Google kills Flash for ads

Google will move away from advertisements created using Adobe's Flash technology this year, in favour of the open standard HTML 5 language. 

The online giant said that from end of June this year, it will no longer allow Flash display ads to be uploaded into its AdWords or DoubleClick digital marketing platforms. 

Flash display ads will cease to run completely from January 3 2017 (Australian time) on Google's Display Network or via DoubleClick. The exception will be Flash video ads, which will continue to work. 

Instead of Flash, Google wants advertisers to convert their campaigns to HTML 5, and has set up a range of templates and tools for the purpose. 

Advertising is the main income earner for Google – now a subsidiary of Alphabet – generating over US$19 billion (A$26.8 billion) in revenue during the last quarter of 2015. 

Adobe Flash has long been tool of choice for creating animations and displaying video on the web for more than a decade, but has at the same time been dogged by a poor security record. 

Major browser vendors have also started to move away from plug-ins, and in December last year, Adobe said it would like users to shift to HTML 5 and stop using standalone Flash and Animate players.