Shaping the future of online advertising and privacy at the 2023 Ad-Filtering Dev Summit

In this blog post, Christos, Tech Relations Lead at eyeo, shares his firsthand experience attending the 2023 Ad-Filtering Dev Summit.

The Ad-Filtering Dev Summit, organized by eyeo is an opportunity for anyone in the ad filtering and ad tech space to learn, engage, reflect and brainstorm on a more balanced, user-centric, and sustainable internet. This year, eyeo held its sixth edition in a hybrid setting –– online and in-person at the Capital C in Amsterdam. 

I was thrilled to see Google and AdGuard at the summit, who not only sponsored the event but enriched it with interesting sessions and questions that challenged the status quo.

I found the summit well-balanced in every possible aspect. Let’s start with the venue – Capital C boasted a beautiful space with ample room to network and converse with other participants in between sessions.

A single-track, diverse and well-thought-out schedule with relevant sessions made the summit exciting and easy to participate in. Other than traditionally discussed topics around ad filtering solutions, dev tools and web extensions, this year, Ad-Filtering Dev Summit expanded its scope to include tracks that focused on AI, sustainability and policy.

Here are some of my highlights: 

1. Privacy and sustainability: In a discussion on "Redesigning advertising in a climate emergency", with Terry Taouss (Acceptable Ads Committee), Leigh Freund (NAI), Claire Gleeson-Landry (Good-Loop) and Justin Wohl (Salon.com/Snopes.com/TvTropes.org), I discovered the importance of sustainable media practice that the industry should adopt during an environmental crisis. This topic underscored the industry's commitment to sustainable advertising practices and how it aligns with global efforts to combat climate change.
2. Data privacy and regulation: One of the most pivotal sessions explored the "New EU-US Data Privacy Framework." Lisette Meij, Data Protection Officer at Piwik PRO, dived into the implications and durability of this new framework. This session emphasized the need to adapt to evolving privacy regulations and robust data privacy measures in the ad-blocking industry. 
3. Browser and platform insights: Representatives from Google, Mozilla, Brave and Opera shared news about upcoming features and participated in an exciting "Browser Panel." These discussions offered a glimpse into the latest advancements in browser technology and ad-blocking extensions. A dedicated session on the future of Chrome and the web extensions ecosystem organized by Google reinforced their commitment to a more open, safe and healthy ecosystem.

Overall, I was truly impressed and inspired by the quality, relevance and delivery of all the sessions. But don't take my word for it; you can check out the recorded sessions here. These are some of my favorite sessions (in no particular order):

• Gertrud Kolb - Opening note

• Sabine Schaller - Web Monetization - The 100% Ad Filter

• Pouneh Bahrami -  The Costs of Crossing the Line: Privacy Implications of Cross-Domain Script Interactions

• Dr. Humera Noor Minhas & Parinitha Hirehal -  The Now versus The Future: The Impact of AI on Ad Filtering

• Victoria McIvor - Compute x Climate: Innovations in decarbonising data

• Agnieszka Czyzewska - Beyond Effective Extensions: Automated Testing of SDKs

• Lisette Meij - The new EU-US Data Privacy Framework is here, but for how long?

• Claire Gleeson-Landry - Good for the planet, good for business

Furthermore, I am always happy to see diversity in the panelists and participants at a summit, like the Ad-Filtering Dev Summit, for example, as it's not a common view during tech events – especially those I have attended in my career so far. I do believe the tide is changing, and we will continue to see more diverse voices on stage, but I have to commend the organization team for putting more focus and effort into making this happen. 

It was a delight interacting with many others from around the world and across the industry who care about the open web.

At eyeo, our mission is to build technologies that bring balance to the digital world. This summit played a pivotal role in advancing this mission, and we will continue to push the boundaries of ad filtering, privacy, and sustainability, making the online space fair, sustainable and accessible. It’s so important we keep collaborating across the industry to shape a better internet, keeping users and their experience at the forefront.

Thanks for joining us on this path to a brighter digital future, and we hope to see you at next year’s edition.