Mobile telecom provider Three will start to automatically block advertisements for its customers in Italy and the United Kingdom. According to the Israeli provider of the technology there are 60 other providers interested in Europe and the United States to do the same.
The technology is provided by the company Shine Technologies that is able to block advertisements on the network level. That means users don't need ad blocking software, ads are blocked for everyone on the (mobile) network automatically.
It's not sure when Three starts with blocking ads and when the other interested parties will do the same. Blocking ads on the network level is controversial, modifying network traffic is in breach with net neutrality. The concept of net neutrality, that doesn't allow an internet provider to favor or throttle internet traffic, is part of the law in many countries.
Three has stated not to totally ban all advertisements, but to give their customers more control, choice and greater transparency.
The provider also argues that customers should not pay data charges for advertisements, that its customers should be protected from malware loaded through advertisements and that customers should only receive relevant and interesting ads.
