Google Chrome working to block ‘heavy ads’ that slow down browser

Google has been working on several tools to keep the users in the driving seat when they use the Chrome browser. In a related development, has reported that the company is working on a tool (or feature) that will block ‘heavy ads’, which use ‘an egregious amount of system resources,’ and tend to slow down the browser. A hint of this was found in a work-in-progress .

“This change introduces a feature that unloads ad iframes that have been detected to use an egregious amount of system resources. This reuses the quiet safebrowsing interstitial UX, which gets loaded into the ad iframe. This intervention unloads ads that are in the .1% of bandwidth usage, .1% of CPU usage per minute, and .1% of overall CPU time. The current numbers are 4MB network and 60 seconds CPU, but may be changed as more data is available,” the Chromium commit read.

Last year in February, a built-in ad blocker in Chrome that stops showing ads, including those owned or served by Google. The ad-blocker does not block ads on all websites but only those that are deemed to be invasive, intrusive or just annoying. That said, Google will block all ads from a website where just one ad is non-compliant of its standards. Google already blocks ads that use Adobe Flash, which increase page loading times and drain device battery.

Recently, Google in Chrome for helping users take control of their data. Google says that it is improving cookie controls so that users can clear or block third-party cookies. This feature will be implemented such that first-party cookies aren’t affected, which means users won’t be logged out of banking sites if they have opted for such first-party trackers. The company had also announced a new incognito mode for Search and Maps. The feature can be toggled on or off and will enable users to have more control over when the Google service is collecting data.