# Clicking on SDMB link redirects my mobile device to porn site (WAS: Should SDMB obey own rules?) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 28, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353 "2014-12-28T13:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/41 "2014-12-29T20:26:56Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I’m glad you went and looked, because my response was “I don’t remember seeing threads about pornographic ads. Self-loading audio and video ads, sure, but not porno pic ads.” > > FYI, these same ads pop up all over pretty much any “news” site that shows entertainment topics. I’ve seen them pretty much on any site linked off threads on this board. The article in question may be about the latest Obama topic, but the bottom of that page will have these same kind of ads about Kardashian butts, tiniest bikinis, etc. Yep. I have seen those same ads on many, many web pages. Not even R-rated, let alone “pornographic”. Tasteless & low-brow as all fuck, sure. But hell, we’re tasteless too sometimes. Hell, I even clicked on a couple- and still- not even R-rated. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/42 "2014-12-29T20:29:42Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > We run an ad service called AdBlade that often features photos of scantily clad celebrities; I won’t claim this is the most elevating material in the world, but it’s not pornography, and in any case what you can see in the initial ad box is a thumbnail that shows very little. The only full nudity I’ve seen is a series of photos of women in trompe l’oeil body paint; again, I don’t think most people would describe this as pornography, and the initial ad box shows an unrevealing thumbnail only - you have to click on it to see more. So in general the ads don’t violate our rules. Right- not porno at all, not even close. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/43 "2014-12-29T21:02:05Z")
Agree, not porn at all. I logged out to see the ads and there’s harmless ones. There were also these four: 30 Celebrities With Better Racks Than Kate Upton! 40 Sexiest and Most Revealing Celebrity Selfies! 20 Most Embarrassing Wardrobe Malfunction of All Time! These 54 Hot Chicks In Yoga Pants That Will Blow You Away! With thumbnails. They’re not offensive. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/44 "2014-12-29T21:06:11Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > A > With thumbnails. They’re not offensive. Well, “offensive” they may be, depending. But I agree- not even close to “porno”. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/45 "2014-12-30T05:05:53Z")
The thumbnails for things like “20 Loathsome Parasites You May Not Be Aware You Have” are worse. I think the Dope deliberately seeks out advertisers who use revolting clickbait in order to spur users to become members (and thus avoid the ads). The downside to this strategy is that Dopers tend to have a very high gross-out threshold. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/46 "2014-12-30T05:58:58Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > And others in that vein. I agree, they don’t make the Dope look good. (But then, what type of ads would, I guess?) Valley Housewife discovers 6 new Quantum Particles! Download Advanced Kim Kardashian Calculus Lectures + Video! New essays on Techniques of Shakespearean Drama by Paris Hilton! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/47 "2014-12-30T06:03:54Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > We would be happy to accept Mac screenshots. Linux screenshots, if Linux lets you take screenshots. Whatever kind of screenshots you got. Yes, Linux lets you do screen shots. Much easier even than Winders, AFAIK. In Winders, AFAIK, the screen shot goes to the clipboard, then you have to run Paint or some such, paste the pic there, and save it to a file. (Can someone here tell me a more direct way to take a screen shot and save it to a file?) In Linux, at least the version I have (old Ubuntu release), screen shot pops up a menu with several options of where to put the shot, including saving directly to a file. (ETA: And I can even run a second screen shot to catch the menu of the first screen shot! I just tried it.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/48 "2014-12-30T07:24:49Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Come now. This is the kind of complaint that could be made about any sort of advertising. No, there are good ads and bad ads. The ones that the SDMB is using are particularly distasteful, and they reflect poorly on the site. Honestly, the clickbait doesn’t bother me so much as the borderline scams do. Stuff like “49 Problems Only Dudes With Busty GF Will Understand” are embarrassing enough, but the ones that promise to teach (read: sell) you the shocking trick from the Bible that will get you rich or the debt re-organization strategy that rich people have kept a secret until now are several shades worse. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/49 "2014-12-30T08:21:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > No, there are good ads and bad ads. The ones that the SDMB is using are particularly distasteful, and they reflect poorly on the site. Honestly, the clickbait doesn’t bother me so much as the borderline scams do. Stuff like “49 Problems Only Dudes With Busty GF Will Understand” are embarrassing enough, but the ones that promise to teach (read: sell) you the shocking trick from the Bible that will get you rich or the debt re-organization strategy that rich people have kept a secret until now are several shades worse. We’re supposed to be fighting ignorance. They’re bringing the enemy to us. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/50 "2014-12-30T10:20:26Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > In Winders, AFAIK, the screen shot goes to the clipboard, then you have to run Paint or some such, paste the pic there, and save it to a file. (Can someone here tell me a more direct way to take a screen shot and save it to a file?) You can press the Windows Key + Print Screen and save the screen shot directly to a file. This does not work on older versions of windows. Using Print Screen and then copying into Paint or some other file works on both old and new versions of windows. > [@Senegoid](#): > > In Linux, at least the version I have (old Ubuntu release), screen shot pops up a menu with several options of where to put the shot, including saving directly to a file. (ETA: And I can even run a second screen shot to catch the menu of the first screen shot! I just tried it.) Linux systems vary. The version of Fedora that I have automatically saves the screen shot to a file (and comes with a spiffy camera click and film winder sound) when you press Print Screen. A lot of older Linux systems used to function a lot like Windows, you press Print Screen and then paste it into Gimp or some other application. Many Linux systems (like Fedora and Ubuntu) also come with an application called Screenshot, which is part of the Gnome desktop. Windows based tablets use the Windows Logo + Volume Down to take a screen shot. Android based tablets use Volume Down + Power. Macs used Command + Shift +3 to capture the entire screen or Command + Shift +4 to capture only part of the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/51 "2014-12-30T13:52:19Z")
Come-on for the latest ad: “300,000 celebrities with higher IQs than Kim Kardashian”. ---
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/52 "2014-12-30T14:32:20Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > In Winders, AFAIK, the screen shot goes to the clipboard, then you have to run Paint or some such, paste the pic there, and save it to a file. (Can someone here tell me a more direct way to take a screen shot and save it to a file?) Check out the Windows Snipping Tool that can be found in the Accessories folder (I don’t know what all versions of Windows have this tool). It lets you take shots of the full screen, a particular window, and rectangular or free-form portions of the screen. Very easy to use. > **[Windows help and learning](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows)** > > Find help and how-to articles for Windows operating systems. Get support for Windows and learn about installation, updates, privacy, security and more. ETA: After you designate the portion of the screen you want to save, it brings up a window that lets you add some basic annotation in different color pens, highlight stuff, erase. Check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/53 "2014-12-30T17:57:28Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > We would be happy to accept Mac screenshots. Linux screenshots, if Linux lets you take screenshots. Whatever kind of screenshots you got. I just raise my cursor to the taskbar, click KSnapshot and I can clip — in any way – any or all of the screen, then save anywhere I wish. I’m using KDE. One of the reasons I use Linux is that ultimately it’s simpler to use than most alternatives. Anyway, I damn know there’s no malware on my machine or in my browser — partially due to not seeing adverts evah; but in the interests of science I fired up Konqueror ( which I don’t use as a browser ), turned off AdBlock which is included in that browser, and looked. Mostly they seem to be the Adblade things mentioned above, which lead to odd entertainment sites such as BoredBug or Caliser; or Taboola which also leads to odd entertainment sites. **Adblade** : \*18 Drunk Girls Who Forgot To Walk & Learned To Stumble… 20 Prom Pictures That Went Horribly Wrong… 10 Embarrassing Things All Women Do, But Will Never Admit\* **Taboola** : _These 31 Builders Made Mistakes That Will Leave You Baffled_ Apart from the fact I don’t do multipage articles, and they made my computer run very slow, these seem just sad rather than offensive. Very populist, and with extra-added adverts on each site you go to. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/54 "2014-12-30T19:49:24Z")
@ **engineer\_comp\_geek** and **sich\_hinaufwinden** , thanks for the suggestions on doing Winders screen shots. (If I were getting some of the kinds of ads being discussed here, I’d want to shoot my screen too!) ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/55 "2014-12-30T19:51:59Z")
It was a monentary surprise that posters had problems with very ordinary click-bait type ads – but then I remembered for anything you can name, there’s going to be someone here that takes offense. The ads are innocuous. Commercial websites need income to survive. This place is not a holy temple of purity. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/56 "2014-12-30T20:50:29Z")
The clickbait ones are just dumb - I think people object to them more on the grounds of their sharp contrast to the stated objective of the board, rather than prudishness or anything. But those aren’t the ones I’ve been having trouble with. I may have simply fallen victim to an ad that slipped through the net at the ad provider. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/57 "2014-12-31T00:49:30Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Come-on for the latest ad: “300,000 celebrities with higher IQs than Kim Kardashian”. So basically all of them? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/58 "2014-12-31T17:13:49Z")
It just happened again - I opened a thread link in GQ and it redirected to a porn site via a domain called daterex. This time it is on an Android tablet in firefox (I checked it for suspicious plugins and helpers - nothing). The same problem is being discussed on another board here : [http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057338557/1](http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057338557/1) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/59 "2014-12-31T17:51:19Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It just happened again - I opened a thread link in GQ and it redirected to a porn site via a domain called daterex. This time it is on an Android tablet in firefox (I checked it for suspicious plugins and helpers - nothing). > > The same problem is being discussed on another board here : [http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057338557/1](http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057338557/1) Just to be clear, this (getting redirected) is totally different than what you were saying in the OP (an ad you objected to). An ad that you don’t like can only be taken care of by TPTB and there’s really very little you can do about what they’re serving up to you, other than installing AdBlock Plus. On the other hand, if you click on a thread and end up on another website, that’s likely something on your computer. I know what I (and others) said at the beginning of this thread, but this isn’t the problem you described earlier. You should scan your computer and see what it turns up. I’m betting you have some kind of malware on it. Lavasoft AdAware and Malware Bytes are both free. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353/60 "2014-12-31T17:57:48Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It just happened again - I opened a thread link in GQ and it redirected to a porn site via a domain called daterex. So, which thread and which link? Cause this sounds like malware on your device, not a SDMB issue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-on-sdmb-link-redirects-my-mobile-device-to-porn-site-was-should-sdmb-obey-own-rules/708353.md?page=4)