Do I have adware???
Many web sites that you and I visit have little google text ads on the bottom or right side. As a naive user, how can I tell if Google has somehow "hijacked" my web browser? Or am I supposed to know that these ads are a part of the web page? The ads sure don't look like they were authored by the website. How do I know I don't have adware?
Obviously, I am being facetious, but... JUST THINK ABOUT IT FROM THE NOVICE POINT OF VIEW.
Remember Gator? It was probably the prime example of "adware/spyware" back in the day. It was a useful application that had the "side-effect" of popping up ads that were related to the site you were visiting.
So my question is this: What is the distinction between adware and NOT-adware? Is it the mechanism that is used to display the ads?
After all, the end effect is the same: I see ads everywhere I go... and Google put them there. Just about the same as Gator used to be, only it is implemented differently.
Oh, and Gator used to track your browsing habits. Google only tracks you if you let them track you.
Are you as confused as I am?
NOTE: Sometimes Gator would even replace existing ads within a page with it's own ads. I'm not talking about that feature. Google doesn't do that... yet.
In the interests of full discolosure: I am a Google stockholder.
2 comments:
You mean you didn't ask to have these sex ads shown next to your blog?
Yeah. Crappy thing happened to my 7 year old son on the interent the other day. He goes to this math website where he practices his facts. It is free, and rather well known. On the google ads was an ad for "Vagina" something. NICE!
Complained all the way up the the CEO of the math site -- owned by a major publishing company. They claim, google is only supposed to put age appropriate ads there, but... apparently it's out of their control.
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