Adblock Plus has issued a response in relation to the news that several of the best known German online news publications (Spiegel Online, Sueddeutsche.de, FAZ.net, Zeit, Golem.de and RP Online) have started a joint campaign urging their readers to disable their ad blockers.

With over 200 million downloads, Adblock Plus is officially the number one most downloaded browser add-on of all time, and has responded to the news by stating it is part of the solution, not the problem:

“At Adblock Plus, we welcome the fact that major news sites such as Spiegel Online, RP Online and FAZ.net, have brought attention to the importance of user satisfaction through online advertising,” says Till Faida, co-founder of Adblock Plus.

“With over 200 million downloads, this clearly demonstrates the resounding issues which exist around online advertisements. Currently there is an argument to say that the advertising industry is not innovation friendly enough to engage in alternatives to flashing banners.

“The honest truth is many do not understand the mechanics of online advertising and simply copy the standards and concepts set by television advertising. It’s important to realise the internet is a democratic medium – advertisers can impose anything on its audience, and users are perfectly entitled, with the help of tools like Adblock Plus, to accept or reject these advertisements.

“We are fully aware that quality journalism is funded by advertising and understand the monetary value this plays within a business, and that is why we developed our ‘acceptable-ads-initiative’ in order to find a compromise between internet users and publishers.

“Advertising that is deemed unobtrusive and is certified ‘acceptable’ by the Adblock Plus community, is not blocked. The key is democracy – the community decides which adverts are unobtrusive, and those that are tend to reach a wider audience with an average of 15 to 20 per cent more click-throughs.

“We therefore call on news sites, publishers, advertisers and networks to face the dialogue and make adverts for, not against, the user.”