Dive Brief:
- Is it or isn’t it? A slide in a Microsoft web developer session indicated ad blocking tech was going to be a native part of the Edge browser, as reported by ZDNet.
- However, Microsoft quickly responded saying that slide only indicated it was creating ad blocking extension support for Edge, not making the feature native to the browser.
- Still, either option means Microsoft takes the technology seriously, and recognizes it is something it wants to offer users who clearly desire the feature.
Dive Insight:
With Microsoft jumping into the ad blocker debate, the digital ad industry should be put on even higher notice as so far the consumer continues to win the ad block battle.
The slide in question that led to the original ZDNet report seems fairly clear. It states "Build ad blocking features into the browser" from a “feature request” feedback type as something targeted for the next edition of the Edge browser.
Here is Microsoft’s response to ZDNet, "Microsoft is not building a native ad blocker with Microsoft Edge. What you saw is a reference to the work we're already doing in bringing extensions to Microsoft Edge, as mentioned in the latest blog as 3rd party ad blocker support."
The ad block battle is only getting more heated, and complex.
In March, Opera announced native ad blocking capability in the latest release of its browser, the first time that technology has been included as a basic feature of a major web browser. At the time of the Opera release, a spokesperson told Reuters, "Ad-blocking technology is an opportunity and a wake-up call to the advertising industry to pay attention to what consumers are actually saying."
And indeed, if the ad industry at large doesn't stop address the issue, rather than pointing fingers at who's to blame, it will only snowball further.