In the name of free speech, Adblock serves up ads, just for a day

Users of the Adblock browser extension may see something today they're not used to when they surf the web: ads. The ad-blocking giant, which claims to have 50 million users, will still remove advertisements from the web. But instead of showing the "peaceful, blank spaces you're accustomed to not noticing," Adblock will replace publishers' ads with banners supporting Amnesty International.

The Amnesty ads, which mark March 12 as the "World Day against Cyber Censorship," are a cause that Adblock believes is worthy enough to, well, advertise. The company says the messages, from US whistleblower Edward Snowden, Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei, and Russian punk band Pussy Riot, are a one-day exception to its business as usual. "Right now, there are billions of people whose access to Internet content is restricted and monitored by their own governments," wrote Adblock CEO Gabriel Cubbage in a statement explaining the campaign.