We occasionally get reports of ads that trigger antivirus warnings or infect computers that are browsing the wiki. This FAQ is an attempt to consolidate all the information about such things into one thread. Please read the below before reporting any incidents.
This thread may also be used to report ads that violate our policies in other ways, such as being too "adult" or NSFW, automatically playing audio/video, etc.
REPORTING: try to get a screenshot of the console as well as this will help identify where it's coming from.
REDIRECTS: Its very tricky to get the first URL of a redirect trigger because they are designed to hide where it came from. So you need a redirect plug-in
active while the redirect happens so you can find the first URL, not the last. Where you were directed to doesn't help track down the source.
- TV Tropes, as a site, does not contain malware. We are a text-and-image wiki; viruses and malware cannot be uploaded to or embedded in the articles. As always, however, beware of any external link that you don't recognize, since we cannot automatically screen edits or posts for malicious links.
- 99.99% of the time, any suspected malware will be related to the wiki advertising.
- TV Tropes does not directly control the ads that are displayed. We use third-party ad providers and we determine things like the size and placement.
- We instruct our providers not to serve ads that redirect your browser, take control of the screen from you, forcibly scroll your screen, play audio without being clicked on, install malware, "pop up" or "pop over" your screen, or in any other way interfere with your browsing experience.
- We have custom software designed to detect ads that do these things and automatically block them.
- Malicious entities are constantly trying to sneak ads through the providers' networks in violation of these instructions. As providers have little incentive to proactively detect and block them, it's up to websites to report these sorts of problems.
- We rely on our users to report ads that get through these measures.
- Just because you see a particular ad doesn't mean everyone else sees it. Ads are customized by the ad providers to your location (by IP address), the content of the page you're viewing, and your browsing profile, which is tracking data accumulated by third parties over the course of all your internet browsing.
- Just because you get a malware warning or infection that seems related to an ad on TV Tropes does not necessarily mean that it is caused by one of our ads. Pre-existing malware on your computer can intercept ads and replace them with malicious ones.
- Ads containing malware, obviously.
- Misbehaving ads, such as ones that load a pop-up or pop-under, redirect your browser to another page, hijack your screen or automatically scroll it.
- "Adult" or NSFW ads. Scantily clad women alone may or may not qualify, depending on context, but we want this site to be work-safe.
- Ads that automatically play audio — that is, the audio starts without you clicking on the ad first. Video ads are acceptable.
- Note: Political content is not grounds for rejecting an ad. However, an ad that contains or implies hate speech, disinformation, or outright falsehoods may be objectionable enough to be blocked.
- First and foremost, maintain current, updated antivirus software, and keep your operating system and browser up to date with all patches offered by the software vendors. This includes Adobe Flash, Java, and other rich media plug-ins. Turn on your software's automatic updates if they are not already on and act immediately when prompted to install them.
- Never click on pop-ups purporting to have detected a virus, offering to "tune up" your PC, or otherwise inducing you to click on a link that you were not expecting. Any genuine message of this nature would come from your antivirus software and not from a web page.
- Be careful clicking on external links. These are identified with a small icon next to them. Example: Google. TV Tropes does not endorse or control the content of external links and you open them at your own risk.
- Never respond to any email or web page that asks for personal or financial information, including passwords, unless you have verified its identity. No reputable company will ever ask you for your password(s), other than to log in.
- You may choose to opt out of having tracking information collected by ad providers. This does not stop malware but helps you maintain your online privacy. See here for additional information.
- TV Tropes requests that you do not use ad blocking software while visiting us, as this site depends on advertising revenue to operate. If you do run an ad blocker, please add tvtropes.org to its exception list, or consider donating to the site to have certain ads removed.
- We (or the ad provider) place a "Report advertisement" link next to most advertising frames. Clicking on this will generate an automatic report and is the best way to do so. If you cannot click on this link or do not see it, continue for more advice.
- Try to identify the source URL of the suspect ad (see below). You can also use the target URL (if you are redirected), but note that this may be intentionally obfuscated by the ad provider to hide the source.
- Identify the ad provider. Some ads have a small area that links to the ad provider's page (like Google or AOL). In other cases, you can tell from the referral URL or you can look it up in a search.
- Go to the ad provider's contact/abuse page and fill out their form. Below are some links to common providers' abuse pages:
- Scan your computer for viruses. If your antivirus software will not operate (many malicious programs attempt to disable your antivirus software), you can download a scanning tool on a known clean system and run it on your infected machine from a read-only CD-R or flash drive.
- If you suspect that you've been tricked into divulging personal information to a phishing attempt or other fraud, change your passwords to affected sites immediately and contact your bank, credit card companies, and the credit bureaus to request a fraud alert.
- Please note that TV Tropes cannot assist you with the specifics of maintaining your computer. That's your responsibility. You may request general help in the appropriate forums, but please don't post new threads in the forums dedicated to wiki operation (Wiki Talk, Frequently Asked Questions, etc.).
- Sometimes, the wiki administration can get better results from the ad providers in dealing with malicious ads. If you can identify a malicious ad by referral URL, you can post the link in this thread, but please omit the "http" component so it doesn't create a hyperlink that someone might click on inadvertently.
- For image ads, right-clicking (or a long tap on mobile devices) should give you the option to view and copy the URL that clicking on it will send you to.
- For Flash, Java, or HTML 5.0 ads, it may be difficult to identify the source or the URL by right-clicking. In these cases, you need to view the page source to identify the ad so we can report it.
- In Internet Explorer, you can right-click in a blank or text area of any web page, and choose View Source from the context menu. Firefox also has this option. In Chrome, you can use the Inspect Element menu option, which interactively highlights the portion of the page whose code you are hovering over. You can use this to identify the ad frame and its source URL.
- For embedded ads, there will be a "frame" element with a "src" parameter. Drill down until you get to the lowest level. All we need to identify the ad is the "src" URL from that frame.
for more information or to discuss the service.
Edited by kory on Nov 15th 2023 at 10:36:27 AM
Jupiterian Local
Got an autoplaying video, here. Oddly, the sound mutes if you mouseover, but not until you mouseover. I've gotten it maybe half a dozen times today. Grabbed the source for one (it's a doozey):
http://lax1.ib.adnxs.com/if?enc=PQrXo3A9CEA9CtejcD0IQJZDi2zneyFAPQrXo3A9CEA9CtejcD0IQOpInBAafVJh7tTm0gbsPi28435SAAAAAGqKHAA_AQAAPwEAAAIAAABDLo8A1OkCAAAAAQBVU0QAVVNEACwB-gDn_gAA-2wAAgMCAQIAAIgACSQm1wAAAAA.&cnd=%21hiLkdAjLoYYBEMPcvAQYACDU0wswADjn_RNAA0i_AlDqlHJYAGDWBmgAcBh4CoABGogBCpABAZgBAaABAagBA7ABALkBPQrXo3A9CEDBAT0K16NwPQhAyQEKvJr_f1DeP9kBAAAAAAAA8D_gAQA.&udj=uf%28%27a%27%2C+37416%2C+1384047548%29%3Buf%28%27r%27%2C+9383491%2C+1384047548%29%3B&ccd=%21WAaHOgjLoYYBEMPcvAQY1NMLIAM.&vpid=55&apid=132165&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Foptimized-by.rubiconproject.com%2Fa%2F8777%2F14415%2F29993-15.html%3F%26cb%3D0.116336599458009%26tk_st%3D1%26rf%3Dhttp%253A%2F%2Ftvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpmwiki.php%2FMain%2FHomePage%26rp_s%3Dc%26p_pos%3Datf%26p_screen_res%3D1366x768&ct=0&dlo=1
edited 9th Nov '13 6:07:11 PM by NativeJovian
Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
Yeah, I'm getting a lot of auto-playing video ads at the bottoms of pages.
Also, do the scantily-clad "male gamers only" ads for some trashy pay-to-win MMO violate the sexually explicit rule?
You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
I'm getting autoplay ads at the bottom of almost every page. Move Free joint supplement, Lysol, and then the movie clips one.
I'm seeing a lot more auto-playing ads as a whole around the internet. Currently have a Lysol ad on the Masked Luchador page.
Clearly, a member of the staff must put on a mask and wrestle with it.
Looking at the source, I can't find the "optimized-by.rubiconproject.com" mentioned in the first post. I'm not sure if something has changed or if my web-coding comprehension is failing me. Best I can find is the following:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/google_top_exp.js"> </script>
Which may well be the basic code for "Google places an advertisement HERE".
Wrestling With Lysol sounds like A Good Name for a Rock Band ![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
Seriously though I'm getting fxxkin autoplay on almost every page. Move Free, Delsym, Lysol, the anyclip movie ads, and more. it's getting VERY annoying and I wish the autoplay would stop. Is there a way to block autoplay in noscript or such?
Sorcerer in training
I got an autoplay video/sound Delsym/Drugstore.com ad at the bottom of Jerkass Has a Point, after it reloaded. (I was editing out 'I'.) When I right click, I get "3.0. 16839".
I use Google Chrome.
This isn't the first one I heard, but it is the first one I'm 100% sure was from this site and not Not Always Right (who've been having up trouble the yin yang with bad ads too. 
) Usually I just deliberately crash Flash to shut the ads up.
edited 10th Nov '13 4:02:40 AM by Candi
Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. -Terry Pratchett
The ad situation is getting out of control. Autoplay on almost every page except it starts and stops randomly, even after you've already paused it. And of course it's at the bottom of the page so if you're on a Trope Overdosed page your only chance to shut them up is to scroll down through the entire thing or hit source or edit fast. Incredibly annoying. ![[tdown]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_down_emoticon_3571.png "[thumb down]"){kind=small}
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
You could also press the End key.
Noticed they seem to be gone today... *knocks on wood and crosses fingers*
Lost in Space
Eddie does report them, but doesn't always post about it here.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
@$%@E%$#$%#$%@#$@@%&@!!!! ...I mean, they've popped up on practically every page I've opened tonight.
I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.
A somewhat unrelated note: I don't think it's normal for Google Chrome to load ads but Firefox to not even display them, yes?
I am asking because since I've acquired a new laptop, the Firefox browser I loaded on it refuses to show ads of any kind.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
I have no idea whether it's normal or not, but whatever it is on your Firefox that's blocking ads completely, I want it.
ETA: Septimus, consider yourself snogged out of your mind by the attractive celebrity of your choice. That was the best post ever.
edited 14th Nov '13 12:02:41 AM by RoseAndHeather
I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.
The imaginative Christian Asperger
It's possible you have adblock installed on Firefox and not know it, Septimus.
Also, please do not use Adblock here or suggest using it. It loses revenue for this place. Revenue we need to keep it up.
This should go without saying, but... apparently not everybody knows this.
Lost in Space
We would prefer people not use ad blocking software on TVT, but if the ads actually damage your ability to view the site, you can selectively disable Flash without blocking the ads entirely.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Irene and Fighteer's arguments are exactly the reason why I am asking about this; I'll have to look for a solution for this.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Lost in Space
I just saw an "ad" display on Ask The Tropers that consisted solely of the following text:
SITE: tv tropes — Market Buy — gjs 11 nov 13 AD UNIT: tv tropes — wide sky — 11 Nov 13 AD SIZE(S): 160x600
Looks like some kind of backend glitch.
Also, Eddie has reported the autoplaying ads.
edited 14th Nov '13 9:48:11 AM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Aye, I am getting this tooSidenote on my previous issue .
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
@Fighteer: Disabling Flash is not enough for the blocking JS scripts (though they seem to have been corrected, so I re-whitelisted the site).
edited 16th Nov '13 2:50:50 AM by Medinoc
"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
The Shrouded Knight
I've been seeing these auto play ads a lot, too. I saw one on the Endless Winter page. At the top of it was something that said "Want to skip this ad? Skip it." Clicking on that revealed that you can "Skip ads ... for a few cents at a time." And a button to "Join for free". So not only do these ads auto-play, they expect people to pay them money to have them not auto-play.
The Living Guildpact rules that coffee is an acceptable substitution for rest as specified in subsection … whatever.
Got an on-page pop-over today, one of those answer-one-question "survey" ones. It said it was "Powered by Vizu". It didn't follow standard format in the source code, but I think this is the source: http://shasta.vizu.com/v6/htm/commframe.html?vzcid=7891;pid=124116;adtype=0;vzadid=160x600;ttype=7;vzsid=quantcast;lang=en;useLocalStorage=false;siteurl=tvtropes.org;id=2793866317;basepoll=http://shasta.vizu.com/cdn/00/00/78/91/;origin=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php%3Fdiscussion%3Dgsjp7dldjh2dwdelcha2hu17%26page%3D281
Still just awesome like that
Got a screenshot (though no source, unfortunately) of something that's popped up while browsing the forums on my Android phone a few times: [1]
◊
Got an autoplaying sound and video ad. And the sound didn't even stop when I hit the pause button. Source is http://r.flite.com/syndication/adframe/i/e8868f6a-96ae-4e0a-9e60-7dfff9c0c07f?v=3&dep=FIF&ts=1383515710944&at=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fr1.ace.advertising.com%2Fclick%2Fsite%3D0000889370%2Fmnum%3D0001513227%2Fcstr%3D38552803%3D_5276c63f%2C6106636841%2C889370_1513227_1183_0%2C1_%2Fxsxdata%3D%24XSXDATA%2Fbnum%3D38552803%2Foptn%3D64%3Ftrg%3D&d=http%3A%2F%2Ftvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpmwiki.php%2FMain%2FSpaceClothes&oob&x=us0