Facebook Will Block Your Ad Blocker, Show You Ads Anyway

Facebook and U.S. DollarFacebook announced in a blog post this week that it will prevent ad blockers from working on the site’s desktop version, and it will show ads to users who are running ad blocker software anyway. In return, the company is giving users more control over what kinds of ads they see, including the choice to opt out of ads for particular interests or organizations.

“When they’re relevant and well-made, ads can be useful, helping us find new products and services and introducing us to new experiences,” Facebook wrote in its blog post announcing the change. “But because ads don’t always work this way, many people have started avoiding certain websites or apps, or using ad blocking software, to stop seeing bad ads.”

Even though Facebook is spinning its war on ad blockers as a positive for users because they’ll have more control over the ads they see, the site is actually implementing this change for one simple reason: money. The more ads Facebook users block, the less revenue those ads can generate for the site and its advertisers. This change also takes away the ability of users to choose how they use the Internet. Even if you want to run an ad blocker, it won’t be effective on the site — and Facebook alone is dictating that.