anything without having to sit through an ad first.
The only problem that Facebook has not to intersperse a feed with marketing messages is legislation, and I think we all know how scrupulously Facebook complies with laws that get in the way of profit..
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:46 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: "We’ll strike back," he promised.
> Some may even give up on Facebook -- this may be the only win-win solution?
We did. No more ads. No more quizzes, lame memes, local shitposters, event invitation spam, narcissists, wannabe entrepreneurs begging for likes/retweets/kickstarter/patreon, TMI, whiners, alarmist news, "causes". And no more random crazies stalking us IRL.
We miss out on some parties and events but people find other ways to tell us about the good ones, so that's another win-win.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 10:22 GMT dave 93
Lazy ad sales teams (and web editors) are the problem, not ad-blockers
If online publishers took the same approach as print publishers and sold ad space directly to clients, then the ads would be more relevant to the publication, and less irritating.
Crucially, if web editors made more effort, and 'hand crafted' client's ads into web pages, then the ad blockers couldn't block them anyway.
More effort for publishers, but a better experience for users.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 19:56 GMT MSmith
Re: Lazy ad sales teams (and web editors) are the problem, not ad-blockers
You are not counting the ads that pop up and cover the entire page, or blot out the content, or hang the web-browser. There are many sites I just won't go to because there are ads covering the top and both sides of the window. Then, 15 seconds after you start reading an article, a full-page ad pops up. Then another ad starts some audio. One of the ads then crashes, and you have to close the window and start over. There are some sites that I habitually click the 'Print this Page' button because it is the ply way to get a readable copy of the content. When the content is less than 20% of the page, it isn't worth it anymore.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 10:22 GMT Pascal Monett
Eyeo says it [..] wants "user empowerment"
We had user empowerment. We used to be able to install AdBlock and we would have no ads.
Now I install Adblock and I still get ads - the one you're paid to let through. That is a reduction in my empowerment.
So I uninstalled Adblock and I now use Ublock Origin which bloacks ads and hasn't sold out. How's that for empowerment ?
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 10:52 GMT Don Dumb
Re: Eyeo says it [..] wants "user empowerment"
@ Pascal Monett - "Now I install Adblock and I still get ads"
I've got adblock and have used it for years just fine in conjunction with NoScript. Don't see any ads when I'm surfing, or it is actually letting unscripted, imageless ads through and as I'm not noticing them I'm fine with that.
What were you doing to get it to give you ads?
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Friday 4th November 2016 17:40 GMT Doctor Syntax
Re: Eyeo says it [..] wants "user empowerment"
"I've got adblock and have used it for years just fine in conjunction with NoScript. Don't see any ads when I'm surfing"
Snap. And what's more UO seems to interfere with the Beeb weather site. No doubt it can be tuned no to but AB+ and NS do what I want with no problems.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:25 GMT Carl D
Re: Eyeo says it [..] wants "user empowerment"
I have also switched from Adblock Plus to uBlock Origin in Firefox just recently.
As well as being lighter on your computer's resources I've also noticed that 'certain sites' which won't let you in with Adblock Plus don't seem to detect uBlock Origin and allow you to enter - still minus the ads, of course.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 10:56 GMT Bronek Kozicki
yeah, about that
El Reg, pls do allow me to pay subscription fee (or donation) since otherwise you will not be able to monetize me reading my favourite site. I do occasionally take down my defences, for a short while, to check your ads and yeah, they are still slowing down my reading of this site. Perhaps due to tracking scripts or maybe slow ad content, I do not know. And honestly I do not care, it should be your problem, not mine (because if I do not like your ads, I simply enable blocking back again)
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:25 GMT MarkP
Re: yeah, about that
I would love to be able to pay a small subscription to read the site. Of the order of say £10-15 per year to disable all the adverts. I read the site primarily on my work PC and they won't let us install Adblockers (well install anything), so I get all the crappy flash stuff. Horrible horrible things.
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Friday 4th November 2016 12:24 GMT DropBear
Re: yeah, about that
"I would love to be able to pay a small subscription to read the site. Of the order of say £10-15 per year to disable all the adverts."
What if I were to tell you
the red dot is not realthey possibly make more than a smidge more than that off a person (who doesn't block ads)...?-
Friday 4th November 2016 17:41 GMT Doctor Syntax
Re: yeah, about that
"What if I were to tell you .. they possibly make more than a smidge more than that off a person (who doesn't block ads)...?"
A) I'd want to see evidence
B) Any advertiser selling something I might possibly buy stands a better chance of selling to me if I've blocked their ad. and hence helped them to not piss me off.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 10:58 GMT Steve Davies 3
Crap web page design
One site I used to frequent changed hands and the new owners went gung-ho into a redesign.
The result was that a site that had been fast to load without ad-blocking went to one that would not load at all unless you allowed SIXTY THREE other domains through your ad blocker. some of the domains needed other domains that needed other domains etc etc. What a load of stinking cat crap.
Many were tracking cookies. Some of these were dated to expire in 3022.(WTF?)
In the end I and a good many others just gave up on the site.
It went phut less than a year later. The owners cited lack of Ad revenue. Well Doh!
There is a reason that most of us use Adblockers and the likes of the Zuck has not grocked it yet. Perhaps they never will.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 11:00 GMT Anonymous Coward
Funny you should say that...
"Then again, ad-blocking doesn't really figure as a significant factor on mobile yet – and that's where the ads are most intrusive,"
Posted on a site that has full screen adverts that like to absorb touch events on their mobile website, meaning you have to drag down the side of the advert if you actually want the page to scroll...
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:31 GMT Jon 37
Ads on El Reg.... oh yes, I remember those. About 15 years ago, I browsed with ads enabled because sites like El Reg deserved my support. Then El Reg and other sites started doing pop-up adverts, including the "cannot be closed" variety. Block them all!!!
There was a brief period of me seeing ads a few years ago, when browsers had started to get good pop-up blockers built-in, and Flash click-to-play and GIF anti-animation plugins. I saw a few static ads then and didn't mind that. But then advertisers started doing stupid Javascript tricks to show ads over the content. Block them again!
The thing is, I really wouldn't mind certain safe, unobtrusive ads. But the online advertising industry is intent on destroying itself by having maximally-intrusive adverts and by serving malware.
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Friday 4th November 2016 17:45 GMT Doctor Syntax
Re: Simple solution...
'No, because they can use bandwidth usage as a Turing Test to see if their ads are really being "seen".'
A few moments' thought - OK, these are advertising people, a few days' thought - should show them that that really isn't information they want to have. If they don't have it they could, with as clear a conscience any advertising company could have, bill the client for an advert shown.
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Tuesday 8th November 2016 15:57 GMT Charles 9
Re: Simple solution...
No, because the client can demand PROOF, and they can obtain this for themselves by making test runs. Remember, this is a business contract, and fraud is BOTH a civil AND criminal offense (meaning not only can you be sued for the ill-gotten gains but you can also get thrown in prison for it).
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 12:02 GMT Innes
Theres way more crap on facebook than ads
I started using FB purity to restore the chronological ordering option after facebook removed it, getting rid of the ads and all the other elements of facebook that I had no interest in (trending, polls, etc) was a bonus, but now i'm used to it, i could see myself stepping away from the service if facebook managed to break it.
I use facebook to see what my friends are saying and view photos that they are sharing, and that remains all I want from it.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:24 GMT Anonymous Coward
"modern day protection racket"
regardless of the HUGELY POSITIVE impact on end users, which I applaud, there's no denying the truth in this description of their "business model". They want the best from the two opposite sides, i.e. be good guys for the end user, and take money from ad-men. I don't think they'll get warm feelings (or cash) from either side.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 15:46 GMT Tikimon
Once around again on the same merry-go-round
We went through this already with intrusive web page pop-ups and pop-unders. The same players (advertisers) competed to yell the loudest in our faces. We got tired of it and started blocking popups. The advertisers screamed and whined, the end of the world was predicted..
This is exactly the same thing all over again. Did they learn nothing from the popup wars? If ads become intrusive and annoying, we will smack them down as hard as we can. Can they really claim to be surprised?
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Tuesday 8th November 2016 15:57 GMT Charles 9
Re: Once around again on the same merry-go-round
They'll just make rubber ads. Smack them down, they'll bounce back and smack you instead. Ad people are ingenious. They'll come up with ways to make you see their ads no matter how much you try. That's why ad walls are appearing. Soon they'll probably develop inline ad proxies so that you can't filter the ad without filtering the content as well. Then it'll be all over the Internet. What'll you do after that? Abandon the Internet and go back to the Sears catalog?
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 17:24 GMT Grunchy
How ads work
It's dangerous to believe that ads don't work on you because you choose to ignore them.
They work by being on your peripheral where they have direct access to your subconscious.
Why, just this year I found myself shopping for Bose Wave on eBay. Took delivery of one, too.
Ads are very, very pernicious. Tread carefully, friends.
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Friday 4th November 2016 17:45 GMT Doctor Syntax
Re: How ads work
"It's dangerous to believe that ads don't work on you because you choose to ignore them."
I didn't say they don't. They piss me off so I buy from someone who's adverts I didn't get. Businesses have definitely lost my custom by getting in my face. My home insurers are going to be the next to experience this when the renewal comes up shortly.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 17:24 GMT Not also known as SC
Do Site Owners Ever View Their Own Pages?
I wonder if web site publishers ever view their own sites? One of my local news paper sites is so bloated on a mobile phone it is unusable. I won't give the site name but I live in Shropshire. You scroll down the news index page and have to negotiate past adverts / auto playing videos embedded in the page which take up about 40% of the screen, while an annoying floating box at the base of the page takes up another 10%. The embedded ads seem to be repeated every two or three screens worth of content.
When actually reading articles you get 'More From The Web Sponsored Links by <some company>" which take up to five screens worth of scrolling, followed by half a screen of text links from the same ad company. You then get half a screen of genuine links and another screen of more embedded ads, One more screen of real content and then the More From The Web section repeated. So for a two screen story, including photo my phone has to render twelve screens worth of ads.
Compared to sites like this, Facebook is actually quite unintrusive...
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 17:24 GMT Grunchy
The ultimate ad-blocker
Ultimately, web surfing is simply using one computer to download data files from a second computer. The first computer then renders that information onto a screen. Part of that information is unwanted by the user of the first computer.
So the way your browser can work is, it renders the information into two places: the filtered copy minus unwanted content is displayed on the screen, the unfiltered copy is rendered onto a virtual screen. Then when the ad malware checks to see if it has remained unfiltered, you direct that query to the data rendered on the virtual, unseen screen.
There is no possible way this can be detected by the second, remote computer, and they have no justification to filter your computer out as a viewer agent.
Foolproof!
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 18:59 GMT fidodogbreath
Re: The ultimate ad-blocker
So the way your browser can work is, it renders the information into two places: the filtered copy minus unwanted content is displayed on the screen, the unfiltered copy is rendered onto a virtual screen.
That would mean that you're still downloading all of the ads (including any malware loads), AND rendering two HTML pages -- one of which would have significant animation and scripting overhead.
So yeah, the visible viewport would not show ads to you; but this concept fails to address the bandwidth, performance, and security issues that the current generation of ads has foisted on us.
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Friday 4th November 2016 17:45 GMT Doctor Syntax
Re: The ultimate ad-blocker
"So yeah, the visible viewport would not show ads to you; but this concept fails to address the bandwidth, performance, and security issues that the current generation of ads has foisted on us."
Security issues wouldn't be a factor unless you have an exploitable /dev/null. Bandwidth, set a maximum size - accept the first K or so and then break the connection. If the advertising agency has any wit they'll count that as the full advert sent and bill the client accordingly.
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Tuesday 8th November 2016 15:57 GMT Charles 9
Re: The ultimate ad-blocker
"Security issues wouldn't be a factor unless you have an exploitable /dev/null. Bandwidth, set a maximum size - accept the first K or so and then break the connection. If the advertising agency has any wit they'll count that as the full advert sent and bill the client accordingly."
But what if the client CHALLENGES the claim and uses their own data to prove it?
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 19:02 GMT Anonymous Coward
ovveriding of user initiated formatting is sabatoge and malicous hacking of a personal pc
trying to override the way a user sets their browser to organize and display incoming information or exclude undesired elements is malicous hacking of the users computer, dillerberatly trying to sunvert the operation of the useres computer against their interests, if facebook wants to retain control of information and how its displayed they should limit themselves fro sharing information that they wish to retain control of, hack their own browsers if they want, but as soon as you transmit information you have given away control of it. regretting their transmission is no basis by which to justify dilliberate sabatoge to the way the world wide web was designed to operate, and immoral and illegal hacking and pwning of innocent users pcs and web browsers..
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 19:43 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: ovveriding of user initiated formatting is sabatoge and malicous hacking of a personal pc
really putting anyinformation on a computer that connected in anyway to a public network such as the internet is parrallel to making it public domain, security has never been anyting but an illusion, a lie that has been taught by ecommerce to the masses, because if people were actually being tesponsible and keeping their private data and financials off the web, then eccomerce could not operate. and hacking would only ever be annpoyi ng and never devastating. connecting information to the iknternet is the equivalaent of saying anybody who is motivated can have this, by measure of causality to make it accessavle form the internet is to give up all control, back in the 90s internet users and providrs were well aware of this fact, really wanting reality to be different doesn't make it so, it just exposes people to risk and encourages confusion
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 18:58 GMT SeanEllis
I dislike ads mostly because they are attention-leeches. I do, however, understand that they are a source of income for sites. I think that Adblock is now ubiquiitous enough to become a micropayment broker to both block ads and pay for page accesses instead. Imagine I pay $5 a month to Adblock. I visit 1000 pages that are registered with Adblock payments. Each page I visit gets 1/1000 of my $5. This is standard micropayment tracking. How does this compare with ad impression rates?
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 19:02 GMT Andy the ex-Brit
Myspace
I do use Facebook, and get some value out of it (or I wouldn't use it.) But Zuckerberg hopefully realizes that Facebook can become the next Myspace in less than a year if its annoyance factor gets higher than its usefulness factor.
Almost everything that I use Facebook for can be done in other ways, but Facebook has put a lot of it in one place.
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Thursday 3rd November 2016 19:43 GMT Florida1920
Wall Street is looking for a Facebook blocker
Wall Street fell modestly on Thursday, with the S&P 500 headed for its longest losing streak since the 2008 financial crisis, as Facebook shares weighed and investors grappled with uncertainty over next week's U.S. presidential election.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-idUSKBN12Y1CFFacebook shares tumbled 5.8 percent as the world's largest online social media network warned that revenue growth would slow this quarter.
The stock was the biggest drag on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, which were both on pace for their eighth straight session of losses.
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Friday 4th November 2016 09:49 GMT 0laf
Overy my cold dead body
I've used adblockers for so long now that to see the internet without one is a fairly shocking experience. How on earth did anyone thing that that was a good idea to run a commercial site with banner ads on all 4 sides, column ads in between content and pop up ads the obscure content or travel with the viewer.
Using the net on my phone is a painful experience with ads that are so intrusive that quite often I'll give up trying to find the information I'm looking for.
Website owners and advertisers made their own problems here.