Man builds real life adblocker and it looks straight out of Black Mirror

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In case you’ve ever pondered about eliminating real-life ads, a gentleman has devised a method for achieving this, and it might serve as an opening scene in a futuristic thriller or horror film.

On June 19th, software engineer Stijn Spanhove disclosed that he’d been developing an augmented reality (AR) application specifically for the Snapchat Spectacles, which are Snap Operating System (Snap OS) powered see-through AR glasses.

As per Spanhove’s explanation, he was able to train Gemini AI to identify advertisements in the physical environment and subsequently “eliminate” or “screen out” these ads.

In simpler terms, it functions similarly to a browser’s ad blocker, except rather than hiding pop-ups or advertisements on the screen, those visual elements will be altered when viewed through Spectacles.

Initial responses have been exceptionally well-received, and Spanhove envisions an even more ambitious journey for the application’s development.

IRL adblocker completely removes advertisements like billboards

Initially, in the recorded tests, Spanhove approached an insurance poster mounted on a wall. His glasses then placed a distinct red frame around it, effectively covering the entire advertisement.

In a different scene, a box of pasta and a can of Coke were concealed behind red barriers. While it wasn’t a traditional ad, it did serve as evidence that the app was capable of camouflaging product placements.

I’ve been developing an XR app that uses Snapchat Spectacles to create a real-world ad blocker. This app leverages Gemini technology to identify and filter out ads in your surroundings. Although it’s currently experimental, the potential for controlling the visual content you encounter is truly thrilling!

— Stijn Spanhove (@stspanho) June 19, 2025

In a straightforward manner, this means that even if ads were placed in newspapers, the app would recognize them while you’re reading and automatically block them for you.

He commented that it’s still in its early stages and exploratory, yet it’s intriguing to envision a time when one can personally manage the tangible information they perceive,” he stated.

A significant number of users, who are enthusiastic about the application, expressed discomfort with the red overlay, finding it too abrupt. However, Spanhove is working on addressing this issue and welcomes any suggestions for improvement.

It’s worth mentioning that he found it “brilliant” when suggesting a swap of the red overlay for top priorities from his to-do list, or something tailored personally, instead.

Indeed, you’re correct! Let’s consider swapping it out for something tailored to your context, or perhaps making it less specific.

— Stijn Spanhove (@stspanho) June 19, 2025

This app may seem great with advertisements, but it could foreshadow potential changes. Particularly if users have the option to hide specific individuals entirely, much like the scenario depicted in the ‘White Christmas’ episode of Black Mirror.

It remains to be seen whether this project gains wider popularity or gets terminated by Google due to their dislike of ad blockers.

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2025-06-20 18:49