ads with viruses

[koliver]

In the upper right, above the list of recent posts, is a frequently changing ad. I inadvertently clicked on this and my virus blocker detected several viruses and luckily refused to open the ad. Getting out of there quickly was by closing the window to TF.
I hope or TF Team can eliminate the virus threat. If it takes eliminating the ads, and their associated revenues, that should be considered.

 

[Heron]

Ads?....Try Adblocker. Pretty effective at eliminating all that stuff..

 

[dhays]

Ads?....Try Adblocker. Pretty effective at eliminating all that stuff..

That is what I do, although I generally don't promote it as it inhibits our hosts ability to generate the revenue that allows this service to continue.

 

[Heron]

That is what I do, although I generally don't promote it as it inhibits our hosts ability to generate the revenue that allows this service to continue.

True, though I do make an effort to support the active forum vendors and advertisers here...Apologies if this was out of line...

Many of the generic robot generated google placed ads are out of our realm of interest. Apparently harmful on occasion also..


Delete this if necessary..

 

[dhays]

True, though I do make an effort to support the active forum vendors and advertisers here...Apologies if this was out of line...

Many of the generic robot generated google placed ads are out of our realm of interest. Apparently harmful on occasion also..


Delete this if necessary..

I wasn't taking a shot at you Heron. I didn't think you were out of line at all.

I have noticed that the ads can be eerily specific when I am using my iPad or a computer that isn't my own (and therefore no Adblock). Recall when TF was discussing watches, or boat footwear etc... even spray paint from the chain marking threads.

 

[CPseudonym]

Ad "choices" are driven entirely and solely by what is on your browser, they are mostly unique to each user. TF has no say in what ad is there as the Google AdSense algorithm is giving you what it sees you are interested in by either your browser history or the topic you are currently viewing. Using ad blocking software is fine and will not interfere with the forum business model because folks with ad block programs almost never click on ads anyway

If you find a virus in an ad and get the url it can be reported by the forum admin to Google for review but I'll say Google takes virus threats far more seriously than anyone else as it is a direct threat to their revenue model. Their programmers are highly skilled at deleting viruses before they get to the end consumer of their "product".

"Normally" when an ad causes a problem on a computer the computer was already compromised with a virus of some sort from another source. Again "normally" via an email attachment or similar.

Hope this helps.

 

[Janet H]

Good suggestions here. One final suggestion is to occasionally run malwarebytes on your system. It is a free download and is very effective at removing adware and other flotsam from your system.

 

[High Wire]

AdBlocker Plus. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

 

[BIG CAT]

I run ghostery on my phone and my computer. It allows you to block all tracking software. Add that with a good add blocker and you will be in good shape. Fyi this site currently has 4 trackers running.

Google adservices (tracker)
Google adsense (ad)
Google analytics. (Analytics)
Quantcast. (Ad)

 

[Hawgwash]

Fyi this site currently has 4 trackers running.

Google adservices (tracker)
Google adsense (ad)
Google analytics. (Analytics)
Quantcast. (Ad)

Is that good or bad?

 

[BIG CAT]

Is that good or bad?

Its not terrible. I have seen sites with 10+ trackers. They are basically data mining you as you navigate sites and look at products. Thats why you see very specific ads for something you may have just been looking at on another page. Me personally don't care for it. So thats why i block all attempts at tracking.

 

[CPseudonym]

Is that good or bad?

Simply, it's the way the Internet works although my guess is that over 99% of people who connect to the web haven't a clue. Anyone worried about Google, MSN, and a multitude of other trackers tracking you has more to worry about at the gas pump than online.

Contrary to the conspiracy theories the trackers are there to determine how much websites, TF in this case, should receive for their slice of the advertising revenue. Google Analytics and Quantcast for example provide metadata that determines among other things a domain names par value in $, £ and € as well as the demographics of the users.

It's actually interesting to study up on as everything about the web from your "free" email to "free" websites you visit, this forum and everything else is 100% pure largely unregulated capitalism. If you read the TOU for your email provider for example you'll find you do not have ownership of the content of your own messages in all but a very small handful of pay as you go services.

Folks complaining about lack of privacy or desiring anonymity on the internet crack me up as there is absolutely no such thing. Don't take my word for it, get access to the TOR network if you'd really like to see how Orwellian the web can be. Hope I didn't burst any bubbles but the fact is privacy online has been nothing short of a myth for over a decade.

 

[Islanddreamer]

Depending on browser, you can run different plug in programs that can effectively manage what you see / don't see. As an example, I was getting tired of Fa**book clogging my experience because the ads all load first before content and the video automatically played when I didn't want it. Using Firefox I was able to load a plugin program that eliminates the bombardment of ads and permits more control.

Also I view some sites with different browsers because of efficiency. Presently I use Firefox, Explorer, Chrome, Slimjet, Opera. Some are better than others and over time you can decide on which works best for you in your target environment. If you have a poor internet connection, Opera and Slimjet are great because you can control the content that loads and at what resolution (for images). They're both good for quick and efficient browsing, and they all have different controls for permitting / blocking content that you would prefer not to see.

My TF experience has been great on every browser. I'm getting used to the iPad version, but it isn't as robust as the browser version that I'm used to.