Randall Rothenberg From IAB: There Is No Ad-Blocker That’s Going Into A Browser

After seven months of work, the biggest digital advertising companies think they have a solution to the existential threat of consumers blocking online ads. Google is at the center of the plan, although the company and its partners are keen to present the initiative as a group effort.”There is no ad-blocker that’s going into a browser” Randall Rothenberg, Head of the Interactive Advertising Bureau trade group, said, although he wouldn’t offer further details on the tool. “What we want is something that’s industry-wide, that can demonstrably improve user experience and that’s embraced by pretty much everyone.” The Coalition for Better Ads published a list of undesirable online ads earlier this year. Google plans to add a feature to its Chrome web browser that would disable those ads. The feature is designed for publishers, rather than a tool for consumers, and would operate the same way Chrome already filters ads that are undesirable in other ways like those that drain computer batteries, according to people familiar with the plans.