AdSense invisible to Norton Internet Security users

ad blocker "feature"

[Jenstar]

Users running Norton Internet Security 2004 (regular or Professional edition) are seeing a blank area where the Google AdSense should appear. "Ad blocking" is set as a default to ON, so users must change the settings to see AdSense, along with other various kinds of online ads. This could have huge implications for those running AdSense.

From the Adwords forum:
Google Adwords & Norton Internet Security 2004 [webmasterworld.com]

Norton is a mainstream product, and I am willing to bet that many leave their ad blocker set to on, or do not even realize that ads including AdSense and Adwords are being blocked, along with all the animated banners, pop-ups/unders etc. Also, links such as Commission Junction links are also blocked by this program.

This could also explain some of the disappearing AdSense in IE [webmasterworld.com], since this ad blocker is for Internet Explorer only.

[morpheus83]

Are you sure regd the adsense ads not appearing with Internet Security 2004. Because I have Internet Security 2003 which is regularly updated. However the ads are visible in that. However many people are goiing to buy Internet Security 2004 and it may be also be preinstalled with many new PC's.

[Jenstar]

It is a new feature with the 2004 version of Norton Internet Security.

[loanuniverse]

My impressions are usually undercounted by 30%, so I guess products like this and the people with js disabled are the reason.

[skipfactor]

I have Internet Security 2003 which is regularly updated. However the ads are visible in that.

My Internet Security 2003 which is regularly updated and set to the lowest default security level shows the ads but clicks do nothing. Now if MS built this into their Longhorn default Internet Connection Firewall settings...

[Jenstar]

McAfee Internet Security also offers an ad-blocking feature, but I haven't been able to find out if it also blocks AdSense/Adwords ads as well. They are also releasing a new version of their Internet Security in the new year.

I am still pretty surprised that Norton is blackballing a company such as Google with their own version of Norton Internet Security, but I guess they see an ad as an ad, regardless of what company is serving them.

[BaseVinyl]

My Norton 2003 blocks Adsense...I only have a strange space where webmasters are putting the ads so the layout on sites with ads on them can look pretty messed up at times. That being said...I have ad-blocker so that ALL ads are blocked and so anything that is an ad on a webpage is something I don't want to see. Of course I don't want anyone else to have ad-blocker enabled when they visit my sites with Adsense on them but that's another bag of beans! ;)

[skipfactor]

Stroke Peter a check Serg...on a brighter note, maybe it will block any inadvertent clicks on one's AdSense sites when the cat, dog, or kids start playing with input devices.