Google reinstates ad blocker for Samsung's browser

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) restored an ad blocker for Samsung's mobile browser to its Google Play app store nearly as quickly as it had dropped the plugin in the first place.

Google last week removed Adblock Fast from its storefront just days after the software made its Android debut, shooting to the top of the download charts. The company didn't say why the app was dropped, but the offering may have been deemed to violate Play guidelines that forbid apps or plugins that interfere with or disrupt "devices, servers, networks" or third-party apps or services.

But Rocketship, which developed Adblock Fast, said in a blog post that "Google has reversed their decision, both accepting our appeal in an email sent to us on Friday evening and approving and republishing Adblock Fast by the time we woke up this morning."

Google didn't give any information about why the app was rejected last week, however.

Ad blockers have gained traction on desktop computers during the past several years, and Apple attracted attention last summer when it announced iOS would support them. Google's move to drop the plugin led to speculation that the company may have been taking a stance against software that undermines the ad revenues upon which its business is based, and its decision to reinstate Adblock Fast may raise some eyebrows among advertisers. Those marketers are likely to keep a close eye on just how thoroughly Google vets ad-blocking software going forward.

For more:
- see this Rocketship blog post

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