Reader question: White bar above blog content blocks reading and scrolling

Wordpress, Borlabs Cookie and the white bar

Some time ago I had a request from a reader and today the question came up again: Why is it that some people see a white bar above the darkened content of my articles in the mobile view on iPad and iPhone? This happens, for example, when people click on a post in my newsletter and then go to the corresponding blog page. The result looks like this:

If you see such a white bar on the Sir Apfelot blog, you probably have an active ad blocker that is shredding the cookie window.
If you see such a white bar on the Sir Apfelot blog, you probably have an active ad blocker that is shredding the cookie window.

The content behind the white bar is darkened and inactive and you can neither scroll nor do anything else.

The background: ad blockers filter the Borlabs cookie box

In both cases I know of, it was due to an adblocker (in today's case to AdGuard). These content blockers seem to be the Borlabs cookie box as critical content and try to filter it out. The result is that you remove the contents of the box, but leave the box itself inside - you can see it as a white stripe.

Unfortunately, the box cannot be clicked away because the ad blockers have hidden the corresponding control panels. As a user you are in a dead end and cannot get to the article that you actually want to read.

Ad blockers like AdGuard free websites from advertising "on the fly", but the functionality of the corresponding website is often ruined afterwards (screenshot: adguard.com).
Ad blockers such as AdGuard remove advertising from websites “on the fly”, but the functionality of the website in question is often ruined afterwards (screenshot: adguard.com).

The solution: uninstall adblocker or reduce strength

My reader Achim informed me that he has six levels in his content blocker “AdGuard” that he can activate. After disabling the AdGuard Social level, the white bar was gone and he was able to view articles normally again.

The alternative to weakening the sensitivity of the content blocker is of course to completely deactivate this software for certain sites (such as sir-apfelot.de). With my blog, you don't have to worry about advertising tracking and the like. I have only integrated Google Analytics, but even this can be deactivated with the Borlabs cookie box and will only be implemented if the reader has consented. Otherwise a tracking pixel of the VGWort is still running, but that was all that tracks visitors to me.

I know that other websites - especially large magazines like ComputerBild, Chip, Heise or similar - work massively with advertising trackers from a wide variety of providers. You just have to install the browser plug-in Cookie Quick Manager for Firefox and see how long the list of cookies is that you get there:

A total of 26 cookies are missed at ComputerBild without you having the chance to reject any of them via a cookie box.
A total of 26 cookies are missed at ComputerBild without you having the chance to reject any of them via a cookie box.

I would definitely not deactivate the ad blockers there, because there your data migrates massively and continues to be used for advertising purposes.

Borlabs Cookie, WordPress and Adblocker - not a good mix

I use the widespread one to show the cookie window (in which you can also reject cookies) Borlabs cookie plugin. My blog software runs WordPress, which can now be found on more than half of all domains worldwide. This is a mixture that you probably see more often in the wild - this is why I wrote the article here.

I'm using the fairly standard combination of Wordpress and Borlabs Cookie - which seems to cause problems when visitors use content blockers with their browsers.
I'm using the fairly standard combination of Wordpress and Borlabs Cookie - which seems to cause problems when visitors use content blockers with their browsers.

Tip for bloggers and website owners

Webmasters who use these two systems and who occasionally get feedback from their readers that they only see a white box in front of the article should perhaps check whether the readers in question are using ad blockers.

If this is the case for you (or not!), I would be happy if you write me which adblockers or content blockers are problematic here. Maybe you can create a "whitelist" with programs that work.

Did you like the article and did the instructions on the blog help you? Then I would be happy if you the blog via a Steady Membership would support.

2 Responses to “Reader question: White bar over blog content blocks reading and scrolling”

  1. Good evening, I don't have an adblocker and I also have a white bar. Is there a guide for me to get the settings right so that the bar is removed?
    LG

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