A French Internet company's decision to begin blocking ads for its customers has been derailed by the intervention of Fleur Pellerin, the country's minister of the digital economy, because blocking one form of content -- ads -- could lead ISPs to engage in further censorship.
"This is an initiative that could endanger the survival of a number of economic actors," said Fleur Pellerin on Monday at a press conference covered by Le Monde. "The government should intervene and enact the necessary legislation to ensure Net neutrality because it's a matter of principle."
Free, a French Internet service provider, decided last week to block ads for its subscribers, a decision that denied many websites the ad revenue they rely on to pay for online content.
A firmware update posted last week for the company's Freebox -- a DSL modem, router, Wi-Fi hotspot, network storage device, phone, DVR and IPTV device -- included an "optional ad blocker" to block ads.
Read more: France Halts ISP's Ad Blocking - Security - Privacy - Informationweek
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