The Acceptable Ads
Committee
Ad blocking started as a response to visually intrusive ads. Today, user expectations have evolved, encompassing not just what ads look like, but how they handle data and respect privacy. The Acceptable Ads Committee (AAC) defines standards that keep pace with these expectations, balancing user experience, publisher sustainability, and advertiser reach.
Established in 2017, the AAC is an independent body that governs the Acceptable Ads Standard, a research-backed criteria determining which ads are shown to the 300M+ users who have opted into Acceptable Ads. Every standard we set is grounded in user research, debated across industry and advocacy perspectives, and subject to public feedback before adoption.
Balanced By Design
No single interest controls the standard. Every change requires input from industry, validation from independent experts, and approval that considers user advocates in order to ensure the standards serve the entire ecosystem.
Coalition | Who They Represent | Seats |
For-Profit | Buy-side (advertisers, agencies, DSPs) + Sell-side (publishers, SSPs, content creators). | 2 |
User Advocates | Individual ad-blocking users | 2 |
Expert | Researchers/Academia + User Agents (browsers, ad filtering products) | 2 |
For-profit coalition
Advertisers, publishers, ad tech providers, and agencies (the businesses that fund and deliver digital advertising).
Members
Dell • Dometic • Keypath Education • trivago • Amazon • Basis Technologies • BuySellAds • Rakuten Marketing • Native Ads • Instinctive • The Media Trust • Adtoma AB • Criteo • OKO Digital • WowYow • Sharethrough • Skydeo • System1 • Wunderkind • Diagonal Minds • D-Block • Yieldmo • DoorDash • Unblockia • Unibots • AdButler • Outbrain • Neutronian • Dable • ThanksToYou • LookListen • The Tombras Group • PartnerCentric • TLGG • Visiture • MQuest Group • 5-Star Marketing Advisors • Good-Loop • Strategus • Stocktwits • TED • Future Publishing • Local Media Consortium • Leaf Group • Viously • The Inquisitr • WeTransfer • Beeler.Tech • Freestar
Expert Coalition
Researchers, academics, and technical specialists who bring independent, evidence-based perspectives on advertising and user experience.
Members
AdProfs • BrandGlobe • Spaceback • Princeton University • Boston University • Institute for Internet Security • Alliance for Audited Media
Want to join them?
User Advocate Coalition
Ad-filtering users who represent the interests of everyday internet users.
Representative
Lawrence Williams, PhD
Members
Consumer Action • Fight for the Future • Dataskydd.net • plus other individual ad-blocking users
Want to join them?
AAC Leadership
Terry Taouss, President