AdGuard CTO Andrey Meshkov on why Ad-Filtering Dev Summit is important

We spoke with Andrey Meshkov, AdGuard's CTO and co-founder, about the Ad-Filtering Dev Summit, its vital role in community building, the ideas for this year's talks, his personal highlights from the event, and more.

Andrey, what is AFDS for you? Why is it important?

Ad blocking has always been and will always be highly dependent on the community. This has been the case, without exaggeration, since its very inception. From the very beginning, the community was formed online — we didn't see each other and mostly communicated in writing. Ad-Filtering Dev Summit changed this and allowed the people involved to finally meet face to face. It turned out that we are close to each other and have many common topics to discuss. AFDS strengthened connections and expanded our community, and this is where I see its important role.

AFDS 2019 in Amsterdam

But its role doesn’t end there. AFDS has allowed people from related fields to connect with the ad blocking community. I'm talking about everyone: browser and operating system developers, privacy-focused software developers, academics, etc. All our interactions at the summit provide us with the necessary feedback which ultimately helps make all our products better. And I'm not just focusing on ad blockers here — I’m 100% sure that the summit gives valuable feedback to all participants.

Finally, the summit allowed us to show the world who is behind ad blocking and what drives them. For a long time, ad blocking was a rather marginal thing. There were some people that were trying to do something with online advertising. No one really knew who they were or why they were doing it. AFDS opens a window into our world for outsiders.

What do you think about this year's main topics*? Which of them do you find most interesting? Which would you like to add?

∗ Ad filtering beyond traditional media
Blockchain-based advertising and Web3 privacy challenges
The final stages of the Manifest v3 transition
Privacy issues related to casual interaction with AI
New tools for filter list development

First, everything related to LLM and AI. At the last summit, we were a bit ahead of the curve when we discussed what advertising in chatbots would look like, and so far, the conversation hasn't progressed much further. But I think we will see the first prototypes of LLM-based native advertising in the coming year. We need to seriously consider how to deal with this.

Our favorite topic of transitioning to MV3 hasn't exhausted itself yet. This is largely because we have to reinvent many things from scratch. In the process of this reinvention, new ideas may emerge. Some solutions may be better than what we had before, some may be worse, and we still have a lot to discuss.

Finally, I'm always very interested in talks about filter development. What can be improved, what can be automated, why, and how certain things are blocked.

It does not mean I am not interested in other topics! I am eager to hear more about literally anything related to ad filtering.

Already have an idea in mind? Submit your talk topic here.

AFDS 2022 in Amsterdam

What discussions and with whom from the dev community (and beyond) would you love to engage in?

I’ll be happy to talk to everyone :)

How many years has AdGuard been participating in AFDS? What has been your most memorable experience?

We've been participating every year since the very beginning, and we're very happy about it.

I have two memories, one from the very first summit 7 years ago and the other from the most recent one.

From the first summit, I remember my own presentation very well. It was probably my first public talk in English, which is not my native language. Maybe that's why I remember that talk so well. I think I performed terribly, stumbling and stuttering through every word, but the audience seemed to like it.

At the last summit, I really enjoyed the panel with the filter developers. I think it's great that these people were put in the spotlight and everyone got to know them better, as it's their passion for their work that keeps ad blocking alive.

Filter list panel, AFDS 2023 in Amsterdam

This year AdGuard and eyeo are the main hosts of the summit. What goals do you set for yourself, what do you consider a success?

The main goal is to ensure the satisfaction of both speakers and visitors. We aim to attract more professionals from our industry and related fields, represent a wider range of browsers, and facilitate more meaningful feedback exchange.

Will the format change in any way, what will be new this year?

This year, we’ll be taking on a new role as co-hosts, helping to organize and deliver a memorable event. This time the summit takes place in Berlin, eyeo’s office will be transformed into a real conference venue during the summit (thanks to eyeo for that!). We look forward to seeing you all in Berlin!