Information |
Should I ever click on pop-up advertisements?
Published 07/10/2007 11:00 AM |
Updated 04/07/2009 02:20 AM
Should I ever click on pop-up advertisements?
Pop-up Information Pop-ups are one of the most common form of advertisement on the internet. Most internet users rate pop-ups as one of the most intrusive and annoying aspects of the web. If so many people dislike pop-up ads, why is it such a popular advertisement method? The most significant reason it that like pop-ups or not, people click them.As a general rule, though, it is not wise to click on pop-up advertisements. Many pop-up ads offer software to protect the user from pop-up ads and spam, it is not uncommon, however, for these ads to direct the user to install software on their computer that will infect the machine with spyware and cause even more pop-ups. Once installed, these programs can cause pop-ups on the users computer even when they are not connected to the internet! Also, these programs often introduce security vulnerabilities which will leave the system susceptible to virus and other spyware infections. Some pop-ups will direct the user to a site of explicitly mature nature which will set of a chain of pop-up after pop-up, opening a series of windows so quickly that the user can not close them all. Often-times when such a chain has been set off a user will be forced to restart their computer to regain control of their machine. This is what those that put the pop-ups in place want. When the user reboots the malicious software that was installed on the user's machine during the storm of pop-ups will be activated and the user will be exposed to the spyware and/or virus activity. Many pop-ups cleverly masquerade as operating system alerts. It can be difficult to determine what is a pop-up and a real alert. When in doubt, write down the error mentioned in the alert and close the window using the red "x" at the top of the screen. If the alert appears again, it is best to contact technical support for your computer before taking action. Pop-ups are annoying and intrusive at best, and at worst can expose a user to spyware, viruses, and browser hijackers. It is best to never click on a pop-up advertisement. |
|
|