Google, Microsoft, and Amazon pay to get around AdBlock Plus

We don’t like seeing adverts, necessary as they might be, so there’s a big demand for software that prevents you from seeing them when you browse the web. Obviously the companies making their money from ad revenue don’t like that, and it seems some of them might be paying to get round it.

According to the Financial Times, companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are actually paying money to ensure that anyone using the AdBlock Plus browser extension will still see their adverts.

The adverts, especially Bing’s search ads, are being let through by a whitelist set up by AdBlock Plus’s owner. The idea behind the list is to allow ‘acceptable’ adverts past the block to ensure smaller companies aren’t losing out. The acceptable adverts are supposedly less aggressive than some, meaning even if a few sneak by you shouldn’t be bombarded with anything that ruins your browsing experience.

But it seems that the larger companies can also pay to have their adverts on display as well. I suppose the owners of Adblock Plus have to cover their costs somewhere, and being paid by advertisers to circumvent the block is a good way to do it.

I still can’t help but feel like letting adverts past the block defeats the whole purpose a bit.