Google Chrome To Hit ‘Pause’ Button On Flash Ads Starting September 1st

Can I get an “Amen” from the congregation? The planets are aligning and it appears that more heavy-hitters are throwing support behind taking down one the Internet’s greatest villains: Adobe Flash.

Back in June, we brought you news that Google would be introducing a new “Intelligent Pause” function to Chrome that would disable all Flash content by default (or give Chrome the option to choose what Flash content is deemed worthy). If for some reason you actually need to access a blocked Flash element on a site, you will have the option to click on the element to re-enable it.

Google favors HTML5 over Flash

Google today confirmed that Chrome will block Flash elements by default starting on September 1^st. Google is urging developers to abandon Flash advertising via its AdWords Google+ page, writing, “Most Flash ads uploaded to AdWords are automatically converted to HTML5. To ensure your ads continue to show on the Google Display Network, please follow these steps before September 1.”

Confirmation of the September 1st “kill date” for Flash content in Chrome comes just a week after Amazon announced that it no longer accept Flash advertising either through its main shopping portal or through its third-party Amazon Advertising Platform (AAP) starting September 1^st. "This change ensures customers continue to have a positive, consistent experience across Amazon and its affiliates, and that ads displayed across the site function properly for optimal performance,” said Amazon in a statement announcing the change.

Google rival (in the browser market) Mozilla announced its own plans to temporarily give Flash the cold shoulder back in July due to security concerns. Given how much of a security risk and performance killer Adobe Flash has been over the years, we hope that it’s sooner rather than later when it is completely eradicated from the Internet.