Adblocking Goes All Regulatory

So it’s escalated to Defcon 4.

With BEREC — the Body of European Regulators in Electronic Communications issuing its guidelines on net neutrality, it has also included in it a clause that forbids network level blocking of advertising.

This was always on the cards and is neither a victory nor defeat for the parties involved in the adblocking debate. It just makes common sense on the primary access to an open free web — non interference. Whilst these are guidelines and not legally binding, they will influence national regulators as to whether EU laws on open internet access have been broken.

Judging by certain responses you might think that war has broken out.

Paragraph 78 outlines:

“ISPs should not block, slow down, alter, restrict, interfere with, degrade or discriminate advertising when providing an IAS(Internet Access Service)”

Network adblocker Shine was quick out the proverbials issuing a response,

“European citizens have a right to protect themselves from being tracked,profiled and targeted by ad tech. “

Shine uses a byline that they are ‘fighting for consumer rights to block ads’.

This seems at odds with their July announcement of launching a ‘brand verification tool’ with a CPM (very ad friendly) billing model; all part of their acceptable ad programme.

Seems like another bit of adtech — will they be blocking themselves while they’re at it?

Or maybe it’s the referee wanting to play in the game.

Shine have spent the last year advocating blocking ads and protecting consumers. In two of the three rollouts they have implemented, the consumer has no choice and at least in one of them the network is injecting ads as replacement. It seems ad injection is the next step.

A little propaganda goes a long way.

There are high stakes here — for brands, networks, publishers and technology firms and it is moving rapidly from a cat and mouse game to one of more frequent military squirmishes. One strike against another. Phrases like ‘nuclear warfare’ are frequently used.

Instead of warring factions, maybe we should look at what is really at stake.

What BEREC has done has brought back in the consumer and that is where all involved must look to.

Publishers need to look at creative, be it native, high engagement or load.

Adtech firms need to look at creative, be it native, high engagement or load.

The same applies to all parties in the advertising and marketing chain.

Ironically the introduction of ad verification by Shine is where it begins — is my ad being seen where it should be, in the right environment and at the most appropriate time?

This is not new — Integral Ads, Truste and others have already identified verification as key. Nielsen have introduced DAR also.

There needs to be a mature approach to the right balance between creative, what is effective and what is acceptable; in load, frequency and privacy.

It’s not a war.

To paraphrase Mr. Spock, miltary analogies are the most fleeting of all.