What the ‘Plus’ Stands for in Adblock

Sublime to ridiculous.

Adblock Plus, the mother and father of adblocking has completed the cycle: it is now launching an ad exchange, run apparently through Google and Appnexus.

Adblock Plus have always said they run an acceptable ads programme — but now they are delivering these ads and charging for them.

So what’s the difference between Adblock Plus offering and ‘normal’ advertising run across sites?

Essentially, Adblock Plus are blocking ads being delivered by websites to the websites’ visitors and then injecting their own ads instead of the publishers’ ads.

Some would call it parasitic. Some would call it hijacking.

Whatever your view on it is, it just makes no sense.

If I, as a web user, want to block ads, that is my prerogative as a web user to do so.

To have an adblocker deliberately ignore the reason for using it, is essentially a two fingered salute to its customers.

To add to matters, having an adblocker decide what ads it will allow appear on a website and then charge that website for the privilege, is somewhat two faced and just throws petrol on a fire which is already burning white hot in some circles.

This does not solve web users concerns with respect to ad load, data capture or latency.

It interferes with both the publisher and user with tools that were the cause of the rise of adblocking in the first place; the over supply of inventory and the retargeting of ads ad infinitum (no pun intended).

At a time when some level of mature debate and reflection is occurring in the marketplace, this just stirs a hornet’s nest.

Ironically, should Adblock Plus pursue this, it will reflect badly on everyone and solves nothing, for anyone.

A true case of foot-in-mouth.