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14 Aug 14 - 04:20 PM (#3651029) Subject: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Penny S. I don't use Google any more. (Except occasionally for specific things which don't come up well on DuckDuckGo) I have Firefox set not to remember my history. But up they come, the ads for stuff from M&S that I searched three days back, for stuff I searched for from clothes shops three weeks ago. Sometimes I watch a Youtube clip. Sometimes I drop in briefly to Amazon. I am fed up with this. What else do they know? |
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14 Aug 14 - 04:53 PM (#3651034) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST, topsie I use Google Books and Amazon websites to check on exact book titles and the spelling of authors' names covering a large variety of subjects. I am therefore constantly being offered books etc. on subjects 'they' think I must be interested in, when really I am just editing or proofreading someone else's bibliography. If they have a file on me it will show my interests as politics, religion, foreign affairs, economics, history, literature, education ... |
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14 Aug 14 - 05:04 PM (#3651035) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: zozimus "They" appears to include quite a number of e-mail clients that read your e-mails and send ads. I don't know if deleting all cookies works but hopefully this mail will be "data-mined" and might generate an ad for how to fix it! Otherwise, there is no privacy on the internet! |
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14 Aug 14 - 05:12 PM (#3651036) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST,Mike Yates This is new to me as well. For the last 3 or 4 days I get ads appearing after I open certain new emails. As soon as I try to delete one, another ad (same type) reappears ad infinitum. Bloody annoying! |
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14 Aug 14 - 05:14 PM (#3651037) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Jeri I have Firefox and AdBlock Plus, so I'm missing all the fun. |
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14 Aug 14 - 05:36 PM (#3651044) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST, topsie Norton claims to delete cookies, but obviously not quickly enough to keep up with them - they would have to scan everything every few seconds to stop these ads. |
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14 Aug 14 - 05:41 PM (#3651045) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Joe Offer There are "do not track" options on some of the browsers....but of course, they're hard to find. Welcome to the Internet. -Joe- |
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14 Aug 14 - 06:09 PM (#3651052) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST,Ed I'm pretty much with Joe and Jeri here. Penny S, Use some ad blocking software. If, as you say, you're using Firefox AdBlock Plus seems good. Can't really understand your paranoia over Google. I imagine that they have better things to do than analyse your every key stroke. Topsie, These are commercial companies. Why on earth do you expect them to give you a totally free service without advertisements. Go and pay for some subscriber services if you don't like it. zozimus, Did you honestly only just realise that 'there is no privacy on the internet'? |
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14 Aug 14 - 06:15 PM (#3651053) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST, topsie Guest,Ed - If you look again at my posts you will find that I was not complaining about anything, just speculating on the file they might have on me, and on the difficulty Norton has keeping up with it. |
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14 Aug 14 - 06:24 PM (#3651056) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST,Ed Topsie, Sorry, I'm misunderstanding you here. What exactly do you feel to be the problem? I don't use Norton, but I don't think that it's interested in cookies. Besides, every browser I know has an option to refuse cookies. If you explain what exactly your concern is, I, or others, may be able to help more. |
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14 Aug 14 - 06:33 PM (#3651059) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Q (Frank Staplin) Using Google regularly to find information, I get ads on related items, so what? These ads pay the freight; otherwise there might be a charge for searching with Google and similar systems. Ignore them and get on with it. |
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14 Aug 14 - 07:43 PM (#3651082) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Max All they are trying to do is show you things that you may actually want. Who knew? Big brother is nothing more than consumerism. Not so bad if you ask me... but what do I know? (besides everything about you. :) |
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14 Aug 14 - 08:11 PM (#3651091) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Andrez Hi Guest Topsie, The issue for me about these websites collecting information and the ads has to do with concern over privacy issues…… mine! Google and Co do what is called 'data mining' and they collect this information using it for their on commercial purposes and on selling it to other people for their commercial purposes and most of us have no idea about the scale of this data mining. There is no 'informed consent' about what they collect about you and your information or 'internet profile' is worth money to people out there. You and I certainly dont get paid for giving them our personal information. Ads on the Internet are basically like junk food on main street and I can do without both in my life. Its about choice. I'm not sure if it can be completely stopped but I have managed to significantly reduce the amount of junk I see on a web page or get sent to me by using all of these extensions in my browsers Safari and Firefox on a Mac. They are: Adblock, Cookie Stumbler, Google Disconnect, Google Search Clean Up, DoNotTrackMe Online Privacy Protection, Ghostery, Facebook Disconnect, AVG Do Not Track and Click to Flash. All are free to download and install. I use them all and they seem to coexist quite happily With the exception of Click to Flash that sometimes blocks something I want to see and needs to be temporarily disabled and then reenabled afterwards. It seems that there isn't one option that blocks everything. This approach has meant a significant reduction of Internet rubbish intruding on my browsing or research work. I've found AdBlock to be especially useful because you can right click on any particularly annoying ad or element on a particular web page and then permanently block it from appearing again on that page. This is particularly useful when the site decides to redesign its page to 'improve the customer experience' and that sort of shite! Cookies are a different issue. Some you might want to keep, like Mudcats. Some like Google Analytics that mine your data you might not. Some of these can be blocked through a firewall but thats another story in itself. Cheers, AndrezHi Guest Topsie, The issue for me about these websites collecting information and the ads has to do with concern over privacy issues…… mine! Google and Co do what is called 'data mining' and they collect this information using it for their on commercial purposes and on selling it to other people for their commercial purposes and most of us have no idea about the scale of this data mining. There is no 'informed consent' about what they collect about you and your information or 'internet profile' is worth money to people out there. You and I certainly dont get paid for giving them our personal information. Ads on the Internet are basically like junk food on main street and I can do without both in my life. Its about choice. I'm not sure if it can be completely stopped but I have managed to significantly reduce the amount of junk I see on a web page or get sent to me by using all of these extensions in my browsers Safari and Firefox on a Mac. They are: Adblock, Cookie Stumbler, Google Disconnect, Google Search Clean Up, DoNotTrackMe Online Privacy Protection, Ghostery, Facebook Disconnect, AVG Do Not Track and Click to Flash. All are free to download and install. I use them all and they seem to coexist quite happily With the exception of Click to Flash that sometimes blocks something I want to see and needs to be temporarily disabled and then reenabled afterwards. It seems that there isn't one option that blocks everything. This approach has meant a significant reduction of Internet rubbish intruding on my browsing or research work. I've found AdBlock to be especially useful because you can right click on any particularly annoying ad or element on a particular web page and then permanently block it from appearing again on that page. This is particularly useful when the site decides to redesign its page to 'improve the customer experience' and that sort of shite! Cookies are a different issue. Some you might want to keep, like Mudcats. Some like Google Analytics that mine your data you might not. Some of these can be blocked through a firewall but thats another story in itself. Hope this helps a little. Cheers, Andrez PS: As a current example of the Ad problem, on Mudcats front page, I block ads in Safari. But because there is an ongoing issue where the server seems to disappear or cant be found, I use Firefox to try and find the 'Cat. Firefox doesnt have the Ads blocked and so I see a stupid ad for something called POPCHERRY with a pic of a woman with large …. telling me to shop now. I can do without that sort of garbage day or night! |
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14 Aug 14 - 08:14 PM (#3651092) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Andrez Hmmmm not sure how the double post happened. Sorry about that folks. Cheers, Andrez |
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14 Aug 14 - 08:15 PM (#3651093) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Jeri My main problem is the ads sometimes slow things down (although my current ISP is a lot faster than my last one, even if the last one gave me unlimited data) and can be distracting. I have a couple different browsers on my computer, and a phone. I only have AdBlock on one browser. |
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14 Aug 14 - 08:40 PM (#3651095) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: bobad Like Jeri I'm running Firefox with AdBlock Plus and I also run the Track Me Not add on. I don't even know what I'm missing. |
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14 Aug 14 - 09:51 PM (#3651104) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST,.gargoyle Have fun with it. Click on ads....(most UK stuff works) Mirror, Sun, etc. Then come into mudcat. Next to the leaping MC fish logo is a box...BINGO...surprise? Sincerely, Gargoyle It is also fun to first go, leave, go into MC from sites such as: "B - can't speak it's name - P" or "Stormfront" or the Klux.... an almost permanent record is recorded in a database of to/from links access. |
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15 Aug 14 - 01:15 AM (#3651118) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Ebbie I too use Firefox and Adblock Plus. Once in a great while something comes through that didn't go straight to my Spam folder but all in all I am quite happy with it. As for data mining- I don't worry about it. The same thing happens with snail mail- when I order something from a mail order catalog, I subsequently get similar catalogs from other companies. I don't worry about them either. |
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15 Aug 14 - 03:04 AM (#3651128) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Mr Red it's life. Try doing what I have been doing for years. Lie about my name, my age, my gender - imagine the confusion with a name like mine. But then I don't always use the obvious handle. It means I usually get ads for things that younger people are interested in, easier to ignore. The only websites that know my real data are those I absolutely have to give valid data for like banks &/or people I might phone up and sort the account out for. Utilities certainly don't need to know my age. I never use Google, but Gooooogle tries its hardest to sell me pension annuities. Never looked at those things. But then I am piggy-backing on the Girlfriends account via a remote hot-spot. BT use Google so whatever I surf for Google get the data. It has been the case even when I used the loval library to surf, there all data is wiped so the ads relate to everyone who used that service. |
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15 Aug 14 - 03:05 AM (#3651129) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST, topsie Guest,Ed - "Sorry, I'm misunderstanding you here. What exactly do you feel to be the problem?" Ed, the person who started the thread has a problem. That doesn't mean that all subsequent posters have a problem. I was merely pointing out that if 'they' are collecting information on me based on my internet searches, most of it will be inaccurate and largely irrelevant because it is based on other authors' bibliographies, not on any interests of mine that might lead to a sale. |
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15 Aug 14 - 06:14 AM (#3651170) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST,DaveRo OP:"I have Firefox set not to remember my history." This will not have the effect you seek. Websites cannot access your browser history - or only in very limited ways like colouring visited links. Without history you lose useful features, like the ability to find a site again by keying in a bit of its name. As already mentioned, it's mainly cookies - though there are other ways. Stopping google from tracking you is next to impossible. The 'Do not track' flag was a nice idea but almost totally ignored by advertisers. |
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15 Aug 14 - 01:40 PM (#3651256) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST,Desi C It's a real pain, especially on You Tube. Might help to do what I do. Which is make a note to boycott EVERY product that prevents me watching what I actually clicked on, And that includes any artist who's music is one of those ads on the basis of, if you have to force a product on people it can't be worth bothering with |
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15 Aug 14 - 01:43 PM (#3651258) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Penny S. I wouldn't call it paranoid. But it isn't their business to know I have been looking for underwear, unless I want it to be their business - and I've usually bought the whatever it was I was looking for by the time the ads appear, so it's a bit pointless. I have now installed Adblock Plus. Thanks for that advice. Penny |
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15 Aug 14 - 01:53 PM (#3651260) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST, topsie GUEST,Desi C - That won't work unless you let them know you are doing it, and unless a huge number of other people also let them know they are doing it. Maybe you should start an internet campaign, using a more prominent forum than Mudcat. |
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16 Aug 14 - 05:22 AM (#3651376) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Andrez Just to share. I looked at the local football scores a few minutes ago. Its a 'commercial' website. Total number of trackers and other so-called spyware blocked: 30 and all different and these are just the ones that are visible to the average bod and not those skimming all the 'metadata' associated with our browsing. I feel better for trying to block some of this rubbish anyway. Cheers, Andrez |
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16 Aug 14 - 02:07 PM (#3651455) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Q (Frank Staplin) Some are worth following up, to see what the come-on is all about. Road Kill T-shirts (ad with purty gal) Grocery Stores Fear Him (cut your food bill 91%) Don't miss this conspiracy! Get his book TODAY!- "The Four Foot Farm Blueprint." Only $7. Dunno what his follow-up will be. And a couple I won't mention. (Just wonderin'- why does Windows underline purty, but not gal?. Doesn't like dunno, either.) |
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16 Aug 14 - 03:45 PM (#3651467) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST why does Windows underline purty, but not gal? It's spell checker. Nothing to do with Windows |
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16 Aug 14 - 04:00 PM (#3651469) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Q (Frank Staplin) Well, why is one slang spelling underlined and t'other ain't? And you should know that Windows has its own spell checker with tutorial built into Windows 8 and 7. With option to autocorrect (fun when you write in dialect, odd things turn up). |
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16 Aug 14 - 04:41 PM (#3651474) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST Well, why is one slang spelling underlined and t'other ain't? Sorry, but if you're too dim to work that out for yourself, I can't help you. |
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16 Aug 14 - 04:48 PM (#3651476) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: bobad Facebook has just made it so that it doesn't display properly if you have AdBlock on Firefox.....bastards! It displays properly if you disable AdBlock. |
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16 Aug 14 - 07:21 PM (#3651487) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST Why would you want to look at Facebook? |
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16 Aug 14 - 07:25 PM (#3651488) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Jeri Facebook doesn't seem affected by my AdBlock. |
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16 Aug 14 - 07:44 PM (#3651490) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: bobad With AdBlock enabled I don't see any of my links to groups etc. on the left side, see only four feeds on my wall and notifications doesn't function. If I disable AdBlock everything goes back to normal. This just began two days ago. |
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16 Aug 14 - 08:04 PM (#3651495) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Jeri Every once in a while, something changes that messes things up a bit. You can go into Tools/AdBlock Plus/Open blockable items, and see if you can figure out which block is causing the problem. The weird things that I've noticed have usually fixed themselves in a couple days or so. (Sometimes, I don't want to unblock the items.) |
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16 Aug 14 - 08:40 PM (#3651496) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: GUEST,.gargoyle Just click whatever pops up on the MC. Every click, gives MAX 0NE-TENTH-OF-ONE MILL....for every click a non-payment of one-thousand. Sincerly, Gargoyle How many women do you see "castrato" attempting to sing bass? |
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16 Aug 14 - 11:12 PM (#3651508) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Andrez Jeri is right on the money. Just wondering tho' bobad is the Adblock problem affecting 'links to groups' happening on the Mudcat page or on another website? Also what browser/OS is being used? Cheers, Andrez |
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18 Aug 14 - 10:12 AM (#3651786) Subject: RE: Tech: I can't stop ads following me about. From: Penny S. And, once again thanks, it is working effectively. No problems on Facebook - I don't go there! Penny |