Websites that Detect your Ad Blocker could be Illegal According to EU Law

[Mave]

Websites that Detect your Ad Blocker could be Illegal According to EU Law.

Websites that detect ad-blockers to stop their users from reading webpages could be illegal under European law.

Alexander Hanff, a privacy campaigner and programmer, says he has received a letter from the European Commission confirming that browser-side web scripts that pick out advert blockers access people's personal data (ie: the plugin stored on their computer). Thus, just like you need to give permission to EU websites to access and store your cookies, ad-blocker detectors must ask for permission before probing your browser.

https://twitter.com/alexanderhanff/status/722861362607747072/photo/

Therefore, under EU law in force since May 2011, people must give their consent before an anti-ad-blocker script can run and hide content on a page. Of course, while waiting for that consent from a visitor, the site could refuse to show anything, but then the publisher will scare off all readers, even the ones who turn out to be not running anti-ad plugins. If the page is viewable while waiting for the consent, then blocking ad-blockers is pointless.

Hanff has now said he will be using the commission's letter as the basis for a series of legal challenges against firms that use anti-ad-blocking software. Next week he'll also be setting up a website for people to identify websites that use the code, so that a list of potential defendants can been identified.

That's bad news for outlets that have decided to block anti-ad plugins.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/23/anti_ad_blockers_face_legal_challenges/

 

[Stybar]

You know, it's tactics like this that will scare away ANY form of modern technology businesses from the EU. There are SO many rules and little nitpicking things that the EU will CRASH DOWN on, that it's absolutely not interesting to start a company in the EU.

 

[Mave]

You know, it's tactics like this that will scare away ANY form of modern technology businesses from the EU. There are SO many rules and little nitpicking things that the EU will CRASH DOWN on, that it's absolutely not interesting to start a company in the EU.

While I fully agree with you, I do hate websites that ask me to disable adblock to continue reading/viewing their content.

 

[Stybar]

You know, it's tactics like this that will scare away ANY form of modern technology businesses from the EU. There are SO many rules and little nitpicking things that the EU will CRASH DOWN on, that it's absolutely not interesting to start a company in the EU.

While I fully agree with you, I do hate websites that ask me to disable adblock to continue reading/viewing their content.

If it's an annoying popup, yeah sure. But sites like nexusmods just have non obtrusive banners, which I really don't mind.

 

[Mave]

You know, it's tactics like this that will scare away ANY form of modern technology businesses from the EU. There are SO many rules and little nitpicking things that the EU will CRASH DOWN on, that it's absolutely not interesting to start a company in the EU.

While I fully agree with you, I do hate websites that ask me to disable adblock to continue reading/viewing their content.

If it's an annoying popup, yeah sure. But sites like nexusmods just have non obtrusive banners, which I really don't mind.

Ah yes indeed, the only ads I hate are contentlockers and pop ups.