8/21/2023 0 Comments Microsoft ad blocker![]() In other words, Microsoft, like Apple and Google before it, isn’t admitting that having the Flash plugin in your brower might be a security risk, and it isn’t jumping into the argument about whether the online ad industry is out of control or not. Flash content that is central to the page, like video and games, will not be paused. This significantly reduces power consumption and improves performance while preserving the full fidelity of the page. Peripheral content like animations or advertisements built with Flash will be displayed in a paused state unless the user explicitly clicks to play that content. Microsoft doesn’t define how it decides what counts as “central,” but we imagine that the algorithm will use some combination of where the Flash came from, thus penalising third-party content sucked down from an ad network, and where it will be displayed, thus penalising animations around the edge of the page: We’re introducing a change to give users more control over the power and resources consumed by Flash.Īds will still be loaded, but Flash content that isn’t considered central to the web page you’re on will be “auto-paused,” meaning that you’ll have to click on the content before it starts playing. Nor is it really about turning Edge into an adblocker – after all, ads are vital to Microsoft’s business, just as they are to Apple and Google.Īpple pitched Safari’s Flash-blocker as the Safari Power Saver Google announced its Flash regulator under the headline Better battery life for your laptop and Microsoft is following suit (our emphasis): One of our top priorities in building Edge has been that the web should be a dependably safe, performant, and reliable place for our customers. It’s not about security, even though Microsoft’s announcement starts off with: Of course, that’s not exactly what Microsoft is doing, nor is it quite how Microsoft has described the feature. Simply put, the Edge browser will as good as block Flash ads by default. ![]() While you’re here, if an ad blocker sounds right for you, consider these other web browser extensions and features that make browsing the web safer and more private.Microsoft is following what Apple did with Safari back in 2013, and Google did with Chrome in 2015. Ads are still an important part of what keeps the internet largely free and accessible, including TechCrunch, even as subscriptions and paywalls are increasingly becoming the norm. Of course, you can switch your ad blocker off any time you want, and even allow or deny ads for entire websites. You can also get content blockers for Android and iOS, which block ads from loading on your device. If you’re looking for a widely recommended ad blocker, uBlock Origin is a simple, low-memory ad blocker that works for most browsers, like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Opera, plus the extension is open source so anyone can look at the code and make sure it’s safe to run. The good news is that some of the best ad blockers out there are free, and can be installed and largely forgotten. That means the ad companies, like Google and Facebook, cannot track you as you browse the web, or learn which websites you visit, or infer what things you might be interested in based on your web history. ![]() Ad blockers are also good for privacy, because they prevent the tracking code within ads from loading. By blocking ads, would-be victims are not shown any ads at all, making it easier to find and access the websites of legitimate brands.Īd blockers don’t just remove the enormous bloat from websites, like auto-playing video and splashy ads that take up half the page, which make your computer fans run like jet engines. One of the FBI’s recommendations for consumers is to install an ad blocker.Īs the name suggests, ad blockers are web browser extensions that broadly block online ads from loading in your browser, including in search results. Malicious ads are also used to trick victims into installing malware disguised as genuine apps, which can steal passwords and deploy file-encrypting ransomware. Ads are often placed at the top of search results but with “minimum distinction” between the ads and the search results, the feds say, which can look identical to the brands that the cybercriminals are impersonating. In a pre-holiday public service announcement, the FBI said that cybercriminals are buying ads to impersonate legitimate brands, like cryptocurrency exchanges. That’s the takeaway message from an unlikely source - the FBI - which this week issued an alert warning that cybercriminals are using online ads in search results with the ultimate goal of stealing or extorting money from victims. This holiday season, consider giving the gift of security with an ad blocker. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |