Adblock Plus and (a little) more
The AdBlockChain and how you can become part of it · 2018-04-01 14:16 by Laura Dornheim
It’s not a secret anymore, every tech expert and presumably all of you know that blockchain is the game-changing technology that will revolutionise almost every industry.
Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have become mainstream and some predict they will soon replace traditional, paper-based currencies.
At Adblock Plus, we’ve always been on the forefront of new digital developments. We built the tools that help you shape your internet experience. What started with a simple ad blocker has grown much bigger. Adblock Plus still blocks all annoying ads but it is also a mighty tool for privacy protection. With Adblock Plus’ sister project, Flattr , we change the way money is earned on the internet.
Today we are excited to announce another major breakthrough:
The AdBlockChain
With the AdBlockChain (ABC) we are combining two things we all really care about deeply: The protection of your private data and money. The recent scandal around Facebook and the private data of millions of users that was abused by Cambridge Analytica showed that more and more internet users are fed up with having their personal data stored and processed without their consent. But it’s not just Facebook that keeps your data, every single ad banner on the internet is transferring data about you to numerous third party companies. In fact, the adtech industry has grown into a giant data swamp. We recently showed you how Adblock Plus helps you to keep your data safe.
In the EU, where we are based, new legislation called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is coming into effect on May 25th, ruling most of the current tracking practices illegal. This new law has been in discussion for quite some time and fortunately, most adtech companies have realised that instead of fighting it, they should try to make their business more user-friendly.
Behind the scenes we talked to some of them to share our insights on user-friendly ad-practices. And we soon discovered huge potential for cooperation. Adtech companies have vast computing power that was used to store and process all the user data retrieved through tracking technology. These machines would be redundant after GDPR. But why not use them for something good?
So we decided to use this computing power to mine our very own cryptocurrency!
With more than 100 million Adblock Plus users worldwide we have the unique opportunity to kickstart this new currency, allowing it to be equally widespread and successful as Bitcoin and Ethereum in just a few months.
We will soon publish details about our ICO. What we can tell you already is that we will honour our loyal users and offer special conditions to all of you.
As every cryptocurrencies value raises with the number of users and investors, we encourage you to invite all of your friends and family who don’t use an adblocker yet to download Adblock Plus today.
They will profit and so will you!
PS: We will, for very obvious reasons, never use your computer for mining cryptocurrencies. That is a fraudulent practice and we want you to stay safe from that.
Comment [3]
Commenting is closed for this article.
Elise Elliott · 2018-04-01 14:38 · #
Adblock Plus has made using the internet and Facebook a pleasure because you are not completely bombarded with advertising. Thank-you Adblock Plus for excellent products and your dedication to privacy and safety of data.
Prashanth · 2018-04-01 20:18 · #
So if the ABP user’s computers aren’t used for mining, and you’re planning to use some Adtech companies’ digital resources, how does it affect the ABP users?
Migalo · 2018-04-02 05:45 · #
@Prashanth (#c007388) it 1st April fish :D