Mobile operator 3 UK has sent an e-mail to customers to tell them, “We’ve got a new network tool that acts as a clever filter -- transparently working to get rid of the ads you don’t want to see, while keeping the stuff you’re really interested in. And all the time preserving your privacy and security.”
The company invites customers to get involved in a 24-hour trial around 15 June to test a system called Shine that filters out advertising before they receive them.
It explains that it is working with publishers and advertisers “to make things right not only for our network but for the rest of the web in the UK”. It indicates that the service will not filter out native or internal ads that are related to or owned by a website or app. After the trial 3 will call some participants to gain insight into their experience.
The company says it will keep information about the trial, including personal information and data usage for analysis for no longer than 6 months. "We won’t block all adverts while you’re using this service. The service will filter the adverts you usually see, but native or internal adverts that are related to or owned by a website or app will still show up."
After 3 announced in February that it had deployed Shine in the UK and Italy, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) said advertising was necessary to freely or affordably bring the internet to the greatest number. It concluded, "We believe ad-blocking undermines this approach and could mean consumers have to pay for content they currently get for free."
The software was developed by US and Israeli company Shine Technologies, which writes on its website, "Ad Blocking is a Consumer Right. Full Stop." As 3 wrote in its e-mail to its consumers, the platform it is using does not block all ads.
