The EE CEO told the Sunday Telegraph that he has launched a strategic review into whether the operator should give its 27 million mobile customers the quantity and type of advertising that appears on their devices.
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United Kingdom wireless carrier EE might be the next organization to offer ad-blocking services, said EE chief executive Olaf Swantee in an interview earlier this week.
Speaking with the Telegraph, EE CEO Olaf Swantee said he wanted to start a conversation about how ads are perceived by users and what the network could do to stop them being intrusive, hampering user experience.
He added: “Not all ads are bad. That’s why we’ve kicked off a strategic review internally to consider our plans”.
The tools could allow users to block web advertisements, as well as ads contained within apps. Given that tab management on mobile isn’t as robust as your desktop, this can get very, very annoying which is why a few users have turned to mobile ad blockers.
“We think it’s important that, over time, customers start to be offered more choice and control over the level and intensity of ads on mobile”.
Cupertino flicking the content blocking switch is set against a backdrop of increased uptake of ad blocking software in recent years, and growing awareness of privacy issues since the 2013 Snowden revelations – which revealed the extent of government mass surveillance programs and how they systematically harvest data from commercial tech companies. This list could easily become a product for EE, letting the carrier broker deals with companies in exchange for advertising space on mobile. According to a news report by Tech Radar, the British mobile network operator and internet service provider is weighing its options on the idea of blocking advertising on a network level.
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“Not all ads are bad”. His primary concern is “intrusive or crass” adverts that he says can “drive people insane”.
