Supplementary evidence provided by Adblock Plus

1. Introduction –Adblock Plus

1.1.  Adblock Plus (ABP) is an open source project that aims to allow consumers to protect themselves by filtering annoying and intrusive online advertising from their internet experience.

1.2.  ABP offers a free web browser extension that puts users in control by letting them block or filter which advertisements they want to see.

1.3.  Unlike other online advert blockers, ABP does not indiscriminately block all adverts. In order to protect the revenues of content providers, such as journalists, advertisers and online bloggers, ABP only blocks adverts that do not meet the standards of the independent Acceptable Ads Committee. 

1.4.  The Acceptable Ads Committee is an independent body comprised of publishers, content creators, consumers, ad-tech companies and advertising agencies, among others, that decides what certain ad-blocking software, including but not limited to Adblock Plus, can let through its filter. Adverts must comply to the “acceptable ads” criteria in order to bypass ABP’s ad blocking software, and users can opt out of it, choosing instead to block all blockable online advertisements.

1.5.  The Acceptable Ads Criteria[1] is open to the public and predominately based on the placement, distinction and size of adverts. The criteria are aimed at protecting consumers by ensuring that they are not exposed to intrusive and disruptive adverts, while giving advertisers, publishers and bloggers a way to monetise.

1.6.  Larger entities pay a licensing fee for the whitelisting services requested and provided to them, after their particular ads meet the Acceptable Ads criteria.  90 per cent of members to the Acceptable Ads Programme do not meet this threshold however and are therefore able to advertise for free. This ensures that ABP remains a free service to its consumers.

2. Key messages

Context

2.1.  The openness and opacity of the internet infrastructure has allowed for fake news and misinformation to be spread at levels that has never been seen before. Figures show that up to fifty per cent of consumers are now concerned with the accuracy of the news that they read online.[2]

Government solutions

2.2.  The Government’s attention on this issue is most welcome, however the trajectory of policy seems to be headed in the wrong direction. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) rightly voiced concerns that government activity on determining and addressing fake news could lead to an unacceptable restriction on freedom of expression.[3] These concerns must be accounted for as the Government implements its national security unit for tackling fake news and misinformation. 

Self-regulation

2.3.  A more effective solution may be for a system of ‘self-regulation’ to be implemented, similar to that used in the publishing and advertising industries. This system would require an independent watchdog to be created that would oversee the activities of social media companies in tackling the spread of fake news and illegal content. This system would be advantageous as it would hold social media companies to account while limiting the risk of governmental censorship.

Platform solutions

2.4.  Facebook and Google have taken steps in the right direction on this issue, trialling a range of solutions to police the dissemination of fake news through use of human editors and AI that evaluate and react to the quality of shared content on their platforms.[4]

2.5.  However, these solutions are limited to their user platforms and therefore fail to address the risks that come with wider internet use. To deal with the scale of this problem, solutions must be provided that work across the entire infrastructure of the internet, alongside platform solutions provided by the likes of Facebook and Google.

Third party solutions

2.6.  Third party solutions that work across the entire internet are therefore better placed to address the propagation of fake news. Third party contributions can come in many forms including software that monitors and alerts users of questionable content. Third party solutions are also beneficial as they are independent and motivated strictly to the end user, as opposed to protecting the revenues of those reliant on advertising.

2.7.  Adblock Plus is in the process of developing software that has the ability to identify fake news and filter it. These types of solutions are advantageous, as they operate from a mere browser extension, offering users protection across the entire Internet. Furthermore, these solutions are free, making them easily accessible to the average consumer. Adblock Plus is willing to share details of these technologies to the Committee further down the development line.