The growing use of ad blocking software on computers and mobile devices is alarming Internet businesses that rely on advertising dollars to bring in a profit, and one advertising industry association is being very vocal in its opposition to the technology.

During a news conference Tuesday in New York City, Scott Cunningham, general manager of the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Technology Lab, reiterated his organization's opposition to ad blockers, the Wall Street Journal reported. He then went on to criticize a relatively new practice among developers of ad blocking software: Charging businesses fees so their ads are not blocked.

"We don't want to see this type of highway robbery," Cunningham said. http://on.wsj.com/1KRU7Zy

IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg expressed similar concerns in a Sept. 21 interview with the newspaper. The organization is even floating the option of suing the developers of some ad blockers.

"One thing that frustrates the hell out of me is that these companies are ad-blocking profiteers," Rothenberg said. "They are trying to divert a portion of brands' spending to line their own pockets."

The CEO noted that advertising supports a huge amount of content on the Web. Those costs would otherwise shift to consumers, he noted. http://on.wsj.com/1QL6tHI

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