Adblock blasts users with ads to protest online censorship

In an ironic move, Adblock plans to present a series of online ads to its 50 million users for 24 hours, in support of an Amnesty International campaign objecting to cyber censorship. While perhaps viewed by some as a worthy cause, Adblock's move could also be viewed as hypocritical, not blocking ads that the company deems important. Each ad will appear in banner format, featuring messages from an individual or group in the public eye, that has been personally affected by online surveillance. The campaign forms part of global demonstrations for World Day Against Cyber Censorship, and will urge Adblock users to take action against increasing governmental control of online communications.

To bring attention to the issues of censorship and Internet surveillance, Edward Snowden, Pussy Riot and Ai Weiwei are teaming up with AdBlock and Amnesty International to launch an online protest campaign. The campaign(opens in a new tab) is starting Friday at 4 p.m., exclusively visible to AdBlock users, and will run through Saturday, March 12, coinciding with World Day against Cyber Censorship.

Amnesty International is an organization that campaigns against abuses of human rights including free speech. AdBlock is a Internet browser extension that removes advertisements from webpages.

All of the quotes in the campaign images are from people who have been silenced by governments around the world for one reason or another. In its release, Amnesty International wrote that governments are seeking more control over online content and are actively looking to increase means of surveillance and censorship.

One of the campaign ads that will show up to AdBlock users, featuring words from Pussy Riot. Credit: AdBlock/Amnesty International

“In the last year, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland and Switzerland have sought new intelligence bills that will increase their ability to spy on communications in these countries and beyond,” Amnesty International wrote. “China and Kuwait passed laws criminalising or restricting certain online expression.”

The campaign also lines up with the recent Apple vs. FBI debates regarding the U.S. government wanting Apple to create a backdoor into iPhones to use in criminal and national security investigations. Amnesty International is urging Internet companies to side with security and privacy, and not succumb to government pressure to allow surveillance.

An ad featuring Ai Weiwei, a Chinese contemporary artist and activist. Credit: AdBlock/Amnesty International

“The world was too lax about protecting privacy and free speech on the internet,” Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty wrote. “We now need a radically new approach to protecting online rights to fight back against government restrictions on online freedoms.”