The client
eyeo is the developer of a suite of products including Adblock Plus, the world’s most popular ad blocking software. The free web browser extension aims to rid the internet of annoying and intrusive online advertising. Users across the world have downloaded Adblock Plus over 1 billion times, and it has remained the most downloaded and the most used extension almost continuously since November 2006.
The goals
eyeo’s solutions share a common purpose: to put users in control of a fair and profitable web. This explains its eagerness to address one of the most pertinent issues facing online consumers – fake news.
eyeo developed a free browser extension named Trusted News, which works to analyse the reliability of visited websites and alert users of biased, untrustworthy or malicious content as they anonymously surf the internet. The company hoped that the technology would help tackle the propagation of misinformation across the entire internet by empowering the user to spot fake news sources.
eyeo acknowledged that a strong regulatory response is also needed if the issue of fake news is to be properly addressed, given its habitation and ramifications beyond the internet.
The company aimed to engage with UK legislators on the matter to inform the political debate and contribute to a long-term solution that works for users, content creators and the general public.