Eighteen per cent of web users now say they are using ad blockers, up from 15 per cent five months ago.

The increase has been reported in the latest research by the Internet Advertising Bureau, is equivalent to more than 1.3 million people adopting the technology since June. Although the increase is modest, it suggests dissatisfaction with ads is growing — especially among the young, with 35 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds saying they blocked ads, compared to just 15 per cent of over 55s.

Ad blocking is more prevalent among men surveyed (23 per cent) than women (13 per cent) and the propensity to block ads decreases with age – from 35 per cent of 18-24 year olds to 13 per cent of people aged 55 or over.

40 per cent’s main motivation isn’t to block all ads

However, less than six in 10 (57 per cent) people who’ve ever downloaded the software said their main motivation was to block all ads; 20 per cent said the main reason was to block certain types of ads or ads from certain websites.

Less interference and fewer ads main ways to stop ad blocking

The most common reason people would be less likely to block ads is if they didn’t interfere with what they were doing (cited by 48%) followed by having fewer ads on a page (36 per cent). One in seven (14 per cent) would be less likely to block ads if they were more relevant.

“The small rise in people blocking ads is not unexpected considering the publicity it’s been receiving,” said IAB UK’s CEO, Guy Phillipson. “However, it does provide some perspective on the situation for those referring to an “adblockalypse.” More importantly, it also provides a clear message to the industry – a less invasive, lighter ad experience is absolutely vital to address the main cause of ad blocking. That’s why we’re developing the L.E.A.N advertising principles for the online advertising supply chain.”

Majority still prefer free content and ads vs having to pay

When told that ad blocking means some websites will have to stop providing free content or charge people to use them, 61 per cent of British adults online said they would prefer to access content for free and see ads than pay to access content.

Phillipson added, “The other key tactic to reduce ad blocking is making consumers more aware of the consequences – what we call the “value exchange.” If more people realise content is only free because ads pay for it, then fewer people will be inclined to block ads. Only 4% are willing to face the other option – paying for content with no ads.”

Among those currently using ad blocking software, 71 per cent are doing so on laptops, 47 per cent on desktop PCs. Just under a quarter (23 per cent) are blocking ads on mobiles and less than one in five (19 per cent) on tablets.

"Many people have rightfully asked why we turned on Safety Check for Paris but not for bombings in Beirut and other places," he wrote on his Facebook page. "Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well."

Safety Check was first launched in 2011 after a tsunami and nuclear disaster hit Japan, and has since been used during earthquakes in China, Afghanistan and Chile, and several tropical storms.

Alex Schultz, vice president of growth, said in a separate post that in the past Safety Check had not been used for 'man-made' disasters or "ongoing" wars or epidemics, because it was impossible for anyone to say for sure that they were 'safe' or not. The decision to enable it in Paris was taken because so many were trying to let friends and family know they were safe, he said.

"Communication is critical in moments of crisis, both for the people affected and for those far away who are anxious for news. People already turn to Facebook to check on loved ones and get updates during times like this and we created Safety Check to make these connections even easier," Schultz wrote in a post on the Facebook Safety page.
"We chose to activate Safety Check in Paris because we observed a lot of activity on Facebook as the events were unfolding. In the middle of a complex, uncertain situation affecting many people, Facebook became a place where people were sharing information and looking to understand the condition of their loved ones. We talked with our employees on the ground, who felt that there was still a need that we could fill.

"This activation will change our policy around Safety Check and when we activate it for other serious and tragic incidents in the future. We want this tool to be available whenever and wherever it can help."

Several other services and tech companies provided help and assistance in Paris, including AirBnB, who organised hosts to accept people stranded in the city, and Google, Skype, Verizon and Sprint who all offered free calls to Paris.

Pinterest has launched visual search, allowing its users to highlight images and search for similar styles and colours in pictures and pins.

Kevin Jing, engineer at Pinterest said, “When you spot something in a Pin that you want to learn more about, tap the search tool in the corner. Then select the part of the Pin you’re interested in, and we’ll show you Pins just like it. You can even filter your visual search results by topic so you find exactly what you’re looking for.”

Moving into search is a key step for Pinterest, with over 100 million users and estimates from eMarketer that the US advertising market will hit nearly $30 billion in 2016.

This is the latest step in Pinterest’s journey in analysing data. In 2014, the site rolled out Promoted Pins and Guided Search, which suggests other category topics based on the initial search query.

As for Pinterest, the visual-search feature will allow users to closely define intent and interests for specific products brands can earlier identify.