Facebook wants to make it harder for people to block adverts on its website. The social media giant says it is changing the design of adverts to reduce the effectiveness of ad blockers, which reduce the number of adverts a user sees.
Facebook said it had decided to alter the design of its adverts after commissioning a study into consumer opinion on online adverts.
The firm, founded by billionnaire Mark Zuckerberg, said more than two thirds of those surveyed said they used an ad-blocker because they found adverts disruptive.
Vice president of ads and business platform Andrew Bosworth said: “We’ve designed our ad formats, ad performance and controls to address the underlying reasons people have turned to ad-blocking software.
“When we asked people about why they used ad-blocking software, the primary reason we heard was to stop annoying, disruptive ads.”
In July, Facebook revealed that more than $6.2bn (£4.7bn) of its revenue in the previous three months came from advertising.
Just $200m (£153m) of the firm’s total revenue came from other sources.
As a way of dissuading users from employing ad blockers, account holders will also be given the opportunity to control the type of adverts they see on the site by selecting and de-selecting suitable subjects.
Users of the desktop version will also be able to edit their advert preferences to block adverts from some businesses.
Mr Bosworth, added: “When they’re relevant and well-made, ads can be useful, helping us find new products and services and introducing us to new experiences – like an ad that shows you your favourite band is coming to town or an amazing airline deal to a tropical vacation.
“But because ads don’t always work this way, many people have started avoiding certain websites or apps, or using ad-blocking software, to stop seeing bad ads. These have been the best options to date.”
In March, one study found that 22% of internet users over the age of 18 in the UK are now using an ad-blocker.