Google loses $887 million annually due to ad blocking in browsers

According to a report released Thursday by research company PageFair, Google lost about $887 million last year due to the ad-blocking functions of browsers.

The relationship between Google and Adblock Plus is complicated. Adblock Plus is a browser plug-in whose main function is to block annoying ads. In March, Google removed the Adblock Plus app from the Google Play store on the grounds that it "interfered with other services or products in an unauthorized way."

Industry insiders say that given the proportion of Google's revenue that comes from advertising, this move by Google is understandable.

However, in July there were reports that Google paid AdBlock Plus so that its ads would not be blocked. AdBlock Plus launched an "Acceptable Ads" program that allows free passage of ads for small blogs and websites through filters, while large websites and ad publishing networks must pay to join this "whitelist".

The report released Thursday by PageFair shows that the ad-blocking functions of browsers caused Google to lose about $887 million last year. Without question, by paying a certain fee to AdBlock Plus, Google can avoid some of the ad losses.