Facebook Drops An Ad Blocking Hammer.

Multiple sources (The New York Times, CNBC) are reporting that Facebook is getting a lot more serious about blocking ad blockers, at least on the desktop web.

Some quick thoughts on this:

• This is a signal from Facebook that they are aligned with advertisers (and as such, with the ANA and IAB). “Kumbaya, thanks for your ad dollars.”
• But remember, this is only relevant to Facebook on the desktop and mobile web — NOT the app — which is immune to ad blocking anyway. And mobile is Facebook’s present and future. Desktop is an artifact of a prior era (even though desktop display ad impressions are still significant, but dwindling).
• Facebook alluded to ad blocking in 2015 annual K-1 filing, so this should not come as a surprise.
• I also have a hunch that even though US ad blocking is growing, heavy Facebook desktop users are also not the ones most likely to be users of ad blocking software.
• This is definitely a pre-emptive move and a precedent for taking the fight to mobile devices as well, where Asian markets are really driving mobile ad blocking adoption. Those markets are skewing the global numbers, but may very well be a leading indicator of things to come.
• Blocking ad blockers pushes advertisers further into the feed, where Facebook makes more money, so there’s that.