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.
