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
Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him
While on my phone I got a possibly sexually suggestive Top Toon ad on two pages. Couldn't get a pic though, so just take my word for it.
TRS Queue | Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
If you mean Secret Class, then I saw it on Organic Bra.
![[down]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_down.png "[down]"){kind=icon}
- As the picture implies, I'm mobile ATM too.
Edited by Malady on Jul 2nd 2022 at 9:01:51 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
She / Her
I think I've gotten that ad myself, and it was awkward![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
.
Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Yes, that's the one. Got it on mobile—I use an adblocker on my computer.
Please do something about the Honda HRV ads. They pop up in the middle of the site’s text, right in the center of the screen, and you can’t get rid of them short of backing up to a previous page.
The damned Tappytoons pulsing ads won’t stop, either, but it seems nothing is going to be done about them. That’s very unfortunate.
I shouldn’t have to pay the site to get rid of distracting stuff like this.
I noticed that The Simpson's One Time Characters section provoked my antivirus software. I sometimes use an older Mac with Avast, which detected a URL phishing risk in the page. It's most likely something on my end, but just in case, I figured I ought to bring this to people's attention after being directed here by a fellow troper.
Edited by Notsofriendly on Jul 17th 2022 at 10:57:14 AM
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Came up on my end too. A lot of pages have been doing that lately. We should make a list for research.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
People seem to be saying it's due to http addresses... Uh, maybe make a sandbox with just a http link and see what happens? These are the ones on the page:
- avclub.com/tvclub/the-simpsons-classic-the-boy-who-knew-too-much-96279
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_King_%28boxing_promoter%29
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
You'll probably have to do it, Malady. I can't even access the page to get the full link addresses. That's if we're allowed to make such a sandbox in the first place.
Edited by WarJay77 on Jul 17th 2022 at 11:07:23 AM
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Stashing a http link on Wiki Sandbox now.
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Nothing happened.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Stashing the Wikipedia http link too.
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Dunno. Neither of those links triggered it.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
A quick update: I just tried the One Time Characters link again on my more up-to-date PC, and it seems to be unaffected here. I think in my case, it's strictly the Mac that is the problem; without some kind of security software running, it always reads this entire site as a security risk. I wonder if others are encountering the same issue for the same reasons. It's times like this when I wish I had more in-depth knowledge to help out with matters like these, but maybe what I found could be of help.
Edited by Notsofriendly on Jul 18th 2022 at 8:20:54 AM
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Really? For a lot of us these pages trigger Avast.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
You’re right; I forgot to mention that my PC does not use Avast, so it’s most likely an issue with the latter. Apologies for the confusion there.
Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him
Just visited the page, no problems. I think it's definitely an Avast issue—my PC has Malwarebytes and my Mac doesn't have AV.
TRS Queue | Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
the Retromancer
It's been clear for a long while that Avast is falseflagging random pages and the staff or someone on their behalf would have to apply this form or email the company for investigation.
Edited by Amonimus on Jul 18th 2022 at 4:08:56 PM
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Except that doesn't explain why AVG also popped up the same phishing warning? Unless it's because Avast and AVG share some form of filter list/run similar codes...
the Retromancer
Avast literally owns AVG.
Edited by Amonimus on Jul 18th 2022 at 4:51:20 PM
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Ah, that'd explain it. Thanks.
A procrastination in of itself
The Jack Daniel’s Apple ad has occasionally become a pop-out out for me on mobile (iPad using Safari, Adblock extension installed but disabled), it seems to do it at the end after sitting quietly in the sidebar and running most of its length. It may also relate to if I scroll past where the ad sits in the sidebar.
On the same subject, I take it we’re just now running video/GIF ads as standard? It’s only if they auto-play audio that they’re reportable?
Edited by Silasw on Aug 17th 2022 at 11:13:53 AM
"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran
There’s been a large and irritating Singapore Airlines pop up ad lately. It jumps onto the screen and starts running, and the only way to get rid of it is to back out of what you’ve been reading.
Can this please be taken care of?
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Time to add Franchise.Digimon to the "apparently a phishing page" list.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Looking at it, the only external link seems to be:
Ae-tch Tee Tee Pee Colon // www Dot yourheroicjourney Dot com
That spelled-out ish version should not trigger anything, else something's really wrong?
Edit: removing HTTP
Nevermind, there's also these s-versions:
Edited by Malady on Jun 23rd 2022 at 8:55:40 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576