China Reforms Advertisement Policy, Banning Ad Blocking

[IInuyasha74]

China prepares a new Internet policy that bans ad-blocking software and hardware, but the policy also comes with strict government regulation of advertisements.

China Reforms Advertisement Policy, Banning Ad Blocking : Read more

 

[jasonelmore]

Good luck with that china. they'll never be able to enforce it. This pretty much bans iphones, and any other smartphone that has the capability to run ad-block software.

 

[-Fran-]

"fair economic development of the Internet" -> "carefully regulating Internet advertisements".

There's something wrong in the middle of that.

Cheers!

 

[Morbus]

The problem is "ad-blocking" doesn't actually exist. What exists is blocking of servers, or client-side page changes through CSS or Javascript. Banning ad-blocking is like banning getting up from your sofa on the ad-break. The technology is totally legal.
What China needs to do is to ban specific software like Adblock Plus and stuff. That way I think they can go about their censorship a little bit "better". This way they might as well not bother and just arrest anybody they please, which is what they do anyway.

 

[bak0n]

Really what China is doing is trying to force Apple out of China now that they've stolen all of Apple's IP. No different than they've done to hundreds of other corporations yearly.

 

[bystander]

I do like the part where they are going to ban many negative features of ads themselves. I never planned to use an ad-blocker until the advertisement industry went crazy with their ad methods. Auto-play videos, popups, resizing ads, ads which have to be displayed before a page can continue loading and many other insane features need to be stopped.

 

[g-unit1111]

If every web page didn't have 1,000,000 ads and 15 videos we wouldn't need ad blockers, would we?

 

[targetdrone]

If every web page didn't have 1,000,000 ads and 15 videos we wouldn't need ad blockers, would we?

Malware infected ads is a bigger problem these days. Having an effective ad-blocker is just as important as having good anti-virus software.

There was a huge dust up earlier this year when Forbes implemented a "No ad blocker" policy then site visitors started getting infected when they disabled their ad blockers.

 

[bit_user]

What about ads embedded in games (AKA product placement)? Are those illegal, then?

That also has me wondering about product placement, in movies. With US studios falling all over themselves to cater to the Chinese market, it'd be interesting if it basically killed product placement in major movies.

 

[g-unit1111]

Malware infected ads is a bigger problem these days. Having an effective ad-blocker is just as important as having good anti-virus software.

Yeah there's malware ads and there's also Taboola and Outbrain clickbait garbage. The more of those types of ads that can be removed the better.

 

[falchard]

If you look at the advertisement guidelines it provides a framework for the government to censor certain businesses they personally don't like or don't provide them with kickbacks.

 

[kittle]

If every web page didn't have 1,000,000 ads and 15 videos we wouldn't need ad blockers, would we?

And this is the reason why a lot of people start using ad-blocking software -- I know I did.

The other issue that china is making a valiant effort to address is the appropriateness of ads. Last nite Skype was spewing adds ad me for for male enhancements. And here on Toms, i expect to see adds for PC related stuff, (PSU, Cases, motherboards, fans, etc..) not ads for a new car or something about a vacation cruise. So until that is fixed, addblock runs on everything I own.

 

[hang-the-9]

This is the first thing I've seen China do on the internet that I agree with. Ads to make money off free content is fine, ads that spam your screen with 4 different Windows and get in the way of content or that hide as a different program or an article is what people try to avoid. Having rules set for those is a lot better than programs that block ads that actually provide revenue for web sites you don't pay to use.

 

[g-unit1111]

This is the first thing I've seen China do on the internet that I agree with. Ads to make money off free content is fine, ads that spam your screen with 4 different Windows and get in the way of content or that hide as a different program or an article is what people try to avoid. Having rules set for those is a lot better than programs that block ads that actually provide revenue for web sites you don't pay to use.

That's exactly why I hate Taboola and Outbrain and it is sickening me that I am seeing that garbage here. I want to read an article. I am not going to click on the article below it called "15 BEAUTY TIPS EVERY WOMAN MUST KNOW!!!!1!!!1!" Or: "Jaw-Dropping 10% Cash Back Credit Cards Just Announced!!!".

 

[randomizer]

The number and type of ads will likely be restricted as well, because China deems it illegal for ads to negatively impact the smooth operations of a website.

China will need take action against 98% of website owners.

 

[IInuyasha74]

The number and type of ads will likely be restricted as well, because China deems it illegal for ads to negatively impact the smooth operations of a website.

China will need take action against 98% of website owners.

Possibly, but as China already maintains a firm hold of its Internet with its #GreatFirewall, most of the sites it will be concerned with are owned and operated internally and thus easier to deal with. External sites that refuse to bend the knee will likely be blocked.

 

[bit_user]

Last nite Skype was spewing adds ad me for for male enhancements.

Ah, right. They don't know you're a cat!

And here on Toms, i expect to see adds for PC related stuff, (PSU, Cases, motherboards, fans, etc..) not ads for a new car or something about a vacation cruise. So until that is fixed, addblock runs on everything I own.

Srsly, you realize that's like the core business of Google, right? Advertisers want to reach you where you are. That way, they can sell you stuff you didn't even know you needed and therefore wouldn't have visited a site to read about or buy. This is only going to go one way (short of new laws, of course), and that's worse. More personalization and more AI trying to figure out what ads would be most effective on you.

But, it's not like this is really anything new. If you think back to print magazines, a car magazine would have all kinds of non-automotive ads in it. Most would probably be automotive, but certainly not all. And TV is just as diverse a collection of ads as the people who watch it (and have any money to spend).

I think it's part of the deal. If you're not going to tolerate the ads, don't visit the free sites. Ad block ultimately hurts everyone. That said, sites should do what they can to limit aggressive ads. I hate the video ads, since I run multiple tabs and those things seem to hog resources.

Google would also tell you not to use do-not-track technology, if you want the ads to better align with your interests. I say: nice try, google.

The number and type of ads will likely be restricted as well, because China deems it illegal for ads to negatively impact the smooth operations of a website.

China will need take action against 98% of website owners.

As @IInuyasha74 said, they're already filtering external internet traffic, and then there's the fact that the number of ad networks is far fewer than the number of sites.

 

[bystander]

Until ad companies and site owners get control of what they give us, I've had to resort to ad block. If ad block is banned, there better be ad reform before hand. China will pave thew way for the future if they get it right.

 

[bit_user]

Until ad companies and site owners get control of what they give us, I've had to resort to ad block. If ad block is banned, there better be ad reform before hand.

In the US, there are interesting First Amendment implications of ad bans.

Now, what they could do is probably tax ads in a way that would limit some of the bad behavior, but it'd be hard to do without unpredictable collateral damage.

 

[bystander]

Until ad companies and site owners get control of what they give us, I've had to resort to ad block. If ad block is banned, there better be ad reform before hand.

In the US, there are interesting First Amendment implications of ad bans.

Now, what they could do is probably tax ads in a way that would limit some of the bad behavior, but it'd be hard to do without unpredictable collateral damage.

Until ad companies fix their bad behavior, ad block is going to be a fixture.

 

[bystander]

One way to get around this issue is to have a new "Advertisement approval system" that only allows ads which follow specific guide lines become approved. Then sites that use the system can have some sort of code at the start of their pages, that ad blocking software would be aware of and not block, while those who do not follow the approval system will continue to be blocked by ad blockers.

 

[bit_user]

Agreed. Industry self-regulation could be effective, here.

 

[hoofhearted]

Force ads down your throat and have to pay for Internet? They better make the internet free then!

 

[bit_user]

Force ads down your throat and have to pay for Internet? They better make the internet free then!

You do understand that the people hosting ads are generally website operators, while access is provided by ISPs, right? Different companies, with different business models.

Plus, the websites are already giving you free content, and yet you want them to subsidize an internet connection that you might not even use to see their ads? I don't think that's going to happen.

 

[falchard]

We already do have a bit of industry self-regulation as a result of what Google, browsers, and Microsoft are doing. We have Google monitored sites that have a certain standard when viewing ads. Browsers are implementing more sophisticated ad blockers. Microsoft is not allowing certain types of ads to be displayed on the OS.