News
Mobile operator keen to filter out adverts that damage its customers’ mobile browsing experience.
3UK announced on Thursday that it will conduct a mobile ad-blocking trial next month that will filter out what are deemed to be intrusive adverts that damage the customer experience.
The trial will take place during the week beginning 13 June and will last for 24 hours. Participants are invited to sign up via 3’s Website.
Ad-blocking is a contentious issue, particularly for online media outlets funded by ad revenue.
Some companies have fought back against ad-blocking software, updating their Websites to detect it, and then prompting visitors to disable it. Some have even taken to withholding content until the visitor complies.
"The current ad model is broken. It frustrates customers, eats up their data allowance and can jeopardise their security," said Tom Malleschitz, chief marketing officer of 3UK, in a statement. "Something needs to change."
3UK reiterated the three principles about advertising that were set out by its parent company CK Hutchison in February.
First: customers should not have to pay data charges to receive ads; instead the costs should be borne by the advertiser.
Second: customers’ security and privacy must be fully protected.
Finally third: customers should receive ads that are relevant and interesting, and not have their experience degraded by excessive, intrusive, unsolicited or irrelevant adverts.
"We can only achieve change by working with all stakeholders in the advertising industry – customers, advertising networks and publishers – to create a new form of advertising that is better for all parties," Malleschitz said.
