# How Does NETFLIX Evade My Anti-Popup/Antivirus/Firewall? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272 "2010-05-04T12:29:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/1 "2010-05-04T12:29:05Z")
I have very good antivirus software, and my ISP provides me with a very good firewall. Therefore, I get almost no popups or ads, except for two things: 1. NETFLIX: they manage to sen me a popup-just about every day 2. that disembodied voice that promises me a $1000 gift certificate at WALMART-how does that get through? So does NETFLIX employ the world’s best hackers? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/2 "2010-05-04T12:55:11Z")
In general, it isn’t antivirus or firewall software that blocks popups, but your browser. Although I suppose some packages might include that functionality. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/3 "2010-05-04T12:57:47Z")
Hmm, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Netflix ad period (as in an ad on their website), popup or otherwise. And I certainly haven’t heard of one talking about a Wal-Mart giftcard. You’re positive they’re Netflix-related and not spyware-related? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/4 "2010-05-04T13:12:40Z")
I know what the OP is talking about, Netflix has some sneaky-ass popups that get through Firefox and/or Chrome’s popup blocking. I can’t say how they are doing it, technically. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/5 "2010-05-04T13:42:59Z")
Hmm, I am a Netflix subscriber and I generally turn off my active antivirus software (Avast)while I watch movies, mostly to avoid the “virus database has been updated” message in the middle of viewing something… …and before I was a subscriber I never once saw a popup ad for Netflix, except on one website that I can’t recall that you’d get it each and every time you went to its homepage… ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/6 "2010-05-04T13:50:03Z")
Some of them are called “pop unders” which means they still work when you block pop ups. Beyond that I can’t explain how they work ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/7 "2010-05-04T14:21:48Z")
A somewhat recent [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=538260) on this. [Instructions](http://ladiesgeekjournal.com/2009/12/tired-of-those-netflix-pop-unders-how-to-rid-your-browser-of-pop-unders/) to block. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/8 "2010-05-04T14:24:28Z")
it don’t think it is Netflix doing it but that they are an advertiser that shows up frequently because they buy ads all over the universe. it is the ad provider services. some sites have these popunders which are not caught by popover preventors. some sites i go to i will always expect 2 or 3 as a usual dose. other sites will yield a popunder after scrolling to see more of the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/9 "2010-05-04T16:17:45Z")
If you’re using Firefox, the combination of the add-ons [Adblock Plus](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865) and [NoScript](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722) will stomp pretty much everything. They’re a little tricky to use, but I trained my mom to use them, you can figure it out, too. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/10 "2010-05-04T16:24:50Z")
I have also noticed that Netflix’s popups or popunders are able to get through Firefox. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-netflix-evade-my-anti-popup-antivirus-firewall/538272/11 "2010-05-04T17:32:49Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > If you’re using Firefox, the combination of the add-ons [Adblock Plus](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865) and [NoScript](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722) will stomp pretty much everything. They’re a little tricky to use, but I trained my mom to use them, you can figure it out, too. Seconded. NoScript essentially doesn’t allow Firefox to do much of anything unless you specifically tell it to. I consider it mandatory on all of my computers.