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
It's these autoplaying video ads that are on the bottom of literally every single page on both the wiki and the forums. I've gotten rid of them on my personal machines by installing ABP, but they're still a nightmare on my work computer, and I'd like to disable ABP on my personal computers so that I can't be accused of hurting the site's ad revenue.
edited 11th Feb '15 2:37:14 PM by SolipSchism
These are the voyages...
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
This. Did a brief test, and when the bottom ad loaded it lagged my session into oblivion.
Got one of those annoying redirect ads (while reading the Down With Google thread, ironically). Sent me to http://sponsor.adverstitial.com/view/advertisement?loc=6336&adv=2583919&camp=608467&w=300&h=250&rnd=1593579674804018934
Rocks fall, everyone miraculously survives.
That guy
Something called realfeed: http://www.reelfeed.tv/?referid=364633711241
Sticks a video ad at the bottom of topics I'm reading.
If I'm watching a youtube video, I really don't want to hear someone try selling me a car over it.
EDIT: Just got another one.
edited 13th Feb '15 12:25:32 PM by HextarVigar
Your momma's so dumb she thinks oral sex means talking dirty.
I've blocked Reelfeed several times - I will see what I can do.
These are the voyages...
Bottom of this very page - auto playing video ad, url is from liverail.
Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you might just get it all...
United Earth
http://m.appsliu.com/topic/mobi/download.php
This thing keeps popping up on my phone when I visit the site. It's tremendously frustrating.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
United Earth
http://speed.haikexue.com/topic/cleaner/?geo=ES
This too.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Still just awesome like that
Guys. Please remember to use unlinking tags to prevent people from accidentally clicking on the offending URL in your post.
[= link =/] (without the / ).
Insert witty 'n clever quip here.
Just got another of those auto-playing Entertainment News ads from Reelfeed.
NaNo 4328 / 50,000
The auto-redirecting on my mobile is really getting on my nerves now.
http://trx.tracsion.com/jump.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftracking.taptica.com%2Faff_c%3Foffer_id%3D19745%26tt_appid%3Dcom.ubercab%26aff_id%3D3642750%26tt_aff_clickid%3D45253764%26pd%3D104
https://control.kochava.com/v1/cpi/click?campaign_id=kogameofwarfireage1541528ae4547febb758a621f2ddf4&network_id=1689&click_id=952209c65a35406b932807b603905f0b&device_id=&device_id_type=adid&site_id=9dc5449216d923a3&append_app_conv_trk_params=1
http://survey.canhill.kim/MOB413redirectrotatorALL.html
http://m.memolink.com/landing/?originID=16&aid=235&campid=18&sid=2_3532_1021c3864f4a97ad316b8a62feed32&u_c=18&u_s=3532&u_m=cpa&u_t=refu&u_ct=2
http://tracking.crunchiemedia.com/offers/index.php?o=b8b0a1cf17b90170622a0bf0dadcc023&p=b2be224fc764c1fa2306aa30bef11689&s=102689_5b9a5856ac006942d156fbece187bbfa&placement=1032
[=
edited 16th Feb '15 7:27:07 PM by crazysamaritan
Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
Still getting redirects on mobile.
On almost every page here I get an autoplaying video ad with a woman cooking something. There are no controls for pausing it or anything. Worse still, I have no idea how to snag the URL ffor it. Help?
Still just awesome like that
Is she at least cooking something good?
These are the voyages...
Try right-clicking the ad and selecting "copy shortcut" or your browser's equivalent ("Copy Link Location" on Firefox). Or look for identifying information (like static logos on the ad)
I just disabled ABP on TV Tropes as a test, and do not have an autoplaying video ad. Will report back if it comes back.
Edit: A few minutes and several clicks later, a REEL>FEED ad loaded and started playing. ABP re-enabled until this is fixed.
edited 19th Feb '15 6:11:10 AM by Ripsaw
Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you might just get it all...
I think she was making cake. 
When I right-click, all I get is 'About JMC Player'.
And I forgot to mention, I'm using the latest version of Internet Explorer.
I'm Sad Frogerson.
Since yesterday, I've occasionally been redirected to this link while browsing the site.
http://hub-user.celtra.com/api/creatives/563ec51f/compiled/modal.html?base64json=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
edited 20th Feb '15 12:51:14 PM by chasemaddigan
I'm getting auto-playing Reelfeed ads very often, too.
Another problem I'm having is that often an auto-playing video ad on an add post page, even if it's mercifully silent, causes my typing to be messed up; there's tremendous input lag between me pressing a key and a letter appearing on-screen, and often it entirely skips letters or whole words unless I type at the speed of molasses going up a tree in winter on a planet being pulled into a black hole.
You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
http://ad-l2.media6degrees.com/adserv/cs?tId=7450426624207420|cb=1424642475|adType=iframe|cId=60451|ec=1|spId=176594|advId=3530|exId=23|price=AAABS7NPBInF46t_zgNMP-qfBf1LMNhFnrdSoQ|pubId=185|secId=859|invId=5347|tpInvId=537065619|notifyServer=ala184.la.pl.pvt|notifyPort=8080|srcAppVersion=4.4.57|bdie=08a4mb353c3tw|bid=1.87|bms=537065619|envType=WEB|fps=1|sp=0|sps=0|spsid=0|srcUrlEnc=http%3A%2F%2Ftvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpmwiki.php%2FFunny%2FMetalGearSolidPeaceWalker|mobileAdLocation=|dc=1|dos=1|bst=|dIds=ChEIFhINMDhhNG1iMzUzYzN0dw| autoplays video and audio
Lol.
But I'm not just posting to say "Lol." I'm posting to say that I have that issue on my tablet. Not on my work computer, but I suspect that might just be a happy side effect of my work computer not being able to load whatever is making that happen. It still loads the videos, but the lag issues don't affect it.
Chaotic Greedy
Android browser, the webcomic forum is haunted by redirecting ad to your.dailytopdealz.com, and something that try to open the play store (a market:// url).
"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Chaotic Greedy
Just happened again, only this time I got an URL:
http://your.dailytopdealz.com/mobiledirect/?uid=219&aid=22803&j=1
PS: the site needs a page with a static, bookmarkable address for submitting such issues: the thread is not bookmarkable because you can only post from the last page, and the forum doesn't have a "last.php" url.
Also, the advantage if a dedicated page is that it could be ad-free, avoiding the problem where redirecting ads prevent you from posting in it.
"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Phones
Been getting a ton of ads for some manga site called Renta. At first it seemed to be advertising harmless shoujo fluff, but recently a lot of these ads seem to be for flat-out porn.
link http://r.turn.com/r/tpclick/id/_Bg6WE-Pm3Z0qwQA3wUBAA/3c/http%3A%2F%2Fox-d.tvtropes.servedbyopenx.com%2Fw%2F1.0%2Frc%3Fef%3Ddb%26ai%3Dbf1eb931-ef54-4a8c-02fa-e4842d196fc1%26ts%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%26r%3D/url/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.papy.co.jp%2Fcnt%2F%3Fac%3Da-r789c3c9-266045-200-16060002%26pg%3D%2Frenta%2Fsc%2Ffrm%2Fpage%2Ftopics%2Fyaoi_new.htm%253Ftid%253D266045-200%2526rbc%253d1002
edited 3rd Mar '15 4:55:44 AM by dmboogie
"The world ends with you. If you want to enjoy life, expand your world. You gotta push your horizons out as far as they'll go."
Couldn't tell - animated ads seemed especially bad. Will try again without ABP later.
I will state that I do not have this issue from my tablet or phone (iOS Safari).
Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you might just get it all...