Eyeo Product Review: AdBlock Plus

15th of October, 2015

Eyeo

Eyeo is a company that works alongside volunteers from around to globe to create open source software solutions. The main goal of Eyeo is to broker a balance between users and ad companies. This is done by trying to purge the internet of “bad ads” and leaving acceptable ads that users wouldn’t mind viewing in their place. Eyeo’s signature product is the immensely popular AdBlock Plus, but they also have a host of services available to businesses that wish to pursue acceptable ads.

From the beginning, we can see why some users would already be apprehensive about using a solution from Eyeo. Usually when we see that a company’s target audience is both autonomous users and businesses, there is the natural tendency to question whose interest is really at heart. Understanding this concern is what has probably led to Eyeo’s latest headline from late September. AdBlock Plus (ABP) will be creating an independent board that will scrutinize which ads are and are not allowed to by bypass ABP’s filters. In doing so, Eyeo is able to add another weapon to AdBlock Plus’s arsenal with the hopes of reinforcing user trust in their signature product.

Adblock Plus

With over 300 million downloads, Adblock Plus is the most popular browser extension in the world. ABP holds this title for good reason––the browser extension is available for free on all major internet browsers and recently, Android and iPhone devices. ABP’s main functionality is to block a host of unpleasant additions to your online browsing. Included in ABP’s blocking are trackers, malware domains, banners pop-ups and video ads. Nonobstructive ads are not blocked, as ABP believes that ads are an important source of revenue for the websites you visit as well. Finally, ABP does not collect any of your personal information, giving users added trust in ABP.

A contributing factor to the success of AdBlock Plus is its ability to block ads that come up before a YouTube video. However, this benefit might soon be ending, as it was reported in September 2015 that YouTube had found a solution, allowing them to work around AdBlock Plus’s filter. NetworkWorld provides more coverage on this story. Although we won’t spend time going in depth on the details of this new development, losing the ability to block ad clips from YouTube would be a big hit the AdBlock Plus’s massive success.

More reviews on AdBlock Plus can be found from PCWorld.

About Ryan Jeethan

Ryan is a graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Arts & Business program focusing on UW’s unique Speech Communication program.