Three plans to introduce network-wide ad-blocking

[Cakefish]

Three has announced it will be partnering with Shine to block ads on its mobile network for customers who opt-in to the service when it launches later this year in the UK and Italy.

More info: http://www.androidauthority.com/three-uk-to-block-mobile-ads-674411/
European carrier Three has signed a deal to use Shine's ad-blocking software on its mobile network in the UK and Italy.

Thoughts?

As a customer of Three myself, I couldn't be happier to hear this news.

 

[cbrunny]

Makes some sense for the consumer. Don't have to load ads. But it will make advertising companies pretty angry I think. Ultimately, they will win.

 

[Oyeve]

Sounds good but the ad companies will fight it and find another way.

 

[KeithP]

From http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/18/sh...s-three-uk-deploys-network-level-ad-blocking/

In a statement on the Shine implementation, Three UK’s CMO Tom Malleschitz said: “Irrelevant and excessive mobile ads annoy customers and affect their overall network experience. We don’t believe customers should have to pay for data usage driven by mobile ads. The industry has to work together to give customers mobile ads they want and benefit from. These goals will give customers choice and significantly improve their ad experience.”...

Details on how exactly the Three implementation will work are thin on the ground at this point, although the carrier says its three “principal goals” for deploying Shine are: eliminating data charges for ads for its customers; protecting customer privacy and security; and swatting “excessive, intrusive, unwanted or irrelevant adverts”, arguing that “customers should be entitled to receive advertising that is relevant and interesting to them, and not to have their data experience in mobile degraded”.

Reading between the lines, the cell carrier wants some of the ad revenue and this is their first step to insert themselves into the ad ecosystem. Ads aren't going away on their network now or in the future.

-KeithP

 

[Phynaz]

Slippery slope when carriers start messing with what traffic gets sent to your phone.

 

[Crono]

Slippery slope when carriers start messing with what traffic gets sent to your phone.

This. No shaping or inspecting my traffic, thank-you-very-much. Last thing we need is for ISPs to start deciding to pick winners and losers or try and force companies like Netflix or smaller players to pay a toll (and there was some shady stuff that may have been going on before Netflix started making a stink about it).

If I want to block ads, I block ads. All I need from my ISP is a dumb, fast pipe. Anytime the industry says in needs to work together for the public good, it probably isn't, it's usually get more money... possibly in this case they are hoping to collect money from the ad companies later on by having an "acceptable ads" policy whereby the ad networks can pay a fee to get approval to reach the ISPs customers.

I wish these ISPs would get it through their heads that they are essentially utilities and stop trying to differentiate themselves or collect more money by anything other than providing good service. Or at least I wish more people were aware enough to jump ship and switch to other networks at the first whiff of these kinds of anti-net neutrality practices.

 

[Cakefish]

This. No shaping or inspecting my traffic, thank-you-very-much. Last thing we need is for ISPs to start deciding to pick winners and losers or try and force companies like Netflix or smaller players to pay a toll (and there was some shady stuff that may have been going on before Netflix started making a stink about it).

If I want to block ads, I block ads. All I need from my ISP is a dumb, fast pipe. Anytime the industry says in needs to work together for the public good, it probably isn't, it's usually get more money... possibly in this case they are hoping to collect money from the ad companies later on by having an "acceptable ads" policy whereby the ad networks can pay a fee to get approval to reach the ISPs customers.

I wish these ISPs would get it through their heads that they are essentially utilities and stop trying to differentiate themselves or collect more money by anything other than providing good service. Or at least I wish more people were aware enough to jump ship and switch to other networks at the first whiff of these kinds of anti-net neutrality practices.

It's going to be opt-in. It won't be on by default. Customers will only be affected if they want to be.

 

[Crono]

It's going to be opt-in. It won't be on by default. Customers will only be affected if they want to be.

That's not too bad if they decide to keep it opt-in and this isn't just a test or step along the way to making it opt-out or standard.

 

[Cakefish]

That's not too bad if they decide to keep it opt-in and this isn't just a test or step along the way to making it opt-out or standard.

I imagine they will have no choice. I can't imagine it'd be legal to block ads by default. Net neutrality and all that.

I'd be plenty happy with an opt-in system. I'd be the first to sign up.

Adguard seems to destroy battery life and I don't really want to change my default browser from Chrome to the Adblock one. And I don't wish to root.

This is would solve all my problems.

 

[Raduque]

I would just be happy if somebody outlawed animated gif, html5 or flash, video and audio ads.