EU rules against advert blocks from mobile networks

Mobile phone operators should not be allowed to block advertisements on their networks, according to a European Union regulatory body.

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications updated its guidelines this week, advising the networks against the move, which could be in breach of net neutrality legislation.

The legislation states that providers should not be allowed to slow down or block certain websites, or receive payment in exchange for preferable treatment.

Mobile network Three have already begun to trial ad blocking software, which is already used by many in private browsers who seek not to be disrupted by ads.

The company have said that by offering users the choice of whether to accept the ad blocks or not, they do not breach net neutrality laws.

However, Berec have said that it "does not consider that end-user consent enables ISPs to engage in such practices at the network level."

Facebook has also been involved in a well-publicised battle against ad blockers, as the majority of its revenue is derived from adverts on its website and app.

In a tit-for-tat battle between the social network and prominent blocking software firm AdBlock Plus, the two took turns blocking and unblocking sponsored content on its pages. The latter appeared to emerge victorious on that occasion.

"This sort of back-and-forth battle between the open source ad-blocking community and circumventers has been going on since ad-blocking was invented; so it’s very possible that Facebook will write some code that will render the filter useless – at any time," ABP said in a blog.