A New Yorker identified as Rick752 has come up with EasyList, Washington Post (WP) reported, which allows web users to filter and block all ads that may appear on their computer screens. While the situation is not "doomsday" just yet, there is a possibility that ad revenue from websites would decline if further improvements in ad-blocking software continue.

EasyList and Adblock Plus do not allow for any Internet ad form to seep through, including pop-up ads, in-page displayed ads and video.

Rick mentioned that it isn't a question of wanting the Web publishers to make less money and that he wouldn't have created the list if ads were less "annoying". According to him, "people really hate ads."

Both Rick and Wladimir Palant, who put Adblock together, did so for free.

Although ad-blocking software allows for de-cluttered Web surfing, it may pose a serious threat to web sites being financially sponsored by ads, according to WP.

For example, once ad-blockers are detected, the Daily Kos website says, "You're getting all the benefits of our site but we're not getting any of the advertisement revenue associated with your visits."

Rick faces a challenge when companies hide their content as ads, in which case he resorts to "whitelisting" addresses, the WP reported.

Vice President of public policy at the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Mike Zaneis, said that he doesn't think that the situation is problematic, because only a small percentage of Web surfers currently use ad blockers, WP reported.

Source: Washington Post

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