Adblock Plus and (a little) more
Clearing up some things from this week! · 2016-09-16 17:37 by Rachel Brochado
There has been a lot of misinformation floating around these past few days about Adblock Plus and Acceptable Ads and the Acceptable Ads Platform, so let us try and clear up the most common ones.
New Acceptable Ads Platform launches, will redefine RTB and help small websites · 2016-09-13 16:06 by Ben Williams
Today we’re launching the beta version of the Acceptable Ads Platform, a fully functional platform consisting of only Acceptable Ads that will make the whitelisting process faster and easier for publishers, while allowing them to serve alternative ads to ad-blocking users.
Flattr Plus update · 2016-08-25 16:50 by Ben Williams
How’s your summer going? Well, as readers of this blog are aware, we at ABP have had our hands full with a few Facebook shenanigans — but do you remember that Flattr Plus project? You know, it’s the revolution in non-ad content funding we announced a few months back … Well, we’ve got some newness — and you’re going to want to know this.
Ping pong with Facebook · 2016-08-18 15:00 by Ben Williams
or: Why I learned to stop worrying and love the open source community
After Facebook began its attempt to force users to see ads, a series of volleys with the open source community commenced, demonstrating the ingenuity and cohesiveness of not only that community but also other ad blockers, the comments section (!), our forum, other forums and even academics. Here’s to all of you! No ad blocker could function without you. You rule.
Trampling on users’ free will is not sustainable -- even if you're Facebook · 2016-08-12 18:32 by Ben Williams
They call this thing a cat-and-mouse game for a reason. Since we wrote yesterday there have been several workarounds, followed by “re-circumventions” that only brought more workarounds. But the tech tug-of-war is not the point. What’s important is that going against the will of the people is wholly unsustainable.
FB reblock: ad-blocking community finds workaround to Facebook · 2016-08-11 16:54 by Ben Williams
A few days ago Facebook decided to force users to view their ads, even if those users employed an ad blocker. Well, it’s taken about 48 hours but the open source community that supports all ad blockers has already found a solution. You’ll just need to update your filters (see how here) to return the largest social network to an ad-free place.
Oh well, looks like Facebook just got all anti-user · 2016-08-09 17:52 by Ben Williams
Facebook announced today that it would start attempting to show ads to ad-blocking users who visit its desktop site. This is unfortunate, but it’s nothing new: they join a long list of “circumventionists” in an arms race against the open source community fueling ABP and other ad blockers.
Finally! Adblock Plus for Microsoft Edge now available for 350 million Windows 10 users · 2016-08-02 14:00 by Oleksandr Paraska
Today, Microsoft is releasing the big Anniversary Update to Windows 10. Among other changes to the operating system, this brings support for extensions to Microsoft Edge. Which means that people running Windows 10 can install Adblock Plus for Microsoft Edge, and start blocking annoying advertisements in Microsoft’s new standard browser.
The lonely bully: China issues edict to ban ad blockers · 2016-07-20 14:00 by Ben Williams
Just last week China issued its Internet Advertising Interim Rules, essentially a list of prescriptions for online ads that included Article 16, which stipulates that ad blockers will be banned from September 1. This is troubling news for Chinese users, many of whom block ads on their mobile phones, but it’s even more concerning for the door of online oppression it leaves open.
Resolving the ad blocking 'dilemma' – new research from HubSpot shows how · 2016-07-13 14:01 by Ben Williams
HubSpot Research conducted a global survey on ad blocking. Now, before you dismiss it and go back to hunting down corpses in rivers on Pokémon Go, bear in mind that we got to add some questions this time that produced results which delve into places other studies don’t go. While it doesn’t reveal any waterlogged bodies we did stumble on some solutions for advertisers’ “ad blocker issue.”
The full study is available here, a slideshare’s here.