Deathstalker II
Well-Known Member
Yeah - this place is an amazing FREE resource. I can handle a few ads (and have clicked through on a couple of relevant ones) to keep it that way.
Question is the RPF really that bad off...
- Thread starter UFO
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Organic Mechanic
Sr Member
Well stated.
I run no script/ad block upon first visiting a site to control exposure until any "threat" can be assessed, after that, there is no need. Webmasters run ads for a reason, and sites like this run ads that (generally) appeal to us as a demographic. If I go to one of the sites that advertise here, I get there via the ad link. One hand washes the other, right?
Mutant-Enemy
Sr Member
You know, I'm willing to acquiesce on the point that I implied something that wasn't the case. I'll even shut up in the face of the obvious impending threat of expulsion from the RPF.
But it almost sounds like you're calling me a liar there Art.
When I said that my Spy-sweeper program found "spy-cookies" on my computer after visiting RPF, that's exactly what I meant and that's exactly what happened.
I'm sorry if I said it in a way that may have caused anyone grief or "fear" and I certainly didn't mean to discourage anyone from visiting RPF.
The fact of the matter is I often encourage people to visit The RPF for exactly some of the reasons that have been stated here, mostly because it's a great resource.
Have I found "Spy-Cookies" on my computer of late?
NO. Thanks for asking.
Maybe I should have started my comment with that.
Sorry for any misunderstandings.
First, I don't know where you are getting this idea of "obvious impending expulsion." What, because you disagreed with me or the staff? You know, we seem to see this type of sentiment quite often and I don't know where it comes from... maybe from other sites? We have NEVER gotten rid of someone for disagreeing with us. Now, we do ask that you are respectful and CONSTRUCTIVE in your criticism, but you aren't as close to the precipice for your comments in this thread as you seem to think.
Second, just to be clear, it was not my intention to call or imply you are a liar. It was/is my intention to emphatically state you are incorrect in implying this site's use of cookies as anything but typical and that you are also wrong in implying that there is a like to this site's use of cookies and the malware attack we sustained. I am also emphatically stating that there is still a very natural fear among many who use the internet and your comments are unnecessarily heightening that fear.
But that isn't what you said. You said "spy bugs" and while I take exception to the term "spy" altogether, to say "bugs" gives a very different impression than saying "cookies." Saying a site puts cookies on your computer is generally accepted by most as typical internet activity. To claim a site in installing bugs on your computer gives a totally different impression. Also, your comments made it seem that we are doing something out of the ordinary, or unethical, which is not the case. We, as an administration, haven't done ANYTHING that would intentionally put cookies on your computer. The vbulletin software does install cookies for the typical use of the software. This is a standard and straight out of the box part of vbulletin. We use Google adsense for the majority of our ads and it to will place cookies on your computer, but again, this is vanilla Google Adsense and you will get these exact same cookies from any website using Google Adsense. Nothing special or custom here.
So, just to make sure we are clear, you are not even close to being banned, and I am not calling you a liar. At the same time you have made some allegations that tend to get people riled up and make them fearful and I want to make sure the record is set staight.
EvilRocketeer
Master Member
I will try my best...it wasn't really a popup page..It was more a redirected page asking to take a feedback questionnaire after I post something...it disappears/redirects to the original thread within a few seconds..
Now there IS a redirect page that most of the time comes up so fast and disappears that you don't usually see it (you can see it pop up if you log out) but there should be no feedback or questionaire tied to it. That popup redirect screen is just part of vBulletin (personally, I think it is a bit sloppy, but then, I am not a coder). Please do try to get a screencap of it the next time it happens and send it to me, because you shouldn't be redirected to any type of questionnaire either.
JD
Master Member
I've been getting a link to this page from the RPF lately... (i'm putting in spoiler tags, due to its length)
This oddly enough happens when I press the "back" button to go to the previous page from one RPF page to another.
...and um, Art - I do think you were a tad harsh on Mutant-Enemy. Even if it is 'ignorance' (your word, not mine), he did try to raise some valid concerns and should've been addressed a little more rationally.
This oddly enough happens when I press the "back" button to go to the previous page from one RPF page to another.
...and um, Art - I do think you were a tad harsh on Mutant-Enemy. Even if it is 'ignorance' (your word, not mine), he did try to raise some valid concerns and should've been addressed a little more rationally.
Are you only seeing this happen on the RPF and no other site you visit? Is anyone else experiencing this?
I have seen redirects like this when a computer is infected but if that is the case, it shouldn't be happening solely at the RPF. We can certainly look into this as again, you shouldn't be seeing anything like this.
JD
Master Member
Only the RPF. Two different computers, two different locations.
Happened twice today, at least once yesterday at work.
I'm keep my computer fairly secure and clean.
exoray
Master Member
Without digging in further I would say that link is being spawned by Google Adsense and not a result of client side Malware, I would say I'm 95% certain that its being generated by the Google Adsense code on the RPF...
If you look at the url the RPF's Google Adsense account number "2782638360876736" is being passed as well as it bouncing off multiple Google affiliate ad servers like doubleclick.net , burstnet.com and burstdirectads.com... They are all ad tracking servers, so likely what is happening is that you visit multiple sites that use their services and by design they are tracking your movements and interest so they can toss more pertinent ads based on your interest and the sites you visit... The size of the link is because they are likely passing your stored cookie data when reporting back...
If you look at the url the RPF's Google Adsense account number "2782638360876736" is being passed as well as it bouncing off multiple Google affiliate ad servers like doubleclick.net , burstnet.com and burstdirectads.com... They are all ad tracking servers, so likely what is happening is that you visit multiple sites that use their services and by design they are tracking your movements and interest so they can toss more pertinent ads based on your interest and the sites you visit... The size of the link is because they are likely passing your stored cookie data when reporting back...
Like exoray, without having looked into it too deeply yet, this seems like a plausible explanation. However, what I am not understanding is why or how you are getting this without clicking on something. We don't do any hinky redirect stuff. It is pretty straightforward. You click the link and it takes you to the ad.
This is definitely something I want to investigate further as what you are saying is happening just doesn't make sense to me.
Organic Mechanic
Sr Member
exoray
Master Member
Actually they are not scanning your computers as that is beyond what cookies do, but rather any site you visit that has an affiliate banner on it is logged...
In short the banners on this site are not on the RPF they are on Google's servers so when you visit the RPF you also ping Google's servers and they log your visit to the RPF... Later today when you visit www.www.www that also has a Google affiliate banner it logs the visit to that site... And on and on until Google assembles a browsing pattern for you to toss up appropriate ads when you visit ANY Google affiliated site... It's all based on the ad banners cookie, that is tied to Google...
Now there are cookie blocking programs or cookie flushing programs but in many instances they cause more issues than they are worth, and some sites will ***** to no end and refuse access until you enable cookies, so your mileage will vary...
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Flynn, thanks for explaining this and demystifying how things like this workl
HypnotizeMinds
New Member
pizza :thumbsup
I still haven't gotten pizza!
HypnotizeMinds
New Member
![pizza_ua[1].jpg](http://www.iupui.edu/~psyclubs/pizza_ua[1].jpg)
synasp
Sr Member
As Flynn mentioned, our computers are not being "scanned." We're being site retargeted, which is standard digital marketing and completely benign. The only distinguishing data being collected is your IP (which is nebulous anyway short of your cookies), of which back-end cookie monster computers--Google in this instance--eat up. There's no one viewing your browsing behavior.
The majority of the internet is dominated by ad networks that aggregate tracking data, with Google's network being one of the largest, especially with their doubleclick acquisition. This could sound nefarious but it's really in the best interest of everyone involved. You're served ads via machine calculations for things you're interested in instead of the random crap we're bombarded with from other media. You get sales, promotions, or special items, not to mention a % of ad spend supports the AdSense sites you visit, like the RPF. In return, companies spend less advertising money and are able to funnel that money into more sales or reduced prices, as well as better understanding customer behavior to make the customer experience better. But this is a different discussion--sorry for the tangent.
To answer your question, the majority of sites on the internet that don't have AdSense are still opted into ad networks of some type, like Magnetic. Go to any big brick-and-mortar site and they'll likely have third party tracking.
Again, there's nothing scary about this as it's all done by non-identifying means. If you want to talk scary, we can discuss social retargeting. Haha.
...now I want pizza...
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