5 ms·

This is extortion, plain and simple. Essentially they're forcing advertisers to funnel all ad content through them. Good thing for uBlock Origin because otherw

by Yuioup 10y ago

This is extortion, plain and simple. Essentially they're forcing advertisers to funnel all ad content through them. Good thing for uBlock Origin because otherwise they should be indicted to anti-competitive behavior. No, I don't like ads and I run uBlock Origin. I don't work for an advertising company and couldn't care less about ads. But what Adblock Plus is doing here is illegal.

cordite 10y ago
Sounds like the analogy is gang "protection" money. However here it seems to come with additional behavioral standards to the public.
ihsw 10y ago
How so? People have voluntarily installed Adblock Plus, viewers have no contract with publishers to view their ads, and ADP has no contract with publishers to keep their ads up.
CaptSpify 10y ago
How is it illegal?
CannisterFlux 10y ago
Heh, advertisers are getting what they deserve for ruining the internet. I worry it will escalate the arms race and ublock origin users like you and I will be affected, though I tend to avoid sites that are ad-heavy anyway. As for being illegal? No idea, but Google are doing something similar - reducing the rank of sites that don't use Google as their source of advertising. More or less ;-) Google frame it the same way as Adblock Plus - only sites with intrusive adverts are going to be punished, while those with Google adverts are wholesome and pure. But it is a very similar technique to AP. It's not quite the same, as the adverts are not blocked "merely" the whole site is downgraded in Google's search. Ouch. Then there's Brendan Eich's Brave browser that follows exactly the same model as Adblock Plus. Remove sites' adverts and show Brave's in their place! It seems cheeky to me, but not sure what law it breaks. Is there are "don't be a jerk" law in the US? Maybe there should be :-)
draw_down 10y ago
Anticompetitive behavior, boy oh boy.
libertymcateer 10y ago
>But what Adblock Plus is doing here is illegal. What law are they violating? I'm a software lawyer. As far as I know, nothing they are doing rises to violation of any law or regulation with regard to this particular move. Is it unethical? Maybe. That doesn't mean it is illegal. It is certainly not coercive - you can freely install or uninstall adblock, and you are free to advertise or not advertise with them. They do not have a monopoly, natural or otherwise, and their product is wholly voluntary. If Microsoft were installing ABP as a matter of course in IE and they prevented you from uninstalling it - then there is an argument that this would be anti-competitive. An independent third party distributing totally voluntary, uninstallable software? Unlikely.
- Yuioup 10y ago
  Ok. I can't edit my original statement. I shouldn't have put it that strongly, I guess.

by Yuioup 10y ago

cordite 10y ago

Sounds like the analogy is gang "protection" money. However here it seems to come with additional behavioral standards to the public.

ihsw 10y ago

How so? People have voluntarily installed Adblock Plus, viewers have no contract with publishers to view their ads, and ADP has no contract with publishers to keep their ads up.

CaptSpify 10y ago

How is it illegal?

CannisterFlux 10y ago

Heh, advertisers are getting what they deserve for ruining the internet. I worry it will escalate the arms race and ublock origin users like you and I will be affected, though I tend to avoid sites that are ad-heavy anyway. As for being illegal? No idea, but Google are doing something similar - reducing the rank of sites that don't use Google as their source of advertising. More or less ;-) Google frame it the same way as Adblock Plus - only sites with intrusive adverts are going to be punished, while those with Google adverts are wholesome and pure. But it is a very similar technique to AP. It's not quite the same, as the adverts are not blocked "merely" the whole site is downgraded in Google's search. Ouch. Then there's Brendan Eich's Brave browser that follows exactly the same model as Adblock Plus. Remove sites' adverts and show Brave's in their place! It seems cheeky to me, but not sure what law it breaks. Is there are "don't be a jerk" law in the US? Maybe there should be :-)

draw_down 10y ago

Anticompetitive behavior, boy oh boy.

libertymcateer 10y ago

>But what Adblock Plus is doing here is illegal. What law are they violating? I'm a software lawyer. As far as I know, nothing they are doing rises to violation of any law or regulation with regard to this particular move. Is it unethical? Maybe. That doesn't mean it is illegal. It is certainly not coercive - you can freely install or uninstall adblock, and you are free to advertise or not advertise with them. They do not have a monopoly, natural or otherwise, and their product is wholly voluntary. If Microsoft were installing ABP as a matter of course in IE and they prevented you from uninstalling it - then there is an argument that this would be anti-competitive. An independent third party distributing totally voluntary, uninstallable software? Unlikely.

Yuioup 10y ago
Ok. I can't edit my original statement. I shouldn't have put it that strongly, I guess.