IAB Italy White Paper: Ad blocking (in english)

What is ad blocking? 

An ad blocker is a software installed with the goal of removing advertisements from web pages. With the ad blocker, the internet user continues to enjoy online content, but is no longer exposed to any type of advertising. In most cases, all advertisements are blocked: from banners to pre-rolls, to pop-ups.

There are specific blockers for each device:

• Desktop: in most cases work as extensions for the browser or as a plug-in, but there are also browser that block the default advertising;
• Smartphone / Tablet: they are native applications that filter the commercials, or alternative browsers that allow the user to navigate without incurring advertising content.

The layout of a web page is changed once the ad is removed: the spaces left empty by advertising placements are removed, and the content will be repaginated. This way, the user does not see the white spaces in place of advertising and, in particular on devices with small screens (i.e mobile) the effect obtained is to show more content in the same amount of space. 

For more information about ad blocking, please download below the Ad Blocking White Paper (in English) from IAB Italy.