Chrome will block spammy ads around the world starting July 9th

After launching last year in the United States, Canada, and Europe, Chrome’s built-in ad blocker will expand to every country in the world on July 9th, Google said in an announcement today.

Google started blocking ads last year based on guidelines developed by the Coalition For Better Ads, a trade group the company helped launch. The guidelines prohibit websites from using obtrusive advertising strategies, like employing pop-ups or videos with auto-playing sound.

Google says it warns websites that are out of compliance before taking action, and that as of the beginning of 2019, two-thirds of previously noncompliant publishers are in “good standing,” while only 1 percent of reviewed sites have had their ads filtered.

In its announcement today, Google said its “ultimate goal is not to filter ads, but to build a better web for everyone, everywhere.” While some have cheered the plan as a way to rid the web of its most annoying ads, critics have argued that Google, which is a massive purveyor of advertising, should not be allowed to act as gatekeeper in the ad world. As the launch goes global this summer, the stakes of that debate will only get higher.