The Lemon Fool

This week I've started getting a "please allow ads" notice on Lemon Fool. This might have resulted from my clearing my cache ( but that's an another sad story concerning changes at the TSB bank site).

However, following the Lemon link it asks me to do something about disabling adblocker by going to the icon in the top right hand corner. I've had this in connection with something else ages ago, but the point is, I don't have an icon for adblocker, and I have never put any adblocker on my machine AFAIK.

Yet more than one app thinks I have adblocker. Any ideas what is going on?

Could this simply be a function of Malwarebytes but the warning comes back with the specific adblock icon because it is the only error message "it" knows?

Arb.

What browser are you using? Perhaps it has a built-in ad blocker?

I use an adblocker on my PC. Sometimes this stops a new screen opening, when the website requires it. This can be overridden by changing the settings. It describes it as preventing "pop ups".

It's an add-on to Firefox.

TJH

Are you using Chrome? Chrome has a built in ad-blocker which might explain what is going on.

RC

ReformedCharacter wrote:Are you using Chrome? Chrome has a built in ad-blocker which might explain what is going on.

RC

Does it?

On closer checking this appears to be only half the story. My version of Chrome claims "Ads are blocked on sites known to show intrusive or misleading ads". But it doesn't work with YouTube which gratingly interrupts videos with highly intrusive adverts.

Curiously on one one of my other laptops, this doesn't happen. An ad (or sometimes two) will start playing at the start of a video but get interrupted and shut down after a couple of seconds, automatically. A joy to see happening! But I've yet to figure out how or why this happens. I'd like to propagate the facility across my other lappies!

Mike4 wrote:

ReformedCharacter wrote:Are you using Chrome? Chrome has a built in ad-blocker which might explain what is going on.

RC

Does it?

On closer checking this appears to be only half the story. My version of Chrome claims "Ads are blocked on sites known to show intrusive or misleading ads". But it doesn't work with YouTube which gratingly interrupts videos with highly intrusive adverts.

Curiously on one one of my other laptops, this doesn't happen. An ad (or sometimes two) will start playing at the start of a video but get interrupted and shut down after a couple of seconds, automatically. A joy to see happening! But I've yet to figure out how or why this happens. I'd like to propagate the facility across my other lappies!

Google aren't going to do anything about intrusion by YouTube because they own it, I'm afraid.

I use Firefox with uBlock Origin installed, works well.

Mike4 wrote:

ReformedCharacter wrote:Are you using Chrome? Chrome has a built in ad-blocker which might explain what is going on.

Does it?

On closer checking this appears to be only half the story. My version of Chrome claims "Ads are blocked on sites known to show intrusive or misleading ads". But it doesn't work with YouTube which gratingly interrupts videos with highly intrusive adverts.

Must admit that I didn't know Chrome had an adblock function, but there's something that looks very much like one.

Click the three dots at top right, and then Settings > Privacy and Security > Ad Privacy, and then Ad Topics to eliminate ads on particular subjects. You can also turn off targeted ads altogether.

That's the good news. The bad news is that I've tried it and it doesn't work. Well, not yet anyway. There's something about clearing out the records after 30 days. Might as well wait a while, I suppose?

Edge uses the same platform as Chrome, I believe. Slightly different privacy options. But, since I hardly ever use Edge, I don't really know my way around it yet......

BJ

Arborbridge wrote:This week I've started getting a "please allow ads" notice on Lemon Fool. This might have resulted from my clearing my cache ( but that's an another sad story concerning changes at the TSB bank site).

However, following the Lemon link it asks me to do something about disabling adblocker by going to the icon in the top right hand corner. I've had this in connection with something else ages ago, but the point is, I don't have an icon for adblocker, and I have never put any adblocker on my machine AFAIK.

Yet more than one app thinks I have adblocker. Any ideas what is going on?

Could this simply be a function of Malwarebytes but the warning comes back with the specific adblock icon because it is the only error message "it" knows?

Arb.

If you haven'y got an ad blocker installed there's probably something else that is filtering content that is giving the impression you have an ad blocker on.

It will help if you define what you are using e.g. PC with Windows 10/11 and the specific browser with version number.

On the cache point, if you need to flush cookies et al for specific websites you can do it on a per website basis rather than globally (which will affect all your website log ins).

BullDog wrote:

Mike4 wrote:
Does it?

On closer checking this appears to be only half the story. My version of Chrome claims "Ads are blocked on sites known to show intrusive or misleading ads". But it doesn't work with YouTube which gratingly interrupts videos with highly intrusive adverts.

Curiously on one one of my other laptops, this doesn't happen. An ad (or sometimes two) will start playing at the start of a video but get interrupted and shut down after a couple of seconds, automatically. A joy to see happening! But I've yet to figure out how or why this happens. I'd like to propagate the facility across my other lappies!

Google aren't going to do anything about intrusion by YouTube because they own it, I'm afraid.

I use Firefox with uBlock Origin installed, works well.

Seconded. After a brief goggle I found uBlock Origin too. Neatly explained by this kind chap here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA9dPrw ... nel=Mighty

Without looking too deeply, it appears to be a whitelist-based thing rather than a conventional ad blocker. Not sure what the difference is though or how that would work, without white-listing almost every site on the net!

BullDog wrote:

Mike4 wrote:
Does it?

On closer checking this appears to be only half the story. My version of Chrome claims "Ads are blocked on sites known to show intrusive or misleading ads". But it doesn't work with YouTube which gratingly interrupts videos with highly intrusive adverts.

Curiously on one one of my other laptops, this doesn't happen. An ad (or sometimes two) will start playing at the start of a video but get interrupted and shut down after a couple of seconds, automatically. A joy to see happening! But I've yet to figure out how or why this happens. I'd like to propagate the facility across my other lappies!

Google aren't going to do anything about intrusion by YouTube because they own it, I'm afraid.

I use Firefox with uBlock Origin installed, works well.

The Brave browser is also pretty good with youtube. It's become unwatchable now without an blocker, with ads randomly jumping in. Unlike with TV they don't come at an 'ad break' i.e. a natural pause or scene change, but often half way through a sent - please pause for three minutes to be forced to watch something you have absolutely no interest in - ence.

Mike4 wrote:

BullDog wrote:Google aren't going to do anything about intrusion by YouTube because they own it, I'm afraid.

I use Firefox with uBlock Origin installed, works well.

Seconded. After a brief goggle I found uBlock Origin too. Neatly explained by this kind chap here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA9dPrw ... nel=Mighty

Without looking too deeply, it appears to be a whitelist-based thing rather than a conventional ad blocker. Not sure what the difference is though or how that would work, without white-listing almost every site on the net!

I might be wrong but I think uBlock Origin is so effective because compared the billions upon billions of websites, there's relatively few ad servers. I am guessing that blocking a fairly small number of ad servers results in a massive drop in the ads you and I are served.

uBlock Origin uses dynamically updated lists to set its filtering rules, so it will adapt in real time to ad servers et al.
In addition you can right click edit on a per website basis (block element) to snaffle pop up banners/auto play video boxes that bypass the other filters by using randomised servers.

It's worth learning how it works under the hood as it's a powerful ally.

BullDog wrote:

Mike4 wrote:

Seconded. After a brief goggle I found uBlock Origin too. Neatly explained by this kind chap here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA9dPrw ... nel=Mighty

Without looking too deeply, it appears to be a whitelist-based thing rather than a conventional ad blocker. Not sure what the difference is though or how that would work, without white-listing almost every site on the net!

I might be wrong but I think uBlock Origin is so effective because compared the billions upon billions of websites, there's relatively few ad servers. I am guessing that blocking a fairly small number of ad servers results in a massive drop in the ads you and I are served.

Wouldn't that mean it uses a blacklist model rather than a whitelist?

I have no idea really about this stuff nowadays. It all seems different to how it was in 1997.

Mike4 wrote:

BullDog wrote:I might be wrong but I think uBlock Origin is so effective because compared the billions upon billions of websites, there's relatively few ad servers. I am guessing that blocking a fairly small number of ad servers results in a massive drop in the ads you and I are served.

Wouldn't that mean it uses a blacklist model rather than a whitelist?

I have no idea really about this stuff nowadays. It all seems different to how it was in 1997.

I see what you mean. The plug in uses a list(s) of some type. Given the billions of websites out there, I'd be inclined to think the list is one for known ad servers. Whether the list is white, black or pink with green spots

“Looks like you’re using an adblocker”

“Looks like you’re trying to install a shedload of crap onto my PC.
Goodbye.”

BullDog wrote:

Mike4 wrote:
Wouldn't that mean it uses a blacklist model rather than a whitelist?

I have no idea really about this stuff nowadays. It all seems different to how it was in 1997.

I see what you mean. The plug in uses a list(s) of some type. Given the billions of websites out there, I'd be inclined to think the list is one for known ad servers. Whether the list is white, black or pink with green spots

The war is hotting up. Doman blocking & hosts files are so passé! https://butter.sonnet.io/

BTW, why block ads?
a) Just because they’re irritating and cost you time.
b) Because they slow your load times, consume bandwidth and use energy (a surprising amount of it, when all added up).
It is eco-friendly to block ads
c) many ads serve malware (yep, you no longer have to click on a link to get infected)
d) they (can) act as trackers.

PS - another good method https://adnauseam.io/

After my post, I found something on Malwarbytes which might have been adblocking, and "unclicked it" for TLF.

Now, strangely, the ads on Lemon now pop up as a strip across the top as they always have, but then immediately go blank, white.

All weird and wonderful.

Arb

As regards my previous post, I realilse the irony is that having taken off the adblocking function of Malwarebytes, I'm now in the odd position that I can't see any adverts because they flash onto the screen and then off again in no time. All I get now is in effect blank spaces.

Arb.

Arborbridge wrote:As regards my previous post, I realilse the irony is that having taken off the adblocking function of Malwarebytes, I'm now in the odd position that I can't see any adverts because they flash onto the screen and then off again in no time. All I get now is in effect blank spaces.

Arb.

Try a full refetch, i.e. hold down Ctrl and press F5. Although you may not thank me if that replaces the blank space with ads...

mc2fool wrote:

Arborbridge wrote:As regards my previous post, I realilse the irony is that having taken off the adblocking function of Malwarebytes, I'm now in the odd position that I can't see any adverts because they flash onto the screen and then off again in no time. All I get now is in effect blank spaces.

Arb.

Try a full refetch, i.e. hold down Ctrl and press F5. Although you may not thank me if that replaces the blank space with ads...

I'm not clear what that does - not much as far as I can see. The ads pop back and then go blank again immediately.

Anyway, I shall go around fully refetching just to see what happens!