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
She / Her
I recently got this huge ad from TruStage which covered more than one-half of the screen.
Got the huge Tru Stage ad as well. Very disruptive bugger, keeps coming back on a reload.
Nerdy Portal Master
Same for me! How the heck did this True Stage add be allowed if it blocks entire pages?!
Does anyone have a screenshot of the Tru Stage ad mentioned? It's difficult to block it without knowing more info
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
I tried to screenshot it the first time I got it, but it didn't really work. May have been my fault, but the ad didn't seem to show up while the screenshot was scrolling (and I was trying to show how it swallowed my screen)
Edited by WarJay77 on Jun 19th 2023 at 1:44:31 PM
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Have a screenshot of it for you.
Been having the same thing happen with the Trustage ad. Annoying as all get-out.
"Can you see what I see?"
I just got this on Summary.Video Games:
It disappeared immediately after I snipped it, though. Can't verify what would have happened if I had clicked on stuff.
Ever wanted to see the most inexplicably horrifying intro to a game ever?
"Can you see what I see?"
Sorry to double post, but the TruStage ads seem to be getting worse. I've gotten it several times in the past hour, and every time, it's a massive ad that just endlessly scrolls below all the content on the page.
Ever wanted to see the most inexplicably horrifying intro to a game ever?
^ Concur! It's definitely getting worse.
Had an ad break the first paragraph after Historical Fantasy in Sorcery and Cecelia until I put a paragraph space between the image and the caption. I guess its a measure to keep paragraphs from being too long?
Edited by Malady on Jun 25th 2023 at 5:26:28 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
"Can you see what I see?"
Are there just specific hours where the Tru Stage ads come up? I've had it appear multiple times in the past hour after having not seen it for most of today.
Ever wanted to see the most inexplicably horrifying intro to a game ever?
Basically canon
Still getting mid-paragraph ads
pearlina brainrot affects millions of people worldwide. if you or a loved one are suffering from pearlina brainrot, call 1-800-GAY-NERDS
Tru Stage full-page ads are still showing up.
Yep, those are still around. I just got one in the Gambling Ruins Lives TLP draft.
Edit: Got another one on the main forum page.
Edited by badtothebaritone on Jul 9th 2023 at 11:30:44 AM
Captain of USS Bajor
I'm getting autoplaying audio/video ads from Abbvie that are really annoying.
he/him
Just got redirected by a McAfee virus ad. First time I've run into one of them on here.
EDIT: Just got a second one a few pages later, with the redirect target being a different site.
Edited by Ian07 on Jul 13th 2023 at 6:47:44 AM
Relationship status: you make my xp5_giligz36asgv04a4 xp2_8e1t2kgz0c452
Lately, when I try to use the mobile site, I keep getting these ads for Zyn nicotine pouches. They typically appear about a minute after I load a page. They're massive and cover up nearly the entire page, and I can't find a way to block them or get rid of them.
(This is what it looks like when I'm zoomed out all the way)
Edited by DrNoPuma on Jul 14th 2023 at 8:11:20 AM
I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D
I've been getting a massive ad on the Nimona (2023) page, takes up nearly the entire screen and with seemingly no X button.
I'm getting Mc Afee redirects, too. Just got two in the span of like 10 minutes.
Prince of puns
Someone please double check Star Wars: The Clone Wars S6E4 "Orders". I just got a redirect to one of those fake verification pages that are clearly browser-based malware that relies on the user giving them notification permissions, and I think it's that page.
Edited by Stardust5099 on Jul 16th 2023 at 11:01:19 AM
Professional Forum Ninja
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I've been getting the same and it's getting annoying.
Image:
Just got a TruStage ad taking up most of The Speedster.
Edited by badtothebaritone on Jul 21st 2023 at 1:52:42 PM
Basically canon
Still getting mid-paragraph ads. It’s always on subpages, but otherwise there’s no real pattern to where they show up
pearlina brainrot affects millions of people worldwide. if you or a loved one are suffering from pearlina brainrot, call 1-800-GAY-NERDS
Just got a massive, content blocking, endlessly scrolling ad while on Series.House Of Anubis. The ad is for TruStage and just sort of absorbed all of the content behind it, like the folders are still barely visible and interactive but the ad is obscuring everything.
Edit: And it popped up at the TLP as well. I may have to get my ad-free subscription going again if this keeps happening, and I don't wanna keep spending money
Edited by WarJay77 on Jun 17th 2023 at 3:19:30 PM
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness