A rush to block pop-up online ads

NY Times covers the move to create software to block pop-up advertisements on the Web. Microsoft claims that Windows XP Service Pack 2 will not block pop-ups unless users enable the feature. DoubleClick is developing technology that will work around Microsoft and other software vendors’ attempted blocks. “In December 2001, 1.4 percent of the Web ads measured by Nielsen/NetRatings were pop-ups or pop-under ads, which appear behind the main browser window. That rose to 8.7 percent in July 2003. But it has declined since, to 6.2 percent in December.” Microsoft already has anti-spam technology in client software such as Outlook that updates itself as the advertisers change their methods. Any client software designed to block these ads should probably be updated in a similar manner.