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How do I report resistant spam pop-ups ad-block software can't remove?

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DeviantART.com is forcing people to look at their advertisements. Anyone who tries to block the ads are met with their warning banner about blocking ads to let them through. This ugly banner takes up a good amount of the screen. You have to disable your ad-block software to see their ads! ( Or become a paying member which is forced down your throat. ) Most of these ads ask you to be a paying member. Some of these ads I'm told contain viruses & malware ready to infect computers. Some play audio disrupting viewing art on the site. How I know of the nastiness of these ads is through other users speaking up. I only noticed the plea on every page to beg people pay for membership. Even customized filtering won't remove the banner telling people to not use their ad-blocking software. It took downloading and installing Chrome - adding three different forms of ad-blockers, just to remove this banner 99% of the time. This is not friendly browsing and I don't want to switch to Chrome. Remember even Google based software isn't totally safe from this anti ad-block message. Please reply to me about how to resolve this. I've been using DeviantART since 2009.

DeviantART.com is forcing people to look at their advertisements. Anyone who tries to block the ads are met with their warning banner about blocking ads to let them through. This ugly banner takes up a good amount of the screen. You have to disable your ad-block software to see their ads! ( Or become a paying member which is forced down your throat. ) Most of these ads ask you to be a paying member. Some of these ads I'm told contain viruses & malware ready to infect computers. Some play audio disrupting viewing art on the site. How I know of the nastiness of these ads is through other users speaking up. I only noticed the plea on every page to beg people pay for membership. Even customized filtering won't remove the banner telling people to not use their ad-blocking software. It took downloading and installing Chrome - adding three different forms of ad-blockers, just to remove this banner 99% of the time. This is not friendly browsing and I don't want to switch to Chrome. Remember even Google based software isn't totally safe from this anti ad-block message. Please reply to me about how to resolve this. I've been using DeviantART since 2009.

All Replies (20)

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This might help; BehindTheOverlay {web link} One click to close any overlay popup on any website. Have you ever been to a website that displays an overlay and masks the content with a transparent background before seeing its content ? This extension allows you to close easily those overlays.

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This is a spam pop-up plain and simple ... ok maybe not simple on it's coding. But it creates a hostile environment for browsing the site. Nearly every page has been in invaded by it's presents. This has to be some form of violation, especially because it's coded to not be stopped permanently by any means.

Here's a screenshot that failed to upload yesterday.

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I am using uBlock Origin for ad blocking and don't have the problems you are describing. No popups with the few pages I viewed at deviantart.com, and I don't get that message about whitelisting that domain in my ad blocker.

And in a Firefox Profile that doesn't have any extensions installed - no ad blocker - I don't get any popups from deviantart.com, but I do see the "social networking" buttons and two advertisements per page. Not anything to really complain about or that I find obtrusive.

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You aren't trying to block all ads from the site. That's why you aren't getting the orange banner anti-ad-block message.

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I am blocking everything, using what is included in uBlock Origin - the default installation, with 10 different filter subscriptions, one of which I added - Fanboy’s Social Blocking List - I don't see any ads or the "social" buttons at diviantart.com, nor do I get that message.

And I also tested deviantart.com in a default Firefox installation that doesn't have any extensions installed - IOW, no ad blocker.

You didn't mention which "ad blocker" you are using, so maybe "your's" is causing your problem, where uBlock Origin doesn't for me.

My advise is to locate the support forum for the ad blocker that you are using and ask for help. https://discourse.mozilla-community.org/t/support-ublock-origin/6746/4

And if you're using AdBlock Plus: http://adblockplus.org/forum/

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the-edmeister said

And in a Firefox Profile that doesn't have any extensions installed - no ad blocker - I don't get any popups from deviantart.com, but I do see the "social networking" buttons and two advertisements per page. Not anything to really complain about or that I find obtrusive.

Multiple ad-blockers are being targeted by this banner. Even ones not listed. This information comes from clicking on the orange banner when it pleas for you to lose it by disabling the software's filter on the site.

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Hi

Apologies for jumping in. I do not use ad-blockers myself, but I did see a a documentary about them the other day (caveat - watching TV does not make me an expert).

Conventionally we are used to thinking of the issue being about adverts and blocking software, but now there are are ad- blocker "blockers" that mitigate the effects of some of the tools mentioned. This may be what is happening with this site, the adverts are being hosted by a service that is able to bypass some ad-blocking Firefox add-ons, but not uBlock Origin (and possibly others).

Hope this helps explain things.

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http://vest.deviantart.com/journal/How-to-Remove-that-GHASTLY-Orange-Core-Tag-551066219

That has AdBlock as an example to use to block that. I don't even see a Firefox extension by that name available from the official Mozilla add-ons website.

How about trying uBlock Origin or AdBlock Plus?

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Sir or Madam, I tried the plugin for Ad-Block Plus which is currently installed and has that custom filtering talked about in the journal. It does not work.

You are acting like you want to deny this problem existing.

Ad-Block Plus has to be reminded on every single page to block the banner within DeviantART and even then the banner returns when going back to the page previously visited.

Even an outside FireFox ad-block program named AdFender can't remove it and that software seriously damages one's ability to see nearly every site out there. Even a safe site I control.

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uBlock Origin fails at this too. It just got tested under added guidelines to remove the banner by singling it out. Same form of one second solution as Ad-Block Plus, next page the banner returned.

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Sorry, I am not denying that is a problem for you - but I am saying that I don't see that message with or without what I use for ad blocking. If my repeated responses made you think that I am pushing a denial agenda in this thread, let's wait for someone else to weigh-in here. There are many more contributors available here at this time of day than there are in the morning or early afternoon (US continental time zones).

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The first poster systemcat mentions having used the site since 2009.

As seburu mentions there is a continuing cat and mouse situation between sites with ads and adblockers. It is probably worth remembering that if you use a site for free it needs to get income from somewhere, to survive, and a general business model is to generate income from ads.

If you succeed in blocking all ads on a free to use site you are stopping what may be the sites main revenue stream. You could drive your favourite sites out of business.

I agree with the-edmeister, from what I see on the site with no adblockers there do not seem to be many adverts, there are even less with ublock origin. If you manage to block them all or most of them and you get a popup spoiling your view of part of the site then that is possibly the sites right, in order to protect its income. I am not sure we should encourage users to always totally block adverts or site content.

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Hello again. I accessed the link. I had no problem. I turned off my flash block and AdBlock, and still no problem.

You may have ad / mal-ware. Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

Run most or all of the listed malware scanners. Each works differently. If one program misses something, another may pick it up.

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Please alert people within FireFox that deal with it's coding what is going on. If this can be gotten rid of. Also the people working for FireFox that deal in legal matters considering the damage these forced ads can inflict.

I want it realized here I'm not the only person fed up with what DeviantART is up to with spam-advertising. People should not be forced to view these ads especially with the fact some carry viruses & malware. The orange banner is beyond annoying. I'm here to try and help others who feel like me over the issue. To that I'll note to you I only gave links to a fraction of the journals complaining about it. The web site's spamming issue needs to be addressed properly.

Please don't consider this a resolved matter till this orange banner is truly removable, minus paying DeviantART money. Plus the removal of the nasty ads ( viruses, malware, audio-video ads ).

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You want it realized?

We're not saying that "you're seeing things", but no one else has acknowledged seeing what you see, so as Fred suggested maybe you have malware that is contributing to your perceived problems on deviantart.


You may provide that feedback to Mozilla here: https://input.mozilla.org/en-US/feedback

But keep in mind that it's not Mozilla responsibility to 'police' the internet for websites that upset the sensibilities of the people who use a website, and don't want to pay to support that website.

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When some have problems with something, but others do not, It could be that the some are the ones with the problem.

The current issues with Adobe flash player for example, Many are having problems, but many others do not.

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With so many other DeviantART users having the exact same issue with the site, I tend to doubt malware. Besides that I do scans regularly for that sort of thing also keeping definitions up to date.

Given the length we've talked about this, tomorrow when I have a moment I'm going to forward this thread in a link to that feedback link so they know ways to attempt resolving this have not succeeded.

Outside my own forum, I'm on DeviantART more than any other social site. What they've done here is after all the years I've been with them. All the changes they've made over time. This one crosses the line.

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Question: Many Windows 10 users have reported having issues. They were so bad that many removed 10 and went back to their original Windows. Ask around and see if there is something like that.

I am using Win 7 FF v46.0.1

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This has nothing to do with my OS.

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