Adblock Plus has recently reported that it still managed to succeed in removing the ads from Facebook. If the report is true, then it means the social network's latest attempt to neutralize the ad blocking service has failed.
Facebook announced on August 9 that it had taken steps to make it harder for ad blockers to get rid of ads from its pages, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company's vice president, Andrew Bosworth said that ads are basically a part of Facebook and should not be blocked. The anti-ad blockers mainly target desktop users.
However, more than a quarter of all internet and desktop users in the United States seemed to disagree with him. This illustrates the large numbers of Americans who use the services of ad blockers, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
It took Adblock Plus at least 48 hours to defeat the countermeasures put in place by Facebook, according to The Verge. Facebook responded by saying that the new Adblock version does not seem to discriminate between ads and regular post.
Observers believed that Facebook's attempt to fool the ad block software may have started such glitch. Normally, posted ads contain programming or an html code identifying them as such. The social network company simply remove it to make it appear as a normal post.
Adblock Plus representative, Ben Williams posted a blog that their recent victory will not make them complacent. Williams believed that Facebook will most likely find another way to force its ads on desktop users.
The ad blocks, however, only work on desktops but not on mobile devices such as smartphones. Facebook mainly derives its revenues from online ads. The presence of Adblock Plus is jeopardizing the social company's main source of income. Adblock Plus users said that the service spares them from the annoying ads and also helps them maintain their privacy.
