AdBlock Defender

Project to help give publishers options on how to deal with ad blockers that interfere with their ad-driven business model.

Clearly, if readers express a preference to not see ads on their computers or smartphones, publishers should honor this preference rather than simply overriding it or looking for ways to defeat the ad blockers. However, their content was never really meant to be free - it came with an implicit contract similar to the one used by network TV ("we do not make you pay for content, but in exchange we ask for some of your time and attention on behalf of our sponsors who do pay for this show"). Currently, ad blockers give readers a way to cancel this contract unilaterally, which leads to lower advertising revenues, worse quality content and dissatisfaction for all participants.

AdBlock Defender gives publishers a choice to make their contracts explicit. If it encounters a session with an ad blocker, it will redirect the page to a note that explains the choices (usually turn off the ad blocker or pay for content), or simply points out the problem and asks for readers to whitelist the publisher's page.

Work in progress - additional specifications to be added.