First, if you have a version older than 18.0.0.203, you could update. But if you already have the latest version, this is temporarily normal: because of publicly confessed problems with the plugin, you need to activate it on sites you trust to use it instead of letting all sites use Flash automatically. If you are not accustomed to using the "Ask to Activate" feature for a plugin, here's what to expect: When you visit a site that wants to use the Flash, you should see a notification icon in the address bar and one of the following: a link in a black rectangle in the page or an infobar sliding down between the toolbar area and the page. If you see a good reason to use Flash, and the site looks trustworthy, you can go ahead and click the Lego-like icon in the address bar to allow Flash. But the page might be using Flash only for tracking or playing a video ad. If you don't see an immediate need for Flash, feel free to ignore the notification, it will just sit there in case you want it later.