Annoying popup video ads in bottom left corner

[JRoyster86]

I’m getting these too - it’s really killing my enjoyment of the site.

 

[Pens Fan]

I use adblocker plus and am also getting these. They are so annoying. I have found that if I click on the adblocker icon in the upper right hand corner of my screen, it gives me the option to run adblocker on this site and reload. That stops the pop ups temporarily, until you leave the disboards. If you return, you have to do it all over again. It's so strange. It's as if this pop up somehow has the ability to turn off my adblocker which is pretty disturbing. I certainly never added any of the Dis sites to the ones adblocker should ignore, as it's the main reason I even got it to start with.

It makes for a very frustrating user experience.

 

[hmsTigger]

I use some kind of adblocker on my laptop PC and do not see any of the videos others are talking about.

Annoying Especlally the jerking of the screen.

How is Fall in Dublin?

 

[AnnaS]

Wow - the screen is scrolling up and down on it's own. Only and always only on this website. This tells me something.

Hopefully I will get an email from someone posting here saying it's better. Not only am I getting dizzy, but not sitting here trying to keep the screen in one place. Not installing/downloading anything for one website.

Really sad and disappointed.

 

[RaySharpton]

When something is slipping through adblock it may indicate you have some malware (usually a browser extension) that is opening the door or that you need to update your adblock extension or update your browser.

I would also caution people to avoid AdBlock or AdBlock Plus and the program called uBlock (not to be confused with uBlock Origin) which is owned by AdBlock as they open the door for malicious code. Worse, since 2019, the AdBlock titles opened their business model to allow advertisers to pay them to allow those ads through (link). It also happens that fake versions of the extension get into the extension store and really open you up. The code of AdBlock is closed and even running network tools like wireshark to dissect what's coming and going from it doesn't really tell us much.

There are a couple options that are just objectively better.

• uBlock Origin is a great ad blocker and its code is open source. Being open source may not mean much to most users but it means that people who do care about such things can (and have) picked through its code and will raise a hue and cry should they spot anything shady.
• Privacy Badger is another open source option that is well regarded. I don't, but it is developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization I trust.

If you are feeling especially frustrated by invasive advertising I cannot recommend setting up a Pi-Hole strongly enough. I have been poo-poo'd for making this suggestion before but every single person who has taken my advice on this has thanked me for it.

Setting up a Pi-Hole is one of those things that sounds incredibly technical when the process is described. It involves setting up a tiny little computer called a Raspberry Pi. The $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W works fine. Doing this involves downloading the Raspbery operating system and copying it onto one of those tiny memory cards (like phones and go pro cameras and such use). Then plugging a usb keyboard and mouse into its usb port, a usb power adapter (like for a cell phone) and a TV to its HDMI port, and that memory card into its memory card slot. Anyone who has ever hooked up an old Atari or Nintendo to a TV has the necessary skillset for this.

When it powers up you will run through a new computer set up like with any desktop (setting up what type of keyboard, timezone, etc). Then you set up the wifi network, just like you do with a cellphone. At this point the Raspberry is essentially a weak but pretty desktop computer running linux. There is a web browser and a few other apps already installed. To set up the Pi-Hole you go to Pi-Hole.net and follow the directions, which consist of copying and pasting a single line of instructions. After that it will set up a few things, tell you the Pi-Hole's IP address, and then tell you you're done. Shut the little guy down, unplug everything from him and find a little spot out of the way to plug him back in. He just needs power from a usb phone charger now, so he really can be tucked in some dark corner.

Once that part is done you open up your internet router configuration and change the DNS setting to whatever IP address your Pi-Hole is set to.

From that point on, every device on your network is protected from the worst and most intrusive ads. And while an adblocker stops the ads from being displayed, the Pi-Hole stops them from even being downloaded in the first place. Websites will load noticeably faster and far less of information used to track you is sent out into the world.

It all sounds very techy and I get that puts people off, but from the time you plug the Pi in for the first time it all takes about 10 minutes of work.

Thank you, cobright.

I removed AdBlock.

And, per your suggestion, I added the uBlock Origin.

I haven't seen those pop-up videos since adding uBlock Origin.

I hope it lasts.

 

[lynxstch]

I have 2 adblockers running and these things are still getting through. They are making the page all jumpy and it's scrolling by itself. If this is a company that the DIS is using for revenue, they better find something else to use, or they are going to lose a lot of members. I can't take much more of this.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Which browser are you using? Some people report that switching to Chrome or Firefox can help.

Chrome doesn't help.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Another who is getting them on Chrome. It's the sound that drives me nuts!

 

[Upatnoon]

Another who is getting them on Chrome. It's the sound that drives me nuts!

Go to the that Disboards tab that is open, right click and "mute site." No sound here, but still the annoying video.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Chrome doesn't help.

I'm on Chrome and have no ads/videos.

 

[lynxstch]

I'm on Chrome and have no ads/videos.

I AM on Chrome, and I've also tried Firefox and Edge..and get the darn things on all 3 of them. Does anyone actually ever read the tech boards that works on the DIS. They are getting a lot of unhappy members and need to do something to get rid of these ads. The most annoying part is the jumpy screen, it keeps moving and makes me click on things I never intended to click on !

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I AM on Chrome, and I've also tried Firefox and Edge..and get the darn things on all 3 of them. Does anyone actually ever read the tech boards that works on the DIS. They are getting a lot of unhappy members and need to do something to get rid of these ads. The most annoying part is the jumpy screen, it keeps moving and makes me click on things I never intended to click on !

I'm not convinced the mods/administrators actually hang out here much. It's best to email them directly with specific concerns.

admin@wdwinfo.com.

corey@disneyinfo.com

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I'm on Chrome and have no ads/videos.

Well, sure, with adblock.

 

[lynxstch]

I'm not convinced the mods/administrators actually hang out here much. It's best to email them directly with specific concerns.

admin@wdwinfo.com.

corey@disneyinfo.com

Thanks PrincessShmoo..I have tried directly email both of them to see if they can provide any help or solutions. I don't think even 'techs' hang out on the tech board, lol!


I received an almost immediate reply from Corey...he thanked me for reaching out. Said those ads should not be happening, but he will contact their Google ads rep and let them know. So maybe someone will be doing something!

 

[lynxstch]

Well, sure, with adblock.

I am still getting them even running adblock! Right now it's some ad for Surface Laptop, which I have never searched for!

 

[WebmasterCorey]

I'm looking into it. I'm going to start disabling things on my end until it stops. I'll keep checking in here.

 

[WebmasterCorey]

It might take a bit to kick in, but try closing your browser and come back. I made some adjustments to our ad settings.

 

[lynxstch]

I'm looking into it. I'm going to start disabling things on my end until it stops. I'll keep checking in here.

Hurray! The ads on my screen are gone! Thanks so much @WebmasterCorey

 

[PollyannaMom]

Hurray! The ads on my screen are gone! Thanks so much @WebmasterCorey

Mine too!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

It might take a bit to kick in, but try closing your browser and come back. I made some adjustments to our ad settings.

OK, can you now do something about the missing tickers?