14 DAY TRIAL // Google is finally recognizing that websites which play multimedia content without the user’s approval are annoying, and it will deal with it by muting said content and by giving users the power to stop it in the Chrome browser.
It’s true that not everyone has this kind of annoying content, but the ones that do display it should already know that it’s wrong. Unfortunately, it often happens that this behavior is tolerated by users because the site might also provide other valuable information.
So, each time when we hear something playing in the background we have to go tab hunting, trying to figure out what’s the source of the sound. It’s even a bigger problem when a user opens multiple tabs from the same source, which means getting multiple players starting at once.
Putting the power in the hands of users
There are various ways that Google can deal with this, but they have to consider both the users and the websites that host the videos. Every time a video is played, even without the user’s approval, it generates views, which can then be levied when negotiating prices for ads and exposure.
It might seem simpler to have Google Chrome just stop playing those videos altogether, but it would hurt the website. Instead, if a video does start to play, it’s going to be without sound. Also, developers are saying that the video will only play if the user has indicated an interest in the media. This is a most interesting concept.
Google Chrome will determine, using a number of factors, if the user is interested in that kind of media. The system is transparent, so it’s not really a mystery how it’s done.
Disable audio for specific websites
Google will also empower users to create rules for specific websites, and they will have the option to completely disable it. These kinds of options are usually well hidden, but that’s not the case with this one. Just how many people will actually make use of it remains to be seen.
The new settings and behaviors will make an appearance in the Canary, Development, and Beta branches of Google Chrome in the coming months, and they should be available in the stable release in January 2018.
