In recent times Facebook and a popular adblocking plugin, Adblock Plus (ABP) have gone head-to-head on exploiting one another’s algorithms. The main idea around having an adblocking plug-in on your computer is to prevent advertisements from showing up on your screen while surfing the internet. In relation to adblocking, Facebook has repeatedly tweaked its advertising algorithm in an effort to make ads on its site “unblockable”. Both companies have countered one another with updates to their code until Facebook launched an update where sponsored posts were able to slip past the adblocker for more than a month. Differentiating the code between ads and sponsored posts is highly difficult for adblocking companies due to the lack of differentiation. Even when they pop on your feed, users can tell the difference between the two, but it essentially acts as an advertisement looking for clicks.
In response to Facebook’s effort to successfully slip past adblockers on their site, it prompted researchers to develop an entirely new way of blocking ads. Keeping pace with Facebook will always be a challenge but the site is treading a thin line on following the laws on misleading advertisements outlined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The gray area between regular ads and sponsored posts are not clearly differentiated for users and this is just one example of how Facebook is using their users as a product to bring in revenue.
Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/7xydvx/facebooks-arms-race-with-adblockers-continues-to-escalate