Your posts are being HIJACKED to include spam links.

Discussion in 'PriusChat Website Questions' started by sam spade 2, Sep 19, 2021.

  1. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Something new has been added.......and I do NOT like it.
    Certain combinations of words in a post gets converted to a link to an ad on a completely different site.
    This kind of a situation can lead you to: Porn links, scam sites or virus downloads.

    Please join me is protesting this new intrusion.
    It STINKS.
    It is dangerous.

    An example: gas tank
     
    #1 sam spade 2, Sep 19, 2021
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  2. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    First off, I agree that I personally do not like it.

    Second, As far as my brain serves me at this moment in time, I swear I have saw those links long time ago on this site.
    Perhaps months or even a year or more?

    I agree it is not good for any reason.
    Serves no purpose, as in the hyperlink text I do not think has any
    coding for referral or affiliate purposes.

    So why is it?
     
    #2 dig4dirt, Sep 19, 2021
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I see goop like this:

    Code:
    <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6942303762626556" data-ad-slot="9117737322" data-ad-format="auto"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>
    Of course, I only see it in view-source, because I browse with strict limits on JavaScript. Good for my overall serenity in general. I wouldn't even have noticed this gunk if Sam hadn't said it was there.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Sep 19, 2021
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  4. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Those links could be a legitimate advertising system that gets the site revenue. I've noted them starting years ago, but just ignore them, so have no idea if they are scam or legit.
     
    #4 Trollbait, Sep 19, 2021
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    It makes money for the site owner.
     
    #5 sam spade 2, Sep 19, 2021
  6. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Or course they are.
    But just like "pass through" ads, they are dangerous.
    I think AdBlocker is great. Too bad it doesn't catch things like this.
     
    #6 sam spade 2, Sep 19, 2021
  7. Moving Right Along

    Moving Right Along Senior Member

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    NoScript catches it. Also, I don’t see anything when using the Brave browser
     
    #7 Moving Right Along, Sep 19, 2021
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  8. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    I use chrome here, so I see all of them. They are embedded in posts, on the left side of the page, on the right side of the page, at the bottom of the page. It's criminal, literally! I looked at the html source the other day and I was flabbergasted. pee uuuu ! what is php coming to? check out the new php stuff, right on the coat strings of spacebook facetime and google search privacy issues. Not that any of us posting here are worried about our privacy as we all post our own blah ... blah ... blah ... for all the world to read.

    Although, in the overall perspective of big problems we face daily, hourly or minute by minute, the priuschat box code updates are pretty low down on my list of issues. And besides, if it is even possible for the admins and mods to make changes to that stuff, it probably gets mind numbing. while sifting through all the obfuscations in the code, before even begining to weed out one type of attribute / ad script, without breaking the posting windows in the process. Even the member posting window code is not all that straight forward.

    And you can read the scripts by following the link rel address in between the <head> .... </head> tags. that is if you are current on all the different versions of java floating around the web these days, and the scripts have not already been compressed, encrypted or just plain obfuscated.
     
    #8 vvillovv, Sep 20, 2021
  9. bat4255

    bat4255 2017 Prius v #2 and 2008 Gen II #2

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    Me too :)
     
    #9 bat4255, Sep 20, 2021
  10. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Can't be all that hard.......to not enable it or put it IN there in the first place.
    I do not see crap like this on ANY other site I visit.

    Look at the bottom of any page on this site.
    It has been purposely ADDED.
     
    #10 sam spade 2, Sep 20, 2021
  11. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    I'm running Ghostery on Firefox, so haven't seen these links.
    Then they are there for ad revenue. Operating a web site isn't free.
     
    #11 Trollbait, Sep 20, 2021
  12. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Sure. But getting revenue using means like this is generally considered unethical.....IE spam.

    AND.....the site owner is allowing a 3rd party to insert links into HIS (our) site and that makes the practice dangerous too.
     
    #12 sam spade 2, Sep 21, 2021
  13. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Possibly, I wouldn't know for sure, My comment was geared mostly as support for forum Admin and Mods as devils advocate.
    Lucky you, I don't visit a whole lot ta web sites out there, but I see this kinda thing at almost every web site I visit along with the - This site uses cookies and the privacy disclaimer popup.

    Thanks for mentioning that, not that I'm interested in hiring the current set of web site developers.:(
     
    #13 vvillovv, Sep 21, 2021
  14. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Sounds like standard business practices.
     
    #14 fuzzy1, Sep 21, 2021
  15. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    I remember when Priuschat had autoplay video ads at the bottom page that would autoscroll you down to them on opening a page. If you stopped it and scrolled up, it would start again. This happened multiple times before the ad gave up, and let you scroll through the page.

    These embedded ad links are a very mild nuisance.
     
    #15 Trollbait, Sep 21, 2021
  16. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Autoplay ads (on other sites, before I joined Priuschat) were the first trigger for getting me to start blocking some 'parasitic' content. As web pages continued to bloat with third-party content and tracking items, page loading became terribly slow (slow DSL connection), and my broadband usage started exceeding the monthly data cap (low by standards of even then) and causing overage charges. More content and script blocking was added.

    Then PriusChat's ad service (google?) served up malware to numerous members. I wasn't hit, but don't know if that was from my blocking efforts or just because the service didn't select those ads for me. But it cemented my practice of blocking as much 'parasitic' content as practical.

    How many years has this promised feature been in the works? I think it is even older than Candidate Trump's promise to release his tax returns and new health care plan:

    upload_2021-9-21_19-1-19.png
     
    #16 fuzzy1, Sep 21, 2021
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