Whitelist fails to unblock new Google Adsense ads

[error]

Google AdSense rolled out a new ad layout yesterday, and this new ad format doesn't display properly when Adblock Plus is enabled -- even if the site is whitelisted! Only the "Ads by Google" link appears.

It's necessary to disable Adblock Plus to see the ads, instead of just whitelisting the site they appear on.

Steps to reproduce:
1. Find a site that uses Google Adsense. The ads will appear.
2. Enable Adblock Plus. The ads will disappear.
3. Whitelist the site and reload. The ad BLOCK will reappear and the "Ads by Google" will appear but the actual ads will not appear.

Expected results:
* Google ads appear normally when site they are on is whitelisted.

Actual results:
* Only the "Ads by Google" link appears. The rest of the ad block is blank.

I'm using Firefox 2.0.0.3 on Linux with Adblock Plus 0.7.2.4.

[Adblock Plus Fan]

You have a specific link? I wasn't able to reproduce this.

Ads on this site: http://forums2.battleon.com/f/default.asp
was caught by "http://pagead2."
And whitelisting with "@@|http://forums2.battleon.com/" works as it should for me.

Tested with both 0.7.2.4 and dev. version on 2.0.0.3 windows.

[error]

That site has Google's image ads, which haven't changed. Try visiting a site which uses text ads.

Some URLs where you can see the problem:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007 ... -of-posts/
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/04 ... service-2/

[Fox]

Use this filter:

Code: Select all

@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/*

And if you use EasyElement, then these must be disabled:

Code: Select all

#*(adcontainer)
#div(id=ads)

[Fox]

I did post sametime as you, so this site:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007 ... -of-posts/

Also maybe needs this whitelisting too:

Code: Select all

@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/cpa/*

Or sure you can just use one if you want, and that is:

Code: Select all

@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/*

And sure those element hiding rules must be disabled.

[Adblock Plus Fan]

That site has Google's image ads, which haven't changed. Try visiting a site which uses text ads.

Some URLs where you can see the problem:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007 ... -of-posts/
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/04 ... service-2/

Ah that's not a bug then, it's because you have element hiding still active. Element hiding cannot be overridden by whitelist.

[error]

And if you use EasyElement, then these must be disabled:

Code: Select all

#*(adcontainer)
#div(id=ads)

This fixed it. Thanks!

[Wladimir Palant]

@Adblock Plus Fan: Actually, whitelisting having no effect on element hiding is a bug...

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I disabled these two element hiding rules in my list as well.

[Adblock Plus Fan]

Ah ok. lol I thought you made it that way intentionally.

I even remember a thread where solution to the blocking depended on this issue

[j0nes]

Hi,

I have a similar problem with Google Ads on a whitelisted site, for example: http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/kiel_leuchtturm
As you described here, I whitelisted

Code: Select all

@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/*

I use Cedrics List as additional filter list. Additionally, I deactivated the following filters from this list:

Code: Select all

googlesyndication
google_ads
#iframe(google_ads_frame)
#*(adContainer)
#*(AdContainer)

I also resetted the hit statistics, and when I refresh the page nothing is marked as a hit. Don't understand this...

Anyway, thanks for your help!

Jonas (FF 2.0.0.3 German + AdblockPlus 0.7.2.4)

[Wladimir Palant]

In Cedric's list it is also these filters that affect Google ads:

Code: Select all

/[-\/\._\(&=]ad_?(d?s(?!\.)(c|e)?rvi?(ng)?e?r?|\d\.|(x|sv?)...
/[-\/\._\(&=]ad_?(mentor|module|mosaic|pops?|revolver|s(dk|...
#*(ads)

[Fox]

I don't use Cedric's list, but information you all did give, i think only this Element hiding rule

Code: Select all

#*(ads)

Needs to be disabled, and maybe this too:

Code: Select all

#iframe(google_ads_frame)

There is no need to disable blocking filters and regexps, because you have this whitelisting rule:

Code: Select all

@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/*

And just to let you know: #*(adcontainer)
is different than those two that Cedric's list has, Because it's all lowercase.
Element hiding rules are case sensitive.

[Fox]

I also resetted the hit statistics, and when I refresh the page nothing is marked as a hit. Don't understand this...

Anyway, thanks for your help!

Jonas (FF 2.0.0.3 German + AdblockPlus 0.7.2.4)

Development build: http://adblockplus.org/development-builds/
# Made matching element hiding rules appear in the list of blockable items
# Added hit counts for element hiding rules

Or wait next release, i don't know when it's released.

[rick752]

This is why I made 2 different subscriptions ... one for regular ad-blocking and one for element-hiding ... one can be whitelisted and the other can't. If you want to SEE adsense text ads, you probably shouldn't use the EasyElement filter at all even though you will also be giving up the extra empty space removal that it does. MANY elements in the EasyElement are targeted on those text ads. Or you can just disable the elements as this discussion suggests.

Fox is correct that if you use the EasyList & EasyElement subscriptions that these would be the correct strings

Code: Select all

Exception rule:
@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/*

Disable in EasyElement:
#*(adcontainer)
#div(id=ads) 

But if your concern is only to give the webmaster credit for the ads being shown and are really not interested in clicking the ads, then simply whitelisting:

Code: Select all

@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/*

... would be sufficient as #element-hiding is still downloaded and counted as being "seen" on a site, so the site is still given credit.

@ABP Fan:
There have been many instances where whitelisting a site and then element-hiding the ads has definitely had advantages. The biggest use is for a user who wants to remove ads on a particular website, but still wants to give credit to the webmaster for 'seeing' them.

There are advantages AND disadvantages for this "bug".

[Fox]

But if your concern is only to give the webmaster credit for the ads being shown and are really not interested in clicking the ads, then simply whitelisting:

Code: Select all

@@|http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/*

... would be sufficient as #element-hiding is still downloaded and counted as being "seen" on a site, so the site is still given credit.

I think you need to click those text ads too, right?
Or is google really so stupid that they pay when ads are just viewed.