Adblock Plus says it has more than 100 million active users
Adblock Plus now has more than 100 million active users, it announced Monday.
Already the most popular ad-blocking tool, Adblock Plus should expect to see its numbers rise even more now that the extension for Microsoft's Edge browser is finally available.
Adblock Plus acknowledged in a blog post that tallying its active users is "harder than it sounds" because of its privacy policy. The blog post did not elaborate on how it calculated its active users count, though it did note that "active users" actually means "active installations." In other words, some people using Adblock Plus on mulitple devices could count as more than one "user."
As the ad-blocking tool becomes more ubuiquitous, it should have more leverage in its quest to reshape online advertising. Adblock Plus developer Eyeo has generated plenty of friction with websites that rely on ad revenue. Eyeo allows some ads to bypass its filters through its "Acceptable Ads" initiative -- however, sites must apply to make it on the whitelist, and they must comply with Eyeo's criteria. Meanwhile, some sites are experimenting with barring users with active ad-blockers from accessing their content -- even though ad-blockers help prevent malware and ransomware.
The company is working with publishers and advertisers to find a compromise. Earlier this year, Eyeo's head of operations Ben Williams told ZDNet about its plans to launch an independent group -- comprised of publishers, advertisers, browser makers, user rights groups and other relevant players -- to identify "acceptable" ads that should be allowed past blockers. Williams said the committee is expected to launch by late August.