You’re using an ad blocker, but some very obvious ads seem to be getting through. That’s not the ad-free experience you were promised. So what’s going on?
Chances are, your ad blocker is part of an acceptable ads program. Some popular ad blockers, like AdBlock and Adblock Plus, participate in this program.
The main idea here is that ad blockers block the only revenue source for many websites. This program allows participating sites bypass their ad blocking.
There are some criteria a site must meet to qualify for this program. But the point is that your ad blocker might be allowing ads to load. And you might not want them.
What Are Acceptable Ads in Ad Blockers?
Acceptable Ads are the kind of ads that some ad blockers leave alone, allowing them to shine through on your browser because they behave okay by a set of rules. Rather than blocking every ad, these ad blockers use a whitelist to let “polite” ads through. These are often just static images or plain old text ads that don’t get in the way of your browsing.
The program was kick-started by Eyeo GmbH, the company behind Adblock Plus, and over time, multiple other ad blockers have joined. An independent committee was established in 2017 to govern standards and determine which ad formats qualify as acceptable.
To get on the whitelist, ads have to abide by a pretty tight set of rules:
- no popups or auto-starting videos and stuff
- no flashy animations or ear-piercing sounds
- the ad has to clearly say it’s an ad, not try to sneak one past you
- size and position have to be right, not too big or jarring
- it can’t block the main content of the webpage you’re on
The idea behind it is pretty simple: websites get a bit of cash from running nice ads, and users get to avoid those super annoying ads.
Which Ad Blockers Use Acceptable Ads by Default?
Several major ad blockers have enabled Acceptable Ads by default, ultimately reaching hundreds of millions of users all around the world
- Adblock Plus (ABP): The one that started it all, Acceptable Ads. Since rolling out version 2.0, ABP has shown non-intrusive ads to most users unless you manually block them.
- AdBlock: AdBlock has joined the Acceptable Ads program and was acquired by Eyeo in 2021. By default, it allows the same whitelisted ads to pass through without issue.
- Opera Browser: Opera has a built-in ad blocker that lets Acceptable Ads through unless you turn it off in your privacy settings – and most people don’t bother doing that.
- Other browsers: Some smaller browsers, such as Aloha and some mobile content blockers, have also started using the Acceptable Ads lists.
It’s worth noting, though, that lots of newer ad blockers have gone the complete opposite way & have kicked off the idea of whitelisting certain ads entirely. uBlock Origin, AdGuard, Total Adblock, and Brave Browser block everything by default, with no built-in whitelisting.
Why Do Ad Blockers Allow Some Ads Through?
The thinking behind Acceptable Ads is all about finding a way to make the internet pay its way – not just for the big sites, but for all the ones that bring us value too. Eyeo reckons that if we block all ads, we risk killing off the whole model of free content on the web. So they’ve come up with a program that lets a few acceptable ads slip through, like this:
- Helping out content creators: Websites get to make a bit of cash without overwhelming people with loads of aggressive ads.
- Pushing for better ads: When big advertisers know they have to meet high standards to reach ad-blocking users, they’re more likely to develop formats that don’t drive people mad.
- Finding a happy medium: Users get to have a relatively ad-free experience, while publishers can still make some money out of their content.
From a financial perspective, Acceptable Ads also helps fund the development of ad blockers. Small sites get a free ticket onto the whitelist, but bigger ad networks that get over 10 million views a month have to pay out around 30% of their ad cash. Eyeo says a whopping 90% of participants don’t actually have to pay anything; it’s usually just the big clubs that have to cough up some cash.
Supporters of this idea are fond of saying that it’s “advertisers paying, so users don’t have to” – keeping the ad blocker free itself and only charging the deep pockets to keep the whole thing running.
Why Is Acceptable Ads So Controversial?
Despite the good intentions of Acceptable Ads, the organisation has faced severe criticism from users, publishers, and privacy advocates over the years
“Ad Blockers Should Block All Ads”
Most people install ad blockers expecting to eliminate all ads when browsing the web. But when they discover their blocker has already accepted ads by default, it can come as a real shock. The critics point out that an ad blocker that doesn’t block every single ad “is a pretty sorry excuse for an ad blocker,” and having to pay the very people you’re designed to block isn’t exactly what you signed up for. – Users took a dim view of Eyeo getting into bed with the very advertisers they were supposed to be blocking.
The “Pay-to-Play” Problem
Publishers and industry watchers aren’t exactly fans of Acceptable Ads, describing it as a protection racket or an extortion scheme. Charging large advertisers to display ads struck many as fundamentally flawed. It’s essentially saying “pay us, and we won’t block you” – and that is not a sustainable business model. Axel Springer, a major German publisher, even sued Eyeo over this model (though the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed), but many publishers felt they were being shaken down to reach their audience, since they also used ad blockers.
Transparency and Trust Issues
When Eyeo first started, they refused to be transparent about which companies were on the approved list, leading many to wonder what shady deals were being done in the background. A blogger wasn’t shy about calling Adblock Plus a “secretive mafia-like advertising network” and even went so far as to accuse them of playing favourites in who got to display ads.
Although Eyeo has improved by publishing a list of whitelisting criteria and making the list of allowed advertisers available to users, it’s still been a challenge to rebuild trust.
Privacy Concerns
Until recently, Acceptable Ads still allowed third-party tracking cookies and scripts to run, but whitelisting ads from major networks like Google meant users were also allowing their tracking software to run as well – that’s just not acceptable to most people on the planet who are worried about their online privacy.
Eyeo has recently announced that they’re going to change this by stopping tracking on Acceptable Ads, but fair to say that’s a criticism that has been levelled at them for a long time
The criticism was so bad that it actually led to some competitors being born, like uBlock Origin and AdGuard, that absolutely refused to play along with the whitelisting model and focused instead on blocking all ads, full stop
How Do I Turn Off Acceptable Ads?
Every Ad Blocker with Acceptable Ads allows you to turn it off – and it’s usually where you’d least expect to find the option
- Adblock Plus: Click the ABP icon in the toolbar, then click the gear icon to open the options & look for the Acceptable Ads section. Flip the “Allow Acceptable Ads” switch to off.
- AdBlock: Click the toolbar icon > go to settings > then down to Filter Lists – you’ll find the option to turn off “Allow some non-intrusive ads” there.
- Opera Browser: Go to Settings, then right down to the Privacy & Security bit – and just find the toggle labelled “Allow Acceptable Ads” and flip it off.
- Mobile apps: If you’re using the Adblock Browser or mobile app – just head into the settings > Ad Blocking section & look for the Acceptable Ads toggle – flip that off too.
After turning off Acceptable Ads, your blocker will then block all ads instead of making exceptions for the “polite” ones. And let’s be honest – a fair few more websites may well start detecting your ad blocker or even give you the “we won’t display this page because you blocked our ads” message when you block even the “polite” ones.
Do AdGuard and uBlock Origin Allow Acceptable Ads?
No. Many alternative ad blockers explicitly reject the Acceptable Ads model:
- AdGuard takes a rather strict stance by blocking everything as default, though there is an optional feature to allow search ads, but this is strictly an opt-in deal – no extra cash or benefits are involved.
- uBlock Origin isn’t interested in finding some middle ground & refuses to make exceptions – it blocks all ads with no wiggle room. That strict stance was one major reason for its growing popularity – a lot of users were fed up with ABP’s whole ‘Acceptable Ads’ scheme.
- Total Adblock takes the same line as uBlock Origin, with ads blocked by default – no whitelist for the advertising folk here. One of the tests for ad-blocking performance gave them a perfect 100/100 score.
- Brave Browser does things differently & has its own built-in solutions to block ads & trackers & doesn’t mess around with Acceptable Ads
These alternatives do catch our eye for those that really want a complete ad blocking solution with no compromises – the price tag varies: some are free to download (uBlock Origin), while others require handing over cash upfront (like AdGuard & Total Adblock)
Should You Keep Acceptable Ads Enabled or Disabled?
The answer to that question depends on what you value most and how you usually spend your time online. Here’s how you can make up your own mind:
Reasons to Leave Acceptable Ads On
- You actually want to help out websites: Allowing some ad space isn’t about being bombarded with loads of ads. It lets content creators earn a bit of cash without driving you to despair.
- You don’t get your knickers in a twist about ads: The ads that get a free pass are supposed to be pretty low-key. Text links, tiny banners like the ones that pop up at the side of a webpage. Apparently, only about 1 in 7 people using Adblock Plus even notice these sorts of ads.
- You won’t get caught out by many anti-adblock messages: websites are less likely to give you grief or demand that you turn off your ad blocker entirely.
- You’re a fan of finding a balance: You’re blocking the worst of the ad world while helping to create an internet where advertisers are motivated to create less invasive advertising.
Reasons to Switch Acceptable Ads Off
- You want to browse in complete peace, but even a single sponsored link will get under your skin. That’s probably why you wanted a hassle-free web experience in the first place.
- Privacy is a key concern for you: You’re not happy about the idea of even “grey area” ad networks putting trackers on your browser.
- It’s a philosophical thing: You don’t think ad blockers should get to decide which ads are okay or profit from deals with advertisers.
- You want to be in the driver’s seat: Some people prefer to manually add trusted sites to their whitelist rather than leave it to a third party to decide which ads are acceptable.
Of course, keep in mind that blocking all ads will probably get you in trouble with some websites – you might find more and more of them demanding a subscription or telling you to come back later with an ad-blocker disabled. You’ll probably need to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to manually whitelist them or find alternatives, such as using a reader mode or becoming a paying customer.
Final Verdict
Acceptable Ads is a compromise that’s gonna leave some users happy and infuriate others. Well, the truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to this. It all boils down to what’s most important to you.
Keep it on if: You’re cool with the idea of supporting content creators, have no problem with ads that aren’t getting in your face, and think a balanced approach to online advertising is a fair trade. And that’s the main reason the default setting exists. Most people using Adblock Plus are fine with how Acceptable Ads works for them.
Turn it off if: On the other hand, if you just want no ads whatsoever, think that your online privacy is the top priority, or don’t agree with the concept of ‘pay to play’ list where your browser pays to let certain sites show ads, then you’ll probably want to disable Acceptable Ads. And even if you do, your ad blocker will still be working just as well as before
Give both a go: And don’t worry if you’re unsure. It’s easy to toggle it on and off, so why not try both ways and see what you think works best for you? Maybe you’ll want it on, or maybe you’ll want it off.
Maybe you should try something else: If Acceptable Ads just isn’t for you, then maybe you want to look at some other blockers like AdGuard, uBlock Origin, or Total Adblock – these guys block just about everything on sight as default.
What’s most important is that you actually understand what Acceptable Ads is all about so you can make the choice that’s right for you. Whether you keep it on or turn it off, you’re still in the driver’s seat when it comes to your online experience.