Google Chrome to combat invasive and deceptive ads

The next version of the Google Chrome browser will attempt to remove misleading and invasive ads from a group of suspicious websites.

The crackdown will target online ads that appear as system warnings, close buttons, and "Watch Video" icons, but will actually trigger an ad stream or application download when you click on it.

Ads may be annoying, but Google also warns that scammers have used some of the ads in phishing schemes to steal personal information. The company refused to give details about the alleged fraudsters and their activities. On Monday, however, a Chrome update will block all ads from a group of sites that are bombarding users with invasive tactics.

Google has actually tried to block annoying ads with an update of Chrome earlier this year. But in a blog post, Vivek Sekhar, Chrome's product manager, said, "We've learned since this approach did not go far enough."

"In fact, more than half of these abusive experiences are not blocked by our current set of protections and almost all involve harmful or misleading advertising," he added.

Google did not explain in detail why the previous attempt to block invasive advertisements had not worked. A spokeswoman for the company simply said, "There are always new ways to mislead users who might be circumventing our protections, and it's up to the site owner to address these abusive experiences, which are not may not always be motivated to deal with such misleading ads. "

Although Chrome has a built-in pop-up blocker, website owners can bypass the protections by embedding code in their web pages, which can redirect you to a new destination or open more browser windows. To stop the problem, Google started punishing websites with bad advertising experiences.

The company can do it via Chrome, the most popular Internet browser in the world. All ads on the offending websites will be blocked by Chrome, which will prevent website owners from generating revenue.

Google declined to name the websites targeted by the crackdown. But the block will be via Chrome 71, which will be launched next month.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.