How Do Websites Enable Ad Blocker Detection?
July 27, 2020
Some of the highest trafficked websites in the world rely on ad blocker detection to secure revenue from the advertisements. If you use an ad blocker, you may have seen this before: “Please help us to provide you with free content by disabling your ad blocker on this site”. Larger websites such as Wikipedia and Forbes rely on digital advertising to deliver “free” content. As a result, they partner with platforms such as Acuity to enable ad blocker detection technology and stakeholder satisfaction.
What Is An Ad Blocker?
Ad blockers prevent communication with servers that provide advertising content online. They work by hiding the elements in the code of web pages that contain advertising content. Check out this extensive list of ad blocker key phrases to get a better understanding of which code is suspected to deliver an ad, then subsequently gets hidden.
How Ad Blocker Detection Works
Ad blocking detection is triggered by “bait content” found inside the code of a website. It works by “baiting” ad blockers into masking elements of the site you falsely identify as advertising content. This content is invisible on the page. When users with an ad blocker trigger the bait content, the detection code is alerted. The Acuity Platform utilizes ad blocker detection technology to prevent bidding on IP addresses where an ad blocker is in use. This ensures advertising spend isn’t wasted on useless impressions.
Are Ad Blockers Safe To Use?
Generally speaking, no. Ad blockers are notorious for installing malicious software hidden behind what appears to be an official application. Often, browser extensions are stuffed with shady third-party scripts that can modify URLs or even download and run programs without your permission.
Work With Us
AcuityAds works with a range of partners to help protect your brand and ad dollars from delivery of non-viewable impressions, fraud, and unsafe environments. Fraudlogix is built into our technology, and utilizes Ad Blocker Intelligence: a database of IP addresses identified as consistently blocking ads through the use of ad blockers. The database is created and updated hourly to prevent your ads from ever being delivered to an IP address that is likely to use ad blocker technology.
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