Internet ads that use Adobe Flash will be blocked on Google Chrome as of Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Google has chosen to do this because Flash technology increases page-loading times and kills battery more quickly, overall decreasing the quality of the Chrome experience. The Flash ads will still be available, but users will have to click on them to get them to play.
In the first quarter of 2015, Chrome displayed over a third of Flash ads, according to data collected by Sizmek, an ad management technology firm. This move by the company will likely persuade advertisers to stop using Flash technology altogether.
Both Google and the Interactive Advertising Bureau suggest HTML5 technology as an alternative. It provides similar functionality, but with a more efficient performance. Scott Cunningham, IAB’s vice president of technology and ad operations, says that “HTML5 is the way forward, and that has become clearer and clearer.”
The digital media industry is becoming more concerned about the possibility that people will be able to block Internet ads completely as Apple works to make it easier for its users to do so on mobile devices.