Browser ad blockers cost Google $887 million a year

Research company PageFair released a report on Thursday stating that the ad-blocking feature in browsers caused Google to lose about $887 million last year.

The relationship between Google and Adblock Plus, a browser plug-in mainly used for blocking annoying ads, is complex. In March, Google removed the Adblock Plus app from the Google Play store, citing its interference with other services or products in an unauthorized manner.

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

However, in July, it was reported that Google paid AdBlock Plus to ensure its ads were not blocked. AdBlock Plus launched an "Acceptable Ads" program, allowing ads on small blogs and websites to pass through filters for free, while large websites and ad networks must pay to be included on this "whitelist".

The report released by PageFair on Thursday shows that the ad-blocking features in browsers caused Google to lose approximately $887 million last year. Undoubtedly, by paying a certain fee to AdBlock Plus, Google can avoid some of its ad revenue losses.