Un-free the Web: Why new anti-ad blocking software won't work

By Stefanie Olsen

Remember that FRAM oil filter commercial? "You can pay me--or you can pay me later." Well, it also expresses the philosophy behind some new anti-ad blocking software that promises to escalate tensions between profit-hungry Web sites and a growing segment of users who don't want to be bothered by intrusive advertising techniques.

The new software comes out of Germany. It's called AdKey. It simply detects ad-blockers like Webwasher and AdSubtract, which, in turn, won't download certain Web graphics based on, say, the typical dimensions of a banner ad or those served from a common ad-network domain, such as "ad.doubleclick.com."

The idea: If AdKey determines that you're using blocking software, it blocks you back. You're denied access. To gain access, you'd have to either agree to look at the ads that serve as the lifeblood to so many sites, including AnchorDesk. Or you'd have to pay. BEFORE YOU GET your knickers in a knot over yet another attempt to chip away at your "free" access to all things Web, let me assure you this: It won't work.

Yes, some Web sites in a life-or-death struggle to make ends meet might be able to underscore the quid pro quo that underlies the free Web: Exposing yourself to ads is the price of admission. But most sites are unlikely to risk the time, expense, and ill will involved in frustrating a relatively small group of ad-blocking users, estimated to constitute, at most, about 5 percent of all Net surfers.

And what about getting people to pay? Fat chance. Reason? It comes down to one of the stark realities about doing e-commerce on the Web--more specifically, the cost of processing pay-to-play transactions. Yes, it's possible to charge you for each article you read on AnchorDesk. Let's say we even pick a price point that makes it worth your while to enjoy an unsullied-by-advertising experience--5 cents an article, say.

UNFORTUNATELY, the way that credit card companies process transactions, we'd lose our shirts on each and every one of those transactions, simply by virtue of the per-transaction credit card fee. A number of companies, such as PayPal and Qpass, are working on making micro-payments an economically viable proposition. But no one has yet quite nailed it. So, relax. Until someone figures out the micro-payments dilemma, anti-ad blockers won't take away your free Web.