EE - UK's largest carrier - may start to block ads in its network

Carriers already block spam and viruses. Some carriers throttle torrent traffic. These are services they can provide because the customers are willing to pay for them. I don't see why blocking ads is any different.

 

I think there are qualitative differences between them.

A virus is typically malicious, stealthy, and harbouring a potential to cause harm to the network and the devices on it.

Spam is one to many pushed content where the sender requires no authorisation or even implicit consent from the user. Here its still common (and to me preferred) for all but the most obvious of spam to be placed in to a special folder not outright blocked.

A typical ad however is pulled content, I'm asking for a piece of content from the web (or at least an app is) and I'm not being given it.

Obviously this is all grey.

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In the end my preference is that providers of all kinds serve what they are asked for (and yes I would like to be able to download a virus if I specifically ask for it ).

 

Let me rephrase it. I would pay a slight premium for a mobile phone carrier that would block aggressive ads. So would many of their customers. Therefore someone will do it soon. And if they make money off of it, then it will become a real thing.

Getting what you ask for is a great concept for tech savvy individuals. Its why systems like linux exist. But there is also a market for simpler systems. That's why windows and mac exist.

And for the record, a telco should not allow my mother in law to down load a virus. No matter how many times she asks for it. Or how adamant she is that she really wants it. That's the market this move is aiming for. Not anyone that is likely to hang out on this forum.

 

For sure if its opt in, or clear what is happening/how it can be changed then its great, I was responding to other posters not the original article.

 

Wonder if the telcos will block the ads in to shows provided by online streaming services owned by to networks or if it's just ads scattered on web pages &/or games run by little people?

 

You cant ban something you dont like

 

Yeah I can. I'll make/buy out a Massive Internet company and ban them all. users who download F2P games will be charged 150 dollar aggravation fee. Boo yaa! loll ahahahha.

 

Isn't that what @hippocoder does all the time?

 

Unfortunately not. Otherwise this place would be a ghost land. I jest. Or do I? You'll never know!

 

... ... ... Hololens better not have ads at all .. if they do: stuff!!! (shakes fist at sky LOLs)

 

Life might be better if they do. Life in ads is always nice & happy whereas life in games is fraught with danger (& zombies).

 

until its too late

 

Primewire. You can't watch your shows live, but I've seen some as early as an hour after they end. It's sickening to see runtimes getting lower and lower as commercials take more time. I think 1 show for a 30 minute time slot only had 17 minutes in the episode!

There should be a global strike one day where everyone for a whole month watches tv 1 day late and skips through all of the commercials with tivo.