Google Chrome to Comply With Better Ads Standards, Block 'Disruptive' Ads From February 15

The announcement was initially made last year
Non-compliant publishers will have ads suspended on their websites
The update will be rolled out on desktop and mobile platforms
Google on Tuesday announced that it would be rolling out its first-ever native ad blocker on the Chrome browser starting Thursday, February 15. While it will not look to block all the ads on websites, it will prevent webpages from displaying "disruptive ads" even after they have been flagged. These may include ads that pop up on the entire screen as well as auto-playing video ads. The guidelines are expected to be in sync with the Better Ads Standards set up by the Coalition for Better Ads, which Google Chrome joined last year.

Announced in December last year, the Better Ads Experience Program aims at certifying certain Web publishers that post ads compliant with its standards. Browsers and advertising technology companies will be accredited to assess publisher compliance in the program. Previous reports suggest it will be rolled out to desktop and mobile platforms in Europe and North America. Non-compliant publishers are expected to have their ads suspended for a period of 30 days. Tools like Ad Experience Report have previously been made available to publishers aiming to comply with the Better Ads Standards.

"It's important to note that some sites affected by this change may also contain Google ads. To us, your experience on the Web is a higher priority than the money that these annoying ads may generate-even for us," said Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Vice President, Chrome clarifying Google's take on creating a balance between consumers, content producers, hosting providers, advertisers, Web designers, and other players on the Internet.

According to Ctrl Blog, a new "BETTER_ADS" threat option will be added to the Google Safe Browsing tab on Chrome. Ad blocking will be enabled by default on both desktop and mobile. Users can choose to switch it off by going into Chrome Settings > Content Settings > Ads.

Google aims to create a healthier browsing experience on the Chrome browser with the update. The tech giant claims substantial user feedback has led to this decision, which will most definitely create an impact for a company that generates a major chunk of revenue from advertising.