Facebook is now bypassing ad blockers on desktop

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Facebook is putting its foot down on ad blockers.

The social network announced in a blog post on Tuesday that it is now circumventing ad blockers so that desktop users will see ads regardless of whether they have the software installed.

In return, the company is giving users more control over what types of ads they are subjected to.

Facebook's updated "Ad Preferences" panel lets you opt out of ads related to a particular interest, like "travel" or "cats," or those from a specific company or organization. It also shows you a run-down of businesses that have added you to a customer list for whatever reason.

Facebook said it arrived at these new features after enlisting research firm Ipsos Connect to survey 2,000 people across six countries about ad blocking. The study unsurprisingly found that the majority of people who use ad blockers do so because they are tired of disruptive or intrusive ads and are worried about possible security risks.

The use of ad blockers has soared in popularity worldwide over the past few years as the software becomes easier to use and consumers more aware of the extensive tracking capabilities of online advertisers.

Facebook is now bypassing ad blockers on desktop

 

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Adblock Plus has already defeated Facebook's new ad blocking restrictions

Facebook's plan to stop ad blockers has already been foiled. Adblock Plus has found a way to strip ads from Facebook, even when they're served up in Facebook's new ad blocker-proof format. Anyone with a fully updated version of Adblock Plus should once again be able to avoid ads in Facebook's sidebar and News Feed.

The method may be flawed, however: Facebook says that in its attempt to remove ads, Adblock Plus is also removing regular posts. "We're disappointed that ad blocking companies are punishing people on Facebook as these new attempts don't just block ads but also posts from friends and Pages," a Facebook spokesperson said. "This isn't a good experience for people and we plan to address the issue."

Imperfect as it may be, the release of a new ad blocker is still bad news for Facebook, which rolled out its supposedly unblockable ads just two days ago. It's entirely possible that Facebook has additional measures it can take to subvert ad blockers or that it expected that this type of back-and-forth battle will ensue. But the fact that Adblock Plus responded in two days' time doesn't bode well; Facebook wants to display ads, but it's hard to imagine it wants to devote resources to outsmarting a browser extension every 48 hours.

Adblock Plus has already defeated Facebook's new ad blocking restrictions | The Verge