Who we are
With the help of an international community of volunteers, we develop open source software that millions of people use every day to have a better online experience. Our solutions such as Adblock Plus, which, with over 500 million downloads, is the most popular add-on/extension ever, put users in control over the kind of content they see online. Beyond that, we build software that encourages positive, informative advertising and privacy protection practices.
We are an international team, about half of whom work in the main Cologne office or in our shiny new Berlin office, and the other half remotely. eyeo was founded in 2011, when Till Faida met Wladimir Palant; and the two decided to take Palant’s sometimes hobby, Adblock Plus, and try and change a billion-dollar industry with it.
Our mission
Users will always decide how the Internet runs: we take a user-determined Internet not only as our mantra but as an irreversible fact. However, from our years of running an open source project, we have learned that most users wouldn’t mind seeing better, more informative ads. In fact, the majority of people we’ve talked to are keenly aware that advertising plays a pivotal role in keeping content online free. Trouble is, most Internet ads are still low on quality and high on annoyance, and the two sides — users and advertisers — rarely come together.
That’s where we come in. We find ourselves uniquely positioned to broker a compromise that makes the Internet better for all parties. We aim to make the entire ecosystem more sustainable by encouraging true innovation and non-intrusive ad standards, on the one end, and a better user experience on the other.
Finally, the success of Adblock Plus notwithstanding, we’re just getting started …
What we are working on:
Better Ads
We think online ads can be better. Our Acceptable Ads initiative aims to positively influence the web as a whole by giving all users an easy way to block unwanted elements, thus encouraging advertisers to follow guidelines for better advertising. Read more
Privacy
Our tools offer users the ability to block unwanted tracking codes and social media integration, letting each person decide for him- or herself which companies they share data with. Through more control and increased information, we encourage transparent privacy policies.
Security
We offer protection against malware, which allows users to browse online safely, without the fear of their computer being hijacked, and supports the vision of a more open Internet.
Open Source
All our software products are open source, meaning they are free to use, modify and redistribute. Hundreds of contributors worldwide participate in the development, making the popularity of our software a community success.
