Published on 12, July, 2020
I have adblock and when I go on sites I'm still getting ads, often to the point where they obscure what I'm looking for. And I hate cookies, stupid things, why do I have to have them? Why do some sites make you jump through hoops not to have them following you around all the time? Why when I search for something do I get a load of stuff I never asked for and next to none of the stuff I did ask for?
Thanks for listening to this rant.
TheCatWoman said:And I hate cookies, stupid things, why do I have to have them?
I tend to use a feature of web browsers called Private Mode as this should stop the cookies. You can still use ad-blocker in this but I would recommend you get it to check for updates as there is a constant war between the ad companies and the ad-blocker companies that means you are always a bit out of date so the smarter sites can slip the ads in still.
However - the cookies are useful for some things like remembering your login for a particular website (eg here) so you don't have to log in each time you visit it.
What is the name of the web browser icon you click on? It will help us tell you how to go into private mode and see if it helps.
My practice is to use private mode all the time and to clear the cookies regularly. I use a web browser called Firefox which is designed to avoid the privacy issues you get with Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.
If I'm going to do any searching which is even slightly suspicious (don't ask) then I use a virtual PC, a VPN and Firefox in private mode, deleting the virtual PC at the end. Not something the average user will have practice with. That is without using encrypted disks or the TOR network (Dark Web) - best not to do that as it attracts Mr Plods attention.
In effect there are layers of steps you can take but each adds more complexity and work in order to surf ad-free.
I didn't know there was such a thing as private mode! I use firefox, no google chrome or microsoft edge. I didn't understand your penultimate paragraph, it went right over my head. No one else seems to have these problems, or maybe they just don't mind someone trying to sell them luxury holiday villas when the search for kittens! I mean WTF is that all about? How does an alogrhymn thingy make the leap that whilst wanting a kitten which is what I've searched for, that I want a luxury holiday villa, or a yacht? I willl get a blank page and have to go almost to the end of whats available onscreen to get one or two example of what I want? I dont' know if because I search so little, or my searches are a bit esoteric and particular that I get so much trouble. I also do a simple search and get about three of the item I asked for and 26m pages of stuff I didn't. All in all it just feeds my love hate relationshipp with the internet and computers in general and often exhausts me to the point where I start thinking about gving up and going off line completely, the only thing that makes me stay is the number of books on kindle I read.
The following link explains how to use Private Browsing in Firefox, so may be worth a read if private browsing is a route you think you may want to pursue.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/private-browsing-use-firefox-without-history
Autisician said:I get triggered by news pages that are so full of moving adverts that you can't read them,
I recall one customer who was so annoyed with the adverts that he created a paper "filter" - basically an A3 sheet of card with a cutout for the part of the screen where the text of the news article was and they would stick this onto the screen when using the specific site.
A bit of velcro on the screen edge and the back of the card and it worked remarkably well.
My personal approach is to use a HOSTS file with all the advertising web site addresses on it which redirected them to my own computer - in essence when the computer tried to find the link to an advert it would search for it on my computer instead and since it couldn't find it then I would get a black box where the advert was.
That was a bit of an arms race to keep it up to date of course and some sites used different ways to link to the ad servers using its IP address instead of website name, but combined with a conventional ad blocker it had a decent success rate.
Not straightforward for a non techie to do unfortunately as it is a restricted folder that stores the HOSTS file.
Sorry - just a ramble on my Saturday morning.
That's a fair reaction, I've worked in IT for 23 years and there's been times when I've quickly pulled the plug out of the wall to avert a tragedy! Usually one of my own making.
These ads are clever and they do tend to quickly figure out the new filters and blockers and work around them.
I get triggered by news pages that are so full of moving adverts that you can't read them, they should be banned as they're not "safe" in my opinion as they can create anxiety for neuro divergent folks.
It's s fine line between them making fair revenue and being annoying and devious!
I did try going to private mode and I think I got the page SS is refering too, I got scared and my brain froze so I didn't understand what it was asking me so I switched off the pooter and ran away.