Google Chrome to offer 'heavy ad' blocker to block resource-intensive adverts

A future release of Google Chrome will block ads consuming too much CPU power or sending large amounts of data

Google is developing an ad blocker for Chrome targeting "heavy ads" - adverts so resource-intensive that they slow down the browser.

The feature is not included in the current main Chrome build, but some details available on the Chromium Gerrit commit reveal that the new ad blocker will specifically target ads consuming too much CPU power, or sending a large amount of data.

"This intervention unloads ads that are in the 0.1 per cent of bandwidth usage, 0.1 per cent of CPU usage per minute, and 0.1 per cent of overall CPU time," the description on the Chromium commit reads.

"The current numbers are 4MB network and 60 seconds CPU, but may be changed as more data is available."

The feature is currently marked as "Work in Progress" on the Chromium commit, meaning that it is not yet available for review or submission. Google's John Delaney describes the new feature as "Heavy Ad Intervention".

Chrome already comes with a built-in ad blocker, which removes all the ads for a website not following Google's Better Ads Standard.

But the new "heavy ad" blocker, according to 9to5Google, will target only 'problematic' ads on a website, replacing them with a removal notice.

9to5Google, which got hold of an early preview of the notice, reported that clicking a "Details" button will reveal further information about the action.

There is not much information yet regarding when this new ad blocker will be launched by Google.

While ads are essential to fund websites such as Computing.co.uk and The Inquirer, sometimes they also create bad experiences for internet users by slowing computers/browsers with unnecessary large files and heavy codes. Because of their experiences with online ads, many users are forced to install ad blockers that strip websites of their income from ads.

Google's Heavy ad blocker appears to be a part of a larger plan to enable Chrome to make website ads more user friendly, and to deal with complaints that many online adverts are resource-intensive - complaints that have fuelled the widespread use of ad blockers.

It has also been criticised for removing technical features from Chromium that other browser makers developers of browser extensions have used as the basis for their ad blocking features.

Since the release of version 71, Google Chrome has started blocking a wide range of misleading/abusive ads that tend to promote malware, contain fake messages, have hidden click areas, or are used in phishing campaigns.

But despite that, managing ads is a tricky job for a company like Google that makes most of its money from its dominance of the online advertising market, and which is already facing intense scrutiny from regulators over allegations of anti-competitive practices.

According to analysts, the search giant can't take steps that are perceived as too heavy-handed by other ad companies, as they could be considered anti-competitive behaviour by regulatory agencies.

Earlier this year, the Google Chrome project announced plans for a feature to enable users to block tracking cookies, although it's unclear how that will clash - or not - with Google's own extensive online tracking of users.