Google banned AdNauseam ad blocker from Chrome Web Store

Google continues to remove ad blockers. This time AdNauseam extension was banned from Web Store. Google flagged it as malware which prohibited using the extension for those who have installed software via Chrome's developer mode.

Google did not respond to a request from AdNauseam to explain its decision, just stating that "An extension should have a single purpose that is clear to users..."

But extension developers argue that by installing an ad blocker users know for sure what they are doing.

AdNauseam is based on uBlock (also an ad blocking software). AdNauseam's key difference from other blockers is that it doesn't just hide the ads, but imitates clicks on these advertisements to confuse advertising tracking mechanisms. But apparently, Google considers this concept unacceptable.

Earlier Google has also "banned" many ad blockers from Google Play Store (including our Android app).

Currently, AdNauseam developers have submitted another version of their extension that they hope Google will allow. As AdNauseam creators state: "We switched the language of the start page from 'Block Malware' to 'Block Malicious Ads' which clarifies everything we do is about our privacy solution".

UPD: This concept of clicks imitation is very controversial indeed and we don't really tolerate what AdNauseam does, at the same time we are worried about the power that Google has. Anytime it can remove any app/extension, and the only decision-maker at this will be only Google.