Adblocking

Adblocking or Ad blocking is a term used to refer to a set of technologies that block ad-related content from a given host medium, most frequently websites. This advertising usually exists in the form of pop-ups, banners, and embedded videos that are presented to an end-user upon navigation to a given website or media-stream.

History

Over the years, adblocking has taken numerous forms. Originally, adblocking could be said to be present on homemade or bootleg recordings of radio and television content. Through the use of various recording technologies, such as VHS and Cassett tapes in the 1970s and 1980s, people could make recordings of their favorite songs and television shows in order for later playback, while creative playback, mixing, and audio engineering using the tools of the day, would allow them to edit out advertisements and commentary from their recordings.

However, since the early 2000s, the term has been used most prominently to refer to technologies which allow one block online advertisements from both websites and streaming video.

One of the earliest known examples of this latter type is the Firefox extension Adblock. Developed by Henrik Aasted Sørensen, Adblock was launched in 2002 as one of the first Firefox extensions. It allowed users to maintain a list of web addresses that the web browser would be prevented from loading - thus blocking the ad from being displayed on a given website. Over the years, many more adblocking technologies would be developed for a variety of different web browsers - including the successor to Adblock, Adblock Plus.

Recently, adblocking technology has seen development in DVR technology as well. In 2012, Dish network began bundling their Hopper DVR with an ad-skipping feature that allows users to bypass advertising on their prerecorded programs. This particular technology lead to a wide variety of lawsuits that are still in the process of being resolved. For the moment however, various court rulings have found this technology to be perfectly legal - to the incensed chagrin of television networks nationwide. However, this has not stopped certain networks from threatening to drop their coverage for the company if such technologies aren't significantly curtailed for their content - which Dish has typically acquiesced to.

Ethical Implications

The biggest and most obvious of the ethical issues surrounding adblocking are those of it's economic impact to advertisers. The argument largely comes down to exactly how valuable users of adblocking software are to a given advertiser.

Adblocking is now a business. Websites are also used as business tools. People need ads on their page if they are to keep their site running, and have traffic directed to their site. For example, searching Google, the first few results are usually ads. Companies pay for this, and expect to get more commerce if their sites are first in the search. Yet with adblocking, their money is going to waste. To combat this, companies are making their advertisements less annoying. Erik Martin, a manager at Reddit explains the type of ads he avoids on his site. "We are all frustrated and upset when we go to a quality publication and see ads for flat belly diets or pop-under ads". This shows how people have a reason for using adblocking tools. Users will be deterred from the site if they are annoyed by the ads. There must be a balance of ads, varying the levels of how 'obnoxious' they can be.

Till Faida is president of Adblock Plus, and he believes adblocking software is a cause and a business. He claims approximately 6% of web users use his software. Those who don't often pay for services to block ads. For example Spotify, originally free, can be upgraded to Premium to avoid ads. While that 6% uses adblockers, many websites lose up to 8% of their audience, which hurts not only the ad providers, but the actual website. Adblock Plus attempts to aid in the advertisers goals for successful ads. Adblock Plus charges ad providers to not only un-block ads, but to approve ads that they will not block. They call this the 'Acceptable Ads' program, and it is not easy to be a member of.

On the one hand, the argument can be made that those that use adblocking software are disruptive to a given advertiser's revenue stream - if they don't see your ad, they can't purchase what your advertising, or even know that your company exists in case they want to buy a product that you sell in the future.

On the other hand, there is the notion that people that use adblocking software represent a large portion of consumers whom see advertisements, but will never get converted into paying customers, and so have a net neutral impact on the advertiser and their various subsidiaries.

For the moment though, there is no conclusive answer one way or the other, and issue is still a matter of fierce debate.