Facebook is changing the way advertising is integrated into its website for desktop computers in an attempt to fight the growing use of ad-blocking technology.
"Facebook is ad-supported. Ads are a part of the Facebook experience; they're not a tack on," Andrew Bosworth, vice president of engineering for advertising at Facebook, told The Wall Street Journal. "This isn't motivated by inventory; it's not an opportunity for Facebook from that perspective. We're doing it more for the principle of the thing. We want to help lead the discussion on this."
In the past few years, ad-blocking has become more and more widespread. According to a study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 26 percent of American internet users have ad-blockers installed.
"Facebook should be applauded for its leadership on preserving a vibrant value exchange with its users," Randall Rothenberg, the bureau's president and chief executive, said in a statement, according to The New York Times. "For hundreds of years, advertising and marketing have been central to the delivery of entertainment and services that are otherwise free to consumers."
Despite Bosworth's assertion that the change isn't about money, 84 percent of Facebook's advertising revenue comes from mobile devices rather than the desktop website. Of the $17.93 billion in revenue collected by Facebook in 2015, the great majority came from paid advertising, according to the Journal and the Times.
"Many users rely on ad blockers because they are concerned about privacy or malware," Jules Polonetsky, head of the Future of Privacy Forum, a think tank funded by multiple technology companies including Facebook, told the Times. "Facebook's change lets users continue to use ad blockers to protect themselves, while ensuring ads are displayed."
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