Web Sites Adopt Instrusive Ads

Succumbing to economic pressures, Web sites are increasingly employing intrusive tactics, such as pop-up ads, to derive revenue from advertisers and capture consumer attention, a new study finds. According to a report from Arlington, Va.-based Cyveillance, more than 30 percent of top sites in the U.S. use pop-ups, or ads that automatically launch in separate browser windows when a user enters or exits a site. Pioneered by the online pornography industry, pop-up ads are becoming more mainstream as the “economic downturn drives companies to seek revenue by all available means,” said Panos Anastassiadis, president and CEO of Cyveillance.