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Is there a way (perhaps with JS or some other sorcery) to get a tracking pixel (a 1x1 clear image in which the HTTP request must be made from the client) to defeat ad blockers and load anyways?

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Dani AI

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As asks, the instinct to make a 1x1 tracking pixel “load anyway” is common, but it’s both technically fragile and ethically fraught. Ad blockers evolve to detect common patterns, and many users install them because of malvertising and intrusive formats (as notes). is also right to flag the ethics — covertly bypassing a user’s blocker looks and feels a lot like malware.

Practical, durable alternatives:

  • Move collection to first‑party or server‑side endpoints so there is no third‑party network request for blockers to target. A simple client pattern is either a discreet same‑origin image request or a beacon/post to your own /collect endpoint:
<img src="/collect/pixel.gif?e=pageview" style="display:none" width="1" height="1" alt="">

or

navigator.sendBeacon('/collect', JSON.stringify({ event: 'pageview', url: location.href }));

On the server, record the event to your analytics store rather than relying on a third‑party script that blockers remove.

Tradeoffs and best practices: adblockers can still block by URL heuristics, so avoid obvious tracker paths; do not use stealthy fingerprinting or hidden code to circumvent consent — that harms users and risks compliance problems. Consider privacy‑first measurement (aggregated or sampled server metrics), clearer consent flows, native or non‑intrusive ad formats, or subscription models — approaches that reduce blocking by addressing the root causes described. Test across popular blockers and rely on transparent, consented measurement rather than tricks.

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

I think network-served banner ads are dead here. Native advertising should be fine.

How we got here, to me is interesting. The primary reason I installed an adblocker was malvertising and when the advert took over half the screen. So how else to stem the flow? I did similar blocks on TV by cutting the cable and using Roku and Netflix when I do watch stuff.

Member Avatar for AssertNull

defeat ad blockers and load anyways?

Wouldn't this be a textbook definition of malware/spyware? If somewebsite.com is getting paid by someads.com to deliver ads to me when I browse somewebsite.com and they want to know how/when/where I am using somewebsite.com in order to optimize the ads delivered to me, they have the right/option to stick a tracking pixel in there to do the job and tell me they are doing it. I have the right/option to have my browser disallow that, just like I can disallow cookies. If I decide to disallow that tracking pixel, somewebsite.com has the option of not allowing me to surf their website and someads.com has the right to negotiate a contract with somewebsite.com where they require somewebsite.com to not allow me to surf that website. If I pick an ad blocker that doesn't do a good job and simply blocks all ads without notifying me and giving me options, then my websurfing will suffer and I'll have to find better software, decide to accept those tracking pixels, or whatever. That's the marketplace.

I don't see any reason why an attempt should be made to "defeat" my ad blocker. How is that different than finding and exploiting a vulnerability in my firewall or antivirus and thus "defeating" them or installing a keylogger (or any kind of logger) surrepticiously and tracking me that way? I can't see any legitimate reason why anything needs to be "defeated". Do it above board, tell me what you're doing, tell me why, and I'll agree or disagree.

Edited by AssertNull
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