Facebook Takes Aim in Ad Fight

Facebook is rolling out a technical fix to try to block software that disrupts the site's advertising business and irritates users.

The social-media site said last week that it was reviewing legal and technical options to address the software, which inserts an additional layer of ads on Web pages, pushing down content and ads sold by Facebook. The software is a feature of applications with names such as PageRage, which lets people jazz up their Facebook profile pages with hearts, flowers or sports logos. Another is BuzzDock, which lets people use multiple search engines at once. The two applications, both created by California company Sambreel Holdings LLC, are among about a dozen that are targeted by Facebook's proposed block. It will bar people from visiting the site if their Internet browsers include the applications.