Porn on DU

[tom_kelly]

Why is a porn advertisement constantly running on my DU front screen? Regardless of whether I have ever visited a porn site, DU should draw the line somewhere below this for money-making.

[Blue_Adept]

1. Screenshot?

And it's not them that's providing. It's google ads. Site runners do have the ability to block particular ads, but there are so many that you need to know which one in order to isolate since they came in and out so fast.

I'm curious myself. I watch a ton of porn but have never had an ad for it anywhere on the many sites I visit that use google ads.

[tblue37]

76. Google ads are determined by repeated words on the page.

If a page is full of phrases like "grammar nazis," then ads for WW2 books or Nazi memorabilia will show up, even if the page is about wrtiting or about correcting grammatical errors.

The p**n ads are caused by the fact that the words "p**n" and "p**nography" were in the subject lines and innumerable posts of the many, many p**n threads that infested DU for a while there.

[DJ13]

102. So "woo" is a porn term to Google?

[tblue37]

105. No, but a couple of weeks ago GD was rife with p**n threads, so the Google ads algorithm

identified DU as a site whose readers might be likely to be interested in p**n.

[DJ13]

106. Those pawn threads are always trouble

[tblue37]

107. I just got pwned, didn't I?

[DJ13]

108. No, I think I did!

[jehop61]

2. Look Out Tom

I complained last week and was pretty much blasted into silence by DUers who questioned my intelligence and progressiveness. Also called me dumb for not realizing something about internet advertising and algorithms or something. I too am offended but my complaints fell on deaf ears at DU. But money trumps these days, I guess.

[pintobean]

18. That was because it wasn't your first time

and you weren't interested in anyone's advice or explanations.

[pinboy3niner]

30. Can't hear you...

[Renew Deal]

31. Why should they have to ask more than once?

Porn ads shouldn't be on DU. Most people don't visit for that and many visit from work.

[pintobean]

35. Is this the forum to ask?

I can't do anything about it, other than suggest ways to avoid it. Can you?

[hobbit709]

36. It was explained to the poster on 3 different locked threads on what to do.

Once each by EarlG and Skinner. Poster would rather complain than do the simple solutions given.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024254679

http://www.democraticunderground.com/125128910

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002552612?com=search

[tblue37]

77. But the ads are not chosen by the site owner. They are

determined by words that are used repeatedly on the site. Blame all those DU threads and posts that referred to p***n for so long.

BTW, the repetition of "p**n" in this thread will also attract such ads!

[jehop61]

43. thank you so very much

For keeping tabs on me and my posts. You are soooooo special, aren't you?

[pintobean]

45. Remembering back to Tuesday is not keeping tabs.

That's when your latest locked thread on the subject was posted - the latest of at least three that were locked. I don't think I'm the one who thinks they're special.

[grantcart]

64. I think you should have just agreed with him.

You are special.

[Kaleva]

27. DU isn't for everybody.

[hobbit709]

3. Maybe it's your browsing and search history.

That's how google tailors ads on your computer.

[jehop61]

4. I get it too

but have never had any porn sites on my computer or anything remotely resembling cheesecake or such. Where does it come from? Who knows? But too bad the powers that be at DU couldn't lobby to keep offensive content off their website.

[hobbit709]

7. No one knows how google data mines.

And as was pointed out in your previous threads, try AdBlock or donate $5 to DU.
It seems you'd rather get outraged than take preventive measures.

[Renew Deal]

32. It comes from the content of the website

So when there was lots of guns talk there were lots of gun ads. Recently there has been lots of porn talk so I guess we get porn ads.

[pintobean]

33. So, these threads just add to the problem.

Yeah, that always gets mentioned in these threads.

[pinboy3niner]

37. Whatever you do, don't mention "purple dildo"

Oh, wait...oops!

[pintobean]

38. I wouldn't dare

[pinboy3niner]

39. DUzy!

OMG, it's even worse than I thought!

[Warren DeMontague]

82. Well done.

[In_The_Wind]

51. purple dildo ???

I don't believe I've ever seen one of those around here.

[jberryhill]

83. It was the handle of a gardening implement in an advertisement

And, the text was small, so it appeared to many DUers as a purple dildo.

[Kaleva]

88. So that's the story behind the purple dildo ads people were saying they saw!

[rug]

92. So it was a hoe not a dildo?

[pinboy3niner]

94. ...

[tblue37]

78. Precisely, which is why I edited my posts to use asterisks when

referencing the p-word, to avoid drawing p**n ads.

Others on this thread should do the same.

[Whisp]

42. you must be lying or your husband/wife is looking at porn behind your back.

there is no other reason you will see porn here.



yeh, I know. Sickening but that is what I was hammered with when I complained about that - an ad that used a girl that looked underage to sell sex, here on DU. Most said I should just pay Skinner then I won't see those ads - like the child sex trade will disappear if I pay membership fees here.

lordy.

[TransitJohn]

68. Porn is offensive?

Who knew?

[bluestate10]

70. Have you ordered male performance assistance medications online, or male

hair maintenance items, or magazines intended for men only, or you are a member of some clubs? Search engines use complex algorithms to "predict" an ad that may interest you. You may have not visited an explicit sex site, but you have visited sites that a search algorithm may link an ad to a porn site for you because it predicts you may be interested.

[jehop61]

72. I'm an old lady

so that's not it. Just venting on an annoyance I only experience on D U thank you for your help.

[idwiyo]

5. Install Adblock Plus, problem solved.

https://adblockplus.org/en/firefox

[Shandris]

6. Yeah, I was like...

...DU has ads?

[idwiyo]

9. I can't imagine visiting any website without Adblock Plus.

If you are using Firefox, did you try Self-Destructing Cookies?

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/self-destructing-cookies/?src=denblog

[Egalitarian Thug]

11. Once you get the exceptions set up, the freedom and speed of commercial-free

browsing is almost like going back to 1992.

Now, if we can just fix the search engines...

[Shandris]

12. WOAH! No, I've never heard of that one!

I don't check the add-ons nearly enough. That would be wonderful, thank you so much!

[idwiyo]

17. You should also check BetterPrivacy too. It removes LSO cookies.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/betterprivacy/

In fact Self-Destructing Cookies FAQ recommends to install it.

About LSO cookies:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_shared_object

Local shared objects (LSOs), commonly called Flash cookies (due to their similarities with HTTP cookies), are pieces of data that websites which use Adobe Flash may store on a user's computer. Local shared objects are used by all versions of Adobe Flash Player and version 6 and above of Macromedia's now-obsolete Flash Player.[1]

While websites may use local shared objects for purposes such as storing user preferences, there have been privacy concerns regarding local shared objects, and they may be considered a breach of browser security.

[Shandris]

19. Yah I saw that in the FAQ for Destructing...

...but thankfully I had heard of that one previously from...a PCWorld article, maybe? Wired? I don't remember, it's been quite a while. And of course NoScript.

Thank you for mentioning it nonetheless, I'm sure other posters would definitely like to take advantage of it also.

[idwiyo]

20. You are very welcome! Hopefully others will see out posts and try these ad-ons too.

NoScipt might be a bit too techie for average user but it's a great addition to Firefox security suit.

In case anyone is interested:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/noscript/

[edhopper]

23. I use Cookie Monster now

is this a replacement or an addition to other cookie add-ons? (I usually clear my cache after going to sites that need cookies)

I use Better Privacy as well.

[idwiyo]

25. It is similar to Self-Destructing cookies add-on. I use SDC as it gives enough control

As far as I know it doesn't remove LSO cookies, so maybe you should look at BetterPrivacy anyway.

As to NoScript, make sure you understand what it will do and how to use it before you install it. It can be a pain in the arse to configure. Like real PIA!

[edhopper]

28. I use Better Privacy now

I guess the temporary cookie feature on Cookie Monster is similar to SDC so I'll keep it since I know it's controls.

Yes i am hesitant about NoScript and will look into it more before i jump.

Thanks so much.

[idwiyo]

40. You are welcome! :)

[Silent3]

41. I don't think this person's problem is seeing the ads him/herself...

...it's about not thinking that DU should represent itself that way to the general public, as a place that gets ad revenue from such sources.

I personally don't care much myself (I have a star, and ad block software too, and don't worry much that any ads that do appear to others reflect on DU itself), but everyone telling the guy how to block these ads is hugely missing the point.

[idwiyo]

48. the adds he is seeing have nothing to do with DU and everything to do with

his browsing history. How can DU admins control that?

I read DU without logging in using a browser without any mods and I am yet to see any porn ads. Go figure.

[tblue37]

79. No--it is determined by words that appear often, so all those

p**n threads attracted p**n ads to DU.

[idwiyo]

81. very strange how it doesn't affect me whe I don't log in and use unmodified browser.

[Silent3]

95. I'm not sure how much control a site using Google AdSense has.

Part of what a user sees is certainly due to the user's own browsing history, but I think that's not all of it, that the site itself can impose some preferences and filtering on the types of ads which are chosen.

[idwiyo]

96. Very limited and I doubt Skinner will click on "adult material ROCKS" option. :)

[Silent3]

97. Ah, but is there a "adult material doesn't rock" option that can be clicked, but hasn't been? n/t

[idwiyo]

98. Damn, you have a point there! Didn't think about that one!

[Buns_of_Fire]

8. The adsense algorithms are based on an arcane science, from the original Sanskrit.

If you do an innocent search on Flex-Seal, you may wind up getting ads for Hardee's and McDonalds. It is not meant for the ways of the Google Machine to be comprehended by mere mortals.

[Egalitarian Thug]

10. Stop going to porn sites long enough to clean windoze from your system and get a grownup OS,

use a browser that doesn't collect and sell you to anyone willing to pay.

Get off facebook and all the other sites you've sold your identity to for the perception of inclusiveness.

And finally, send me a check for the $1,000 dollars I've saved you by telling you these simple steps to relative security that I've freely given you.







(And just FYI, you can then resume spending your days on porn sites without the constant reminder of what you did every time you check in here)

[Shandris]

13. Linux doesn't like to run my WoW...

...and no WoW is no go! I'm afraid I can't pay you $1,000 for the facebook info; I never fell for that scam in the first place!

[Egalitarian Thug]

15. Early morning sarcasm is just one of the many services we offer here at ET's House of Fun.

I didn't know WoW was crippled, I never could get into it.

I keep a windoze partition for games as I gravitate toward FPS and of course, GTA.

[jehop61]

71. boy are you wrong

Don't, don't don't look at porn. Live alone with my dog and bird, I'm the only user of my device, enjoy the great grandchildren on Facebook, and have been retired for 18 years. Now what's your answer. P. S. It would be ok if the particular offensive porn didn't jiggle. Way too distracting to these old eyes.

[William769]

74. See what happens when you use certain words?

[tom_kelly]

84. Thank You for Your Advice

But I don't need it. Yes, I'm single and I visit one porn site. Because I visit this one porn site I am confronted with porn advertisements on DU? I used to be a paying member of DU but I'm beginning to think differently of where I spend my money when it comes to DU.

[Blue_Adept]

14. Really hoping for a screenshot. Anyone?

It's not that I doubt anyone, but as someone who runs a site that uses google ads as well, I'd love to see what porn ads are coming through it.

[Art_from_Ark]

24. I've got a screen shot of a porn site ad on DU

Due to the nature of the ad, it would probably be removed if I posted it here.

[Agschmid]

53. I have never seen such an add...

On DU.

FWIW I think people's definition of porn could be effecting what they say a porn add is...

[Art_from_Ark]

85. Oh, it's a porn site all right

It is in Japanese, and it says, "Tap a girl to make her cum". I grabbed the image on October 21 last year. Here is the address

http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y308/Arkie1958/ FairyFantasia3.jpeg

I have intentionally left a space between the slash after 1958 and Fairy. You can copy and paste the address and delete that space in the address bar to access the image.

[Agschmid]

86. I think you have malware...

[Art_from_Ark]

87. I might have malware

But the same ad also appeared on my computer at my office, which has a different operating system (XP).

It could be that due to my location in Japan, I might just be targeted for ads that wouldn't pop up on computers in North America. For example, I once got an ad from a Chinese abattoir equipment manufacturer. The office computer also used to constantly bring up ads from a Japanese lingerie seller.

[Agschmid]

89. Yes geolocation does likely matter quite a bit...

[dipsydoodle]

16. Get a DU Star.

'nuff said.

[loli phabay]

109. funnily enough i never see porn ads and i am on porn sites daily

mayby they figure i am already a member so no point. though i think its to do with the mention of the word porn in threads that then set up the porn ads to be sent here as others have said. mayby we should do an experiment and everyone use the same obscure word in every post to see what ads appear.

[dipsydoodle]

110. Its weird how cross connections are made.

A few days ago I searched for lard balls for the blue tits in the garden. Now - almost any site I go into an advert for lard balls is there.

[intaglio]

21. Dear Tom, check your browser history

someone may have been using your computer or piggybacking off your internet connection to look at porn.

[pinboy3niner]

22. Darn cat!

That's his story and he's stickin' to it.

[pintobean]

26. It's twue, it's twue

[mockmonkey]

29. Copy the URL from the Ad and go to "Ask the Administrators"

This is so they can block the Ad if it is indeed coming from Google ads.

Here's a link.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1259

Here's a link to someone who had similar issues.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12594346

Here's a link to someone getting Pop-up ads on DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12594414

"Ask the Administrators" is a great start for finding answers and many of the questions have
come up before.

[Romulox]

34. Google and their ad partners are really sleazy. That becomes clear. nt

[hunter]

44. I have a star. But I opened another browser and looked at the DU front page.

I got an ad for some evangelistic Christian site, an ad for computer memory, and the ubiquitous internet teeshirt woman.

I guess I know what you mean.

Like, who wants to see those Christian hookers on a lazy Sunday morning? Not me.

[hobbit709]

46. All I got was "5 foods you shouldn't eat" and a memory for a Mac ad

I don't own any iPOs products and never will

[Drew2510]

47. Mine too. Something to do with some game. Is that what you are seeing? n/t

[otohara]

80. That's What I See Too

Don't know why -

[bigwillq]

49. Like another other business, DU is all about the $$$$

Seriously, I think the ads are pre-generated. I don't think DU has control over which ads make it to their site.

I am not sure, though.

[BobUp]

50. If you

make a donation to DU, you'll not be able to see any ads,

why not donate to DU? It's for a good cause.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/star

[notadmblnd]

52. Funny, I don't see any ads on DU, ever. I wonder why that is?

[grantcart]

67. it is a derivative benefit provided for the pure of heart.

[Codeine]

54. It's homeopathic herbal porn.

Every scene ends in woo-goo.

[NoOneMan]

55. I've never seen porn ads. You are probably being remarketed to

Maybe someone else has been using your computer

[treestar]

56. Probably due to the discussions of porn on DU

The ads go up assuming an interest due to mentions.

[L0oniX]

57. Why is there WOO PORN ON DU???

[pinboy3niner]

59. I blame it on that song...

'Porn in the U.S.A.' It all started with the Boss!

[L0oniX]

60. No it dint! Steppenwolf: Porn to be Wild

Then there is CCR: Porn on the Bayou

[pinboy3niner]

65. You're right! I guess I'm just porn to lose...

[Ms. Toad]

58. Report it to the admins.

The admins don't have the ability to block an ad in advance, but can block an ad the deem inappropriate, once they are aware it is there (which happens when someone who is not a star member reports it).

Bellyaching here won't accomplish that. Send an e-mail, or post a screenshot of the ad in ATA.

[jberryhill]

61. You miss the point of threads like this

The objective is to create a keyword rich environment.

[LAGC]

63. Self-fulfilled prophecy?

[jberryhill]

69. Correct

Start a thread like:

"Where can I find a low interest mortgage?"

Or

"Is there a good Asian bride site?"

[hunter]

75. I find most sasquatch porn distasteful.

Yes, they may be overendowed, but I've heard most are very gentle lovers.

I knew a bashful sasquatch who found a blushing Asian bride online and together they got a low interest mortgage and bought a nice house near the beach where they both make good money working at home removing viruses and deleting accidentally downloaded child pornography from the computers of patriotic Americans defending our second amendment rights to bear arms and hot redheads in wet teeshirts or tastefully nude brawny lumberjacks.

[Ms. Toad]

66. Perhaps. n/t

[brooklynite]

100. Interesting that NOBODY has pointed out the obvious solution...

...buy a DU Star and the ads disappear.

Apparently the people who want their political blogging for free are complaining about the cost.....

[AgingAmerican]

62. Perhaps someone else viewed it on your PC?

I know that ads are usually based on what has been previously viewed. I always assumed that DU filters out such nonsense.

[Savannahmann]

73. It may also be that you use terms that have double meanings.

An example. I was watching Top Gear (UK Version) when they were laughing about a car name. The car was called the Growler. Unbeknownst to me the term also referred to a style of grooming on lady parts.

There are literally thousands of such double meaning words. If you were at a hardware site, and searched for nails, you might have planted the seed for such advertisements.

Dogging. Stop dogging him/her out man. In that context it refers to picking on, or running someone down. Dogging also refers to public sex on someone's front lawn.

Those are but two examples off the top of my head, and I don't know that anyone has a complete list of such terms, and I don't know that I want to know if they do have such a list.

So there are many ways that you could see pornographic advertisements without viewing pornography. The porn sites use hundreds or even thousands of such keywords that the rest of us are often ignorant of their double meaning.

[Indi Guy]

90. Here's a screenshot I just took of a DU ad...

...Sure looks like soft-core to me:

[Quixote1818]

99. Web studies show hentail porn is really popular in Kentucky

Are you from Kentucky?

http://audreymagazine.com/california-likes-their-porn-young-and-asian-kentucky-loves-hentai/

[Gore1FL]

104. The Angels need clothes. It's 5 degrees outside and they are dressed in that? n/t

[Indi Guy]

91. Interesting choice of button placement here...

[Indi Guy]

93. A couple more DU screenshots...

[BlueStreak]

101. Because The Google knows what you want.

Are you doubting The Google?

[Gore1FL]

103. The important thing is, how reasonable are the offers?