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Brave browser now blocks scripts and ads on the desktop
Former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich's privacy-focused, ad-blocking browser has been quietly rolling out new features for desktop. What sets Brave apart from other browsers and ad blockers, was Eich's promise that the browser would actually pay you back if you agreed to be shown ads from its own network.
Opera's speedy built-in ad-blocking goes wide and mobile
Back in March, Opera introduced its native ad-blocking feature to developers. Today, the feature is available to everyone -- on desktop and mobile. The company claims that compared to Chrome, browsing with its native ad-blocking on is 45 percent faster than Google's browser with third-party ad-blocking extensions running. Beyond that, Opera says that the update makes pages load up to 89 percent faster than without the feature activated.
AdBlock Plus wants to help you pay the sites you visit most
With hundreds of millions of internet users choosing to block ads, publishers are being forced to adopt new strategies to survive. Paywalls are one option, but they often put off readers who wish to visit a website just to read one article. As companies scramble to provide a middle ground between subscriptions and pay-per-story services, an unlikely new challenger has emerged: AdBlock Plus. Known for its browser apps and extensions, the service has teamed up with micro-transaction specialist Flattr to let people pay the publishers they visit most regularly.
Newspaper giants threaten Brave over its ad-swapping browser
You remember how Brave's web browser pays you to see replacement ads (overriding a site's usual ads) when you don't pay to block promos outright? Yeah, publishers aren't very happy about that. A coalition of 17 news giants, including the New York Times and Dow Jones, has sent Brave a letter claiming that its ad-swapping business model is illegal. Allegedly, the approach is tantamount to copyright infringement. It's "indistinguishable" from stealing articles and posting them on another site, according to the publishers. The group also doesn't buy the argument that Bitcoin payments and revenue sharing will make up for the lack of native ads -- those methods "cannot begin to compensate" for the lost income.
Opera's desktop web browser gets built-in ad blocking
If you use a major desktop web browser, you usually have to hunt down an ad blocking add-on if you're determined to purge intrusive promos from your internet experience. You won't have to go scrounging if you're an Opera fan, however: the company has released a developer version of its desktop browser with ad blocking built-in. It not only saves you the trouble of finding an extension, but takes the challenge out of it -- there's a simple on/off switch, and you'll get a mix of benchmarking and stats to show how effective the blocking is in real life.
O2 CEO says blocking mobile ads isn't 'the answer'
Just a few days after Three announced it was going to block mobile ads at the network level, O2's CEO, Ronan Dunne, has spoken out against the practice. In an interview with Campaign at MWC, Dunne criticized pop-ups and other "intrusive forms of advertising" but added that grand-scale blocking wasn't "the answer." It's a slightly different tune than O2 was humming late last year. Days after EE said it was considering ad blockers on its network, O2's MD of digital commerce made it clear that the carrier was in the advanced stages of assessing the technology itself, and was even testing it with some customers.
UK carrier Three to block ads at the network level
In a landmark move for the UK's wireless industry, Three has inked a deal with Shine that will enable ad-blocking across its network. The decision will, according to Three, give customers "control, choice and greater transparency" over the ads that appear on their devices. It won't, however, eliminate advertising entirely -- just the worst offenders, the pair claim. The controversial technology will be used initially on Three's UK and Italian networks, before a "rapid roll-out" in other markets. The necessary changes have been implemented, however the scheme isn't live just yet -- Three says it'll explain the specifics "over the coming months."
RIP: Adblock Plus
I got a little too excited when the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) chief called Adblock Plus (ABP) "an unethical, immoral, mendacious coven of techie wannabes." I immediately wanted to know when the next coven meeting was and how many stars to sew onto my witch cape. The chief's accusations of heresy came after ABP was disinvited from the bureau's Leadership Summit. IAB's chief further twisted the ceremonial dagger by saying they weren't invited "in the first place." After that splendid outburst of public bitchiness, finding and joining the ad-blocking coven was my destiny. But little did I know that any ad-free witchery Adblock Plus might've been storing up for future spell-casting was getting less ad-free by the minute.
Google backs away from banning dedicated Android ad blockers
Google's tough stance on dedicated Android ad blockers might be softening a bit. The company has reversed its decision to yank Adblock Fast from the Play Store following an appeal from the app's developer, Rocketship. Google hasn't officially said what prompted the change of heart (we'll let you know if it has a comment), but TechCrunch understands that Google had originally wanted to limit ad blocking to browsers where it's an option -- any stand-alone apps were against the rules for interfering with other software. Our understanding is that Google is now concerned solely with banning those apps that interfere without permission. Given that Rocketship was working with Samsung, that shouldn't be a problem.
Former Mozilla CEO's browser blocks (and replaces) web ads
Let's say you're Brendan Eich, the former CEO of Mozilla -- an organization that thrives on internet privacy. What would you do? If you guessed "build a privacy-minded web browser," you hit the nail on the head. Eich is developing Brave, a Chromium-based web browser that blocks all ads by default in the names of both privacy and speed. It'll supposedly be faster than installing all the relevant blocking tools yourself. However, this isn't strictly a power-to-the-people move... the Brave team has its own ad plans.
ASUS' mobile devices will ship with built-in ad blocking
Ad blocking is now easy to find on just about every device you own, but it's rarely included from the get-go. However, ASUS aims to change that. As of early 2016, all of the company's web-capable mobile devices will ship with AdBlock Plus not only included with the company's proprietary browser, but switched on by default. If you tend to visit sites with intrusive ads, you won't have to lift a finger to get rid of most promos.
O2 also considers blocking phone ads
More than one UK network is weighing up whether to offer its customers mobile ad-blocking tools. After EE stepped forward over the weekend, O2 is doing the same through an interview with Business Insider. Robert Franks, managing director of digital commerce at O2, says the carrier is "absolutely" looking at the practice. "When I say we are looking at these technologies, we are not just paying lip service to them," he explains. "We are absolutely having conversations which are well-advanced in terms of what that technology would do in our network...and how we would position this with customers."
EE is considering whether to block ads on customers' phones
The ability to block online ads could soon come from an unlikely source. Instead of installing a browser extension or a third-party iOS app, there's a chance Brits will be given the option by their mobile network. We've heard rumblings of this before, but now a UK carrier has confirmed it's looking at such a feature; EE's CEO Olaf Swantee tells The Sunday Telegraph he's launched an internal "strategic review" to see whether customers should be given "more choice and control over the level and intensity of ads on mobile."
Mozilla proposes three golden rules for ad blockers
Users and advertisers are about to get involved in a dust-up over the role of content blockers, with much of the internet caught in the crossfire. Mozilla is hoping to play peacemaker by proposing a set of three golden rules that will create a "healthy, open web." The most notable is probably the idea that the firms providing browser extensions should be "content neutral," only screening out items that the user wants to avoid. That means blocking malware, pernicious tracking software produced by advertisers and bandwidth-heavy video ads. It's also a subtle two-fingered salute to companies like AdBlock Plus, which lets Google, Amazon and Microsoft amongst others get around the block, so long as they pay a fee.
Adblock Chrome extension has been sold to an unknown buyer
Ad blockers have been all over the news lately, in large part because of Apple's decision to allow them in iOS 9. Now, the creator of one of the most well-known ad blockers has apparently decided to sell his creation to an undisclosed company. As reported by The Next Web, creator Michael Gundlach posted a note in an update to his Adblock Chrome Extension saying that he was selling the company, with his "long-time managing director" taking over the role of working with that new company. It seems that Gundlach is no longer working with Adblock at all
iOS 9's web browser can block annoying ads
Don't like having to wrestle with pop-up ads and similar intrusions when you're browsing the web on your iPhone? You might not have to when iOS 9 rolls around. Apple has quietly let slip that the operating system's version of Safari includes support for content blocking extensions, much like its Mac counterpart -- in other words, it can block ads. You only have to install an app with the right Safari extensions to make cookies, images, scripts and other unwanted material disappear. It's not certain how Apple will police apps with these add-ons, but it's feasible that at least some ad blockers will get approval.
Adafruit tutorial turns your Raspberry Pi into an ad-blocking WiFi access point
Ads can be a buzzkill, especially when they're so pervasive they become distractions. Luckily, Adafruit has a new tutorial that turns your Raspbery Pi into a WiFi access point that doubles as a mighty ad-blocking machine for any device -- be it an iPad or an Xbox -- that connects to it. All you need is a working internet connection, a Raspberry Pi booting Raspbian, a WiFi adapter, an Ethernet cable and the necessary software (which the tutorial breaks down for you). It should go without saying, but Adafruit also includes a reminder to whitelist the ad-supported sites you frequently visit. Blocking ads might improve your online experience overall, but it's always a good idea to support the people who provide you with free content. To get started, check out the tutorial at the source link below.
Google yanks ad-blocking apps from Play Store, points to developer agreement
You know how it goes -- "rules" are only "rules" if someone bothers to enforce them. And enforce Google has. While programs such as AdBlock, AdAway, AdFree and the like have been running unabated for quite some time now, Google has evidently buckled down and yanked the lot of 'em overnight. Of course, the company's Play Store developer agreement already makes clear that apps designed specifically to hinder the natural course of advertising won't be allowed, but it's certainly interesting to see the company finally making good on its words. Specifically, the agreement states: "You agree that you will not engage in any activity with the Market, including the development or distribution of Products, that interferes with, disrupts, damages, or accesses in an unauthorized manner the devices, servers, networks, or other properties or services of any third party including, but not limited to, Android users, Google or any mobile network operator." See that bit about third-party clients' services? We're guessing that it's in reference to implementations of advertising code. Looks like the wild, wild west has a sheriff in town.
