Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

Wall Street Journal:

Facebook is going to start forcing ads to appear for all users of its desktop website, even if they use ad-blocking software.

The social network said on Tuesday that it will change the way advertising is loaded into its desktop website to make its ad units considerably more difficult for ad blockers to detect.

And:

With the move, Facebook risks turning off some of its 1.7 billion monthly users who prefer not to see ads while browsing the internet. But users are more likely to access Facebook’s app on smartphones and tablets, which are less susceptible to ad blocking than personal computers. Facebook will not circumvent ad blockers on mobile devices.

Interesting. This is a desktop thing, not a mobile thing. I wonder if the desktop only approach is a technical limitation or, perhaps, an Apple app review limitation, or something else entirely.

There’s also this:

“This isn’t motivated by inventory; it’s not an opportunity for Facebook from that perspective,” Mr. Bosworth said. “We’re doing it more for the principle of the thing. We want to help lead the discussion on this.”

When you are selling ads, and forcing people to watch them, tough to stand behind principle.