Chrome To Freeze Flash Ads On Sight From September 1

An anonymous reader writes: Shaun Nichols from the Register reports that unimportant Flash content will be click-to-play by default in Google Chrome from September 1. He writes, "Google is making good on its promise to strangle Adobe Flash's ability to auto-play in Chrome. The web giant has set September 1, 2015 as the date from which non-important Flash files will be click-to-play in the browser by default – effectively freezing out 'many' Flash ads in the process. Netizens can right-click over the security-challenged plugin and select 'Run this' if they want to unfreeze an ad. Otherwise, the Flash files will remain suspended in a grey box, unable to cause any harm nor any annoyance."

Comments

I've had this as a plug-in.

[Ecuador]

Hmm, I've had this as a plug-in for a while now (FF though). It interfered a bit with some sites, but it was the fault of those sites anyway, so I guess it is a good idea to have it built-in in the browser (it can work even better than a plugin)

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[Joce640k]

...except that google gets to decide which adverts are played and which aren't.

I'm betting Google's own dancing monkeys will be as annoying as ever.

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[greenfruitsalad]

no, this will stop only what chrome deems unnecessary. not everything.

now how about those damn autoplaying youtube videos? flash or no flash, they still autoplay and then play the next one, next one, next one, etc..

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[MightyMartian]

I'm assuming HTML5 graphics and videos will still play, so if it's limited to just Flash, so what?

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you been asleep for the last ten years? Flash is a huge issue for a bunch of different reasons., and has been considered a legacy solution for some time now. HTML 5 is the modern replacement. Chrome isn't freezing HTML 5 content from advertisers, but if advertisers do insist on using Flash that's up to them; it won't be without consequence any more.

Jeez, can any company do anything without this mindless cynical twattle about capitalism?

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[bill_mcgonigle]

I'm assuming HTML5 graphics and videos will still play, so if it's limited to just Flash, so what?

So what? It'll stop all drive-by Flash malware. cf. the AOL (advertising.com) attack vectors that are such a problem right now.

Amazon is refusing Flash ads on its CDN on the same day.

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[MightyMartian]

I think the real point here is that the big guys have finally decided Flash must die.

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[ultranova]

I'm betting Google's own dancing monkeys will be as annoying as ever.

Do they need to be? They're no longer competing with a zillion other animations to be the most attention-grapping thing around. The evolutionary arms race is over, so the optimal ad is one that the user notices but isn't annoyed by - after all, developing and installing ad blockers is hard work which people aren't going to do without reason, and besides, who wants to have their brand associated with annoyance if that's not required to be noticed?

I'm cautiously optimistic about this. Google has both the means and motive to turn online ads from an accursed scourge to reasonable suggestions you might be willing to take. Time will tell if they'll also have the wisdom to do so.

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[hairyfeet]

And the sad part? So many here will cheer when HTML V5 video is worse in every metric than Flash by a country mile!

Uses more resources? Yep, both CPU cycles and memory, just compare Flash/VP8 to HTML V5 H.264 of the same quality and you'll find its a pig. they try to hide how big a hog it is by offloading to the GPU but guess what? GPU cycles don't grow on tress and all that extra power sucking will equal much quicker battery drain.

Has less features? Yep again, when it comes to animation and gaming HTML V5 isn't anywhere as good as Flash, despite it being in development for...what? The better part of a decade?

And finally the rotting elephant in the room...DRM. Adobe not only has always allowed any format to be put in a flash container but they also have had zero problems with people redistributing Flash or even producing a FOSS option in Gnash. Compare this to HTML V5 which thanks to APPL and MSFT is tied to H.264, a format owned by one of the nastiest patent trolls on the planet. Anybody think they are gonna let FOSS OSes add support without cutting them a check?

I'm all for replacing flash but it should be with something BETTER, what we are getting with HTML V5 is practically a wish list written by APPL and MSFT to help their position. think APPL wants HTML V5 to be great for animation and gaming and possibly compete with their appstore? Think MSFT wants a video format that doesn't have a patent tollbooth for any possible competition?

So if you want to replace Flash? Then replace it with something BETTER, with more features, more open formats, less resource usage. What we are doing is replacing one bad idea for another and that isn't progress to me.

Re:I've had this as a plug-in.

[Eowaennor]

All I see on that page is a large blocked flash ad right smack in the middle.

Re:Do we really want Google...

[SeriousTube]

That's silly. It's click to play, not a total block.

non-important?

[thegarbz]

Basically, "essential" Flash content (such as embedded video players) are allowed to automatically run, while non-essential Flash content, much of that being advertisements, will be automatically paused.

So.... queue adverts posing as video players in 3. ... 2...... 1......

Why can't they stop the autoplay of ALL content.

Re:non-important?

[MightyMartian]

Exactly. Autoplay of HTML5 video is a real pain, and one of the more noxious ways modern advertisers try to shove their content down our throats. Modern advertising really is the haunt of sociopaths.

Re:non-important?

[laie_techie]

Exactly. Autoplay of HTML5 video is a real pain, and one of the more noxious ways modern advertisers try to shove their content down our throats. Modern advertising really is the haunt of sociopaths.

There are ways to stop autoplay for Chrome and Firefox.

Re:Do we really want Google...

[Kiwikwi]

Like it or not, all the major browsers are phasing out plugin support. Microsoft and Chrome has already dropped support for plugins other than Flash, and Mozilla is about to do the same. Flash gets special treatment due to its market share, but make no mistake, the browser manufacturers are looking to kill it as soon as reasonably possible, too.

Yes I want security issues blocked

[sjbe]

Do we really want Google or Mozilla, or any other browser determining what content we can see or not see in a browser?

When it is a known security problem then I have no problem with it. As long as I have the ability to override the decision I don't really see it as an issue. Flash needs to die a hot painful death and this is probably the fastest way to make that happen.

What next, will they block? This seems like an awfully big slippery slope and people are just accepting it.

Not worried about it. If browsers start getting too exuberant with the blocking then market forces are almost certain to correct the problem.

Now this is a feature

[gQuigs]

I'd like to see in Firefox by default...

Re:Good.jpg

[pr0fessor]

My youngest brother is not so tech savvy asked why websites always looks different on my PC... the answer adblocker... I built him a new PC with ubuntu lts and KDE with a windows like layout and installed firefox and chrome w/adblocker, open office, a few other open source replacements, setup the printer, email, etc... I was worried his wife wouldn't like it and I would be installing win 7 in a month but they both love it everything was already setup and it was familiar enough that they don't even ask questions. I imagine the android tablets and phones have given them enough exposure to an alternative os that it wasn't big deal so long as everything worked.

On to the point... no clue but I have installed adblocker for multiple friends and family.

The irony

[NotQuiteReal]

An ad company blocking ads from other companies.

Just a matter of time before they simply replace the "non-important" ad with an "important" one...

Why autoplay?

[Barbecue911]

Autoplay is one "feature" I've never understood. Why can't the default be a still image from the video, either taken automatically, the way desktop file managers from Windows to OSX to Gnome and KDE create thumbnails, or uploaded separately by the content creator? Even a pop-up asking you to click to play is better than an autoplay explosion.

Re: Do we really want Google...

[narcc]

They haven't given up on extensions. On the contrary, they're giving their API a much-needed overhaul. Yes, you'll still be able to block ads and scripts.

Good (but still easy to do yourself)

[TheDarkener]

I've turned my Firefox flash plugin to "Ask to Activate". This way I can choose what is "important" and "not important", not the almighty God^Hogle. This doesn't do anything for fine-grained selection of flash objects on a domain, but you can also use the Flashblock add-on for that.

Re:Sardaukar86 forgot to post ac this time

[Sardaukar86]

Spamming loser.

Re:Sardaukar86 forgot to post ac this time

[Sardaukar86]

It's all you deserve. You have already had it explained to you that I don't post anonymously to you, APK, I stand behind everything I say about you and your mental illness issues and your need to foist your insanity on everyone here.

Spamming loser.