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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 (13)

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Hey, you brought up malware, not any of us!

systemcat said

... Some of these ads I'm told contain viruses & malware ready to infect computers. ...

systemcat said

With so many other DeviantART users having the exact same issue with the site, I tend to doubt malware. ...

And the support contributors who responded who aren't deviantart users don't see that problem ... might that be an indication that all of you might have picked up malware there? Or could your continuing problem while trying AdBlock Plus or uBlock Origin be due to having more than one "ad blocker" enabled at the same time or just that multiple are even installed at the same time; that coupled with a cookie saved for deviantart.com?

Overall, my feeling is that you didn't come here for support, but rather you have an "axe to grind" over issues you have with deviantart and their way of doing business; and you aren't taking our suggestions seriously enough to look any further than what biases you came here with.

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I well understand how programs can conflict. Such a thing is not happening here. Do not say the DeviantART users complaining about this might have malware on their computers causing this. I know for a fact that is not the root of the problem on my machine.

Please do not be rude towards me. I did come here for support. After about a week of attempting to resolve this matter solo, I then proceeded to seek out how to report this problem which I wondered was a matter of agencies that deal with the removal of spam or improper advertising. When that showed nothing useful, that is when I turned to attempting to alert FireFox about it to maybe get this fixed.

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Are you trying to say deviant art is pushing malware if so can you provide screenshots and details including the links. I suspect as do others that if you have malware issues when using the deviant art site that may be more to do with your own problems i.e malware on your system. From a quick internet search I did not really see any indication of the site being a problem as a malware source. I did notice two safe reviews from major names

If your complaint is merely about how they choose to run their site then it is not something we are able to help you with.

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John99 said

Are you trying to say deviant art is pushing malware if so can you provide screenshots and details including the links. I suspect as do others that if you have malware issues when using the deviant art site that may be more to do with your own problems i.e malware on your system. From a quick internet search I did not really see any indication of the site being a problem as a malware source. I did notice two safe reviews from major names If your complaint is merely about how they choose to run their site then it is not something we are able to help you with.

First of all the malware note is coming from various other users who claim they have this infect their computers clicking on the site ads. I know better then to click on these ads since they are nothing but an annoyance to me.

This is over an anti ad-block message banner they've recently started using. They say to remove this eye sore you need to turn off your adware filtering and they list a few ad-blocking software titles to drive this point home, of what to do with your protection barrier. Even ad-blockers which DeviantART doesn't list still are targeted with this banner. Their ads years ago weren't as abundant as they are now. They're downright disruptive to surfing the site outside the added virus & malware ones I'm told of. I will give you more examples of this banner since if you look at earlier in this thread I did give one attachment. Please read all comments in this thread when next replying. I think people are playing pick & choose in what they are reading.

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Hi

I think that your concern relates to an add-on and not Firefox itself.

Add-ons are developed by a large community of independent developers we are best placed to provide support and guidance with regards to the software they have produced.

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You choose not to click on adverts and that may be sensible.

If you yourself are not seeing malware on the deviantart site, then we lean towards believing the reports from Norton & MacAfee that the site is safe.

As for the adblock advisory banner, they have the right to do that. My personal opinion is that the site can be considered as their intelectual property, and if they wish to only display that to either those who:

  • Subscribe & pay,
  • OR are willing to see adverts (else they see a banner)

that is their business. If you regard the adverts and banner as spam consider voting with your mouse and boycotting the site, or paying for a subscription to the ad free site.

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I just want to know of a sure fire way to block this banner within FireFox. Chrome was a forced installation because of this and 99% of the time I can block it using the other browser, but I prefer to use FF for surfing. Second, I used to pay DeviantART for membership that is until they started charging more than double for it. There is going to be no cave in to greed here. With how resistant FireFox ad block plugins software are and even outside influence ad block software. This can't be totally kosher.

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Sorry if you think I was being rude to you. I am frustrated by your seeming lack of response to the support advise that I and other support contributors have provide to you in this thread. (4 support contributors have attempted to help you)


As Seburo mentioned, it seems your issue is with Firefox add-ons (and maybe external ad blocker programs), not with Firefox itself.

My response here - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1128906#answer-892136 - gave you a link to two different "ad blocker add-on" support fora where you should be able to get help blocking that banner which appear for you at the bottom of deviantart pages using one of those add-ons.

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One was already in use and the one you & another member bragged about, I mentioned testing as well.

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Have you tried getting help from the AdBlock Plus forum, as I suggested yesterday afternoon?

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One of the early things I tried doing was reporting it to them directly through the software, but I have no idea how that was received. It is concerning DeviantART wants to be on the ad-block white list when they're doing this shunt. I think I might just show Ad-Block Plus's forum this thread so they know at least one person is stepping up to try and combat this.

I've started to get used to Chrome but damn hate it when I forget and use FF on the site. Instant orange banner.

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You could always use Chrome on DeviantArt and do your other browsing on Firefox, Or what about just using fewer blockers on the DevianArt site so you see less adverts and no banner.

If you do follow the-edmeisters suggestion and post on the AdBlockPlus forum or elsewhere that is relevant to Firefox feel free to add a cross link in this forum as other readers may be interested.

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systemcat said

One of the early things I tried doing was reporting it to them directly through the software, but I have no idea how that was received. ...

Was there any response to your posting there?


I gotta say that it sounds like you are blaming Firefox and /or "ad blockers" for your issues with DeviantArt.com, when that website appears to work as its' owner or developer wants it to work. IMO, they want to earn revenue via the display of advertisements to help them pay the cost of maintaining their popular website and maybe get a few bucks to help support their families.

So "shame on them" for wanting to be compensated for their efforts, with via paid memberships or thru some of the least objectionable advertising that I have ever seen in 18 years of using the internet.

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