Dive Summary:
- The French government on Monday ordered the Internet-provider Free to cease its practice of blocking online ads for its customers.
- Fleur Pellerin, the French minister for the digital economy, said at a news conference that Internet providers such as Free "cannot unilaterally implement such blocking."
- Though Google is not know to have been involved in talks with Pellerin, other parties with ad revenue interests had complained about Free's actions.
From the article:
"... On Monday, Fleur Pellerin, the French minister for the digital economy, said she had persuaded the Internet service provider, Free, to restore full access. The company, which has long balked at carrying the huge volume of traffic from sites owned by Google without compensation, had moved last week to block online ads when it introduced a new version of its Internet access software. ..."
